What is a packing slip?
A packing slip is a document that goes in or on a shipment and lists what is inside: each item, the quantity ordered and the quantity in this shipment. It carries no prices and is read by whoever receives the goods. An invoice asks for payment, a packing list describes a whole shipment in detail for freight or customs, and a bill of lading is the carrier's receipt and contract. The templates below make the first of these.
Get the packing slip template
Online generator
Type on the slip, no prices, to follow worked out for you. Prints to PDF.
Open the packing slip generatorBoth downloads are blank, plain files with no macros. The online generator needs no account and nothing you type leaves your browser.
Packing slip vs invoice vs packing list vs bill of lading
These four documents are often confused because they all describe a shipment. They answer different questions for different readers.
| Document | Who reads it | What it lists | Prices? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Packing slip | Whoever opens one box | Each item, quantity ordered and quantity in this box | No |
| Invoice | Customer accounts | What is owed, with prices, tax and payment terms | Yes |
| Packing list | Freight forwarders, carriers and customs | A whole shipment, often with weights and dimensions per package | Normally not |
| Bill of lading | The carrier and the shipper | The carrier's receipt for the goods and the contract to carry them | No |
What to put on a packing slip
Every field below is a field in the packing slip generator and a cell or column in the downloads. There is deliberately no price field.
| Field | What to enter |
|---|---|
| Business name, address and logo | Who is shipping. Add a logo to the Word file if you have one. |
| Customer and delivery address | The ship to name and address, which may differ from the billing address. |
| Attention | The name of the person who will open the box or sign at the door. |
| Order number | The customer's order or PO number, or your own sales order number, so the receiver can match the box to the request. |
| Packing slip number | Your own reference for this slip, for example PS-2026-0587. |
| Ship date | The day the shipment leaves you. |
| Stage | Packed, shipped or delivered. |
| Carrier and tracking number | Our own vehicle, courier, freight, customer collected or postal service, with an optional tracking number. |
| Number of boxes and total weight | How many cartons this slip covers and, optionally, the combined weight. |
| Item, SKU, ordered, shipped | One row per product: what it is, your code for it, how many were ordered and how many are in this shipment. |
| To follow | Ordered minus shipped. Calculated for you in the Excel file and the online generator; typed by hand in Word. |
| Note | A line for whoever receives it, such as what is coming on a later shipment. |
| Received by and signature | The name, role and signature of the person who accepts the goods. A signed slip doubles as a delivery note. |
Worked example: a part shipment
Order SO-2026-0412 is for four products, 70 units in all. The warehouse can fill all of two lines, part of one and none of another, so the slip for packing slip PS-2026-0587 looks like this.
| # | Item | SKU | Ordered | Shipped | To follow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Interior door slab, 30 in | DR-3080 | 12 | 12 | 0 |
| 2 | Hinge set, 3.5 in, satin nickel | HG-35SN | 40 | 36 | 4 |
| 3 | Passage lever handle set | LV-210P | 12 | 12 | 0 |
| 4 | Door threshold, 36 in | TH-36AL | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Totals (units) | 70 | 60 | 10 |
To follow is ordered minus shipped on each line: 12 minus 12 is 0, 40 minus 36 is 4, 12 minus 12 is 0, and 6 minus 0 is 6. The totals agree: 70 ordered minus 60 shipped leaves 10 to follow. Two of the four lines are marked as part shipments. The receiver sees at the door that 4 hinge sets and 6 thresholds are still coming, instead of finding out later.
If a line ever shows more shipped than ordered, treat it as a typing mistake and fix it before the box is sealed. The Excel file flags it in the check column and the online generator warns you as you type.
Excel, Word, PDF or the online generator?
| Option | Good for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Excel | Many rows, quick edits, and totals that calculate. | You keep the layout tidy yourself, and a typed-over formula stops calculating. Check the print preview before you send. |
| Word | A fixed, letterhead style layout you can print and hand sign. | Nothing calculates, so work out to follow yourself. Adding rows and keeping columns aligned takes care. |
| Printing a blank slip and filling it in by hand. | A flat PDF cannot add rows or do sums. Only a fillable PDF can be typed into, and it still will not calculate. | |
| Online generator | Packing slips you make often. Ordered against shipped is calculated, an over-shipped line is flagged, and there is no price field at all. | It runs in a browser. It exports an image, print or save as PDF, CSV and JSON, but not a .docx or .xlsx file. |
How to use the template
- Pick the file: Excel if you have many lines, Word for a letterhead style print, or the online generator if you do this often.
- Enter your business details and the customer's delivery address, then the order number and your packing slip number.
- List each item with its SKU, the quantity ordered and the quantity actually in this box.
- Check that To follow is right on every line and that no line ships more than was ordered.
- Print one copy per box, put it on top of the goods or in a clear pouch, and keep a signed copy as proof of delivery.
A packing slip is standard practice rather than a universal legal requirement, but many customers, marketplaces and carriers expect one, so check what yours ask for.
Related tools and guides
- Packing slip generatorFill one in online, no prices, prints to PDF.
- Sales order generatorThe order the packing slip is checked against.
- Purchase order generatorWhat your customer checks the box against.
- Proforma invoice generatorA preliminary invoice sent before goods ship.
- Invoice generatorBill for what actually shipped.
- Purchase order, definedPlain English definition.
- Tool directoryEvery generator and calculator.
Packing slip template questions
What should a packing slip template include?
Your business name and address, the customer and delivery address, the order number, a packing slip number, the ship date, the carrier, and a table of items with the quantity ordered, the quantity shipped and the quantity still to follow. Add a note and a received-by line for the person who signs. Leave prices off.
Is there a free printable packing slip template for Word?
Yes. The Word file on this page is a blank US Letter packing slip with the header fields, a 15 line item table with ordered, shipped and to follow columns, a note box and a signature block. It is a plain .docx with no macros, so you can add your logo and print it.
Is there a free packing slip template for Excel?
Yes. The Excel file has 20 item rows. To follow is calculated as ordered minus shipped and never drops below zero, a check column flags a line that ships more than was ordered, and the totals row adds up the columns. A second sheet holds the worked example from this page.
Should a packing slip show prices?
No. It is read by warehouse staff, site staff and sometimes your customer's own customer, so it should say what is in the box and nothing about cost. Prices belong on the invoice, which goes to accounts as a separate document.
What is the difference between a packing slip and an invoice?
A packing slip lists what is in a shipment and travels with the goods. An invoice asks for payment and lists prices, tax and terms. They have different readers, so keep them as two documents.
Can I use these templates in Google Docs or Google Sheets?
Google Docs can open the .docx file and Google Sheets can open the .xlsx file. The Excel formulas use standard functions (IF, MAX, SUM and COUNTIF), but check the totals after you open the file. The online generator needs no upload at all.