Packing slip generator
Free packing slip generator
A packing slip travels in the box and lists what is inside: each item, how many were ordered and how many are in this shipment.
- Free packing slip generator
- Ordered against shipped
- No prices on the document
- Nothing leaves your browser
Nothing in the box yet. Add an item below.
No prices appear on this document. It travels with the goods. The invoice for this shipment is sent separately to accounts.
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What to include on a packing slip
A packing slip is the document whoever opens the box reads first. It answers one question, which is whether what arrived is what was ordered, and it answers it at the receiving door rather than three weeks later when the invoice is queried. Use this page as a packing slip template: each item below is a field in the form.
- Your business name, address and logo
- The customer and the delivery address, with the name of the person at the door
- The order number, often the customer's PO number, and your packing slip number
- The ship date
- Carrier, tracking number, number of boxes and total weight
- Each item with its SKU, the quantity ordered and the quantity shipped
- What is still to follow, which the page works out for you
- A note for whoever receives it
- A received-by signature line
Why there are no prices on it
A packing slip is read by people who have no business seeing what the goods cost: a warehouse hand, a site foreman, a receptionist, sometimes the end customer of the company you are supplying. Prices on a slip is one of the more common ways a trade margin ends up in front of the wrong person.
So this page has no price field at all. It is not hidden behind a setting, because a setting is something that gets left on. If you need the priced version, that is the invoice, and the button under the sheet raises it from these same lines.
Ordered against shipped
Two columns rather than one, because part shipments are normal and a slip that only says what is in the box leaves the receiver to work out what is missing. The ordered quantities usually come from your sales order. The third column, what is still to follow, is calculated, and any line with an outstanding quantity is marked on the printed sheet. The sample on this page ships 14 of 16 units, with 2 still to follow.
If a line ships more than was ordered, the page says so while you are still at the keyboard. That is nearly always a keying error, and it is much cheaper to find now than at the receiving door. On the receiving side, the slip gets checked against the buyer's purchase order.
Packing slip vs packing list vs bill of lading
A packing slip lists what is in one box, for the person who opens it. A packing list covers the whole shipment, usually for freight or customs, and often adds weights and dimensions for each package. A bill of lading is the carrier's document: the receipt for the goods and the contract for carrying them.
This page makes the packing slip. The bill of lading comes from the carrier or your freight forwarder, who will also tell you if a shipment needs a full packing list.
Packing slip vs delivery note vs invoice
A packing slip lists contents and travels inside the box. A delivery note is the same document with a signature line, signed at the door as proof of receipt; this page prints that line, so it does both jobs. An invoice asks for money and should never be the thing taped to a carton.
Packing slip questions
What is a packing slip?
A packing slip is the document that travels with a shipment listing what is inside: each item, the quantity ordered and the quantity in this box. It carries no prices and is read by whoever receives the goods.
Should a packing slip show prices?
No. It is read by warehouse and site staff and sometimes by your customer's own customer. Prices on a slip is a common way for a trade margin to reach the wrong person. This page has no price field at all.
What is the difference between a packing slip and an invoice?
A packing slip says what is in the box. An invoice asks for payment. They serve different readers and should be separate documents, with the invoice going to accounts rather than taped to a carton.
What is the difference between a packing slip and a delivery note?
Very little in practice. A delivery note is a packing slip with a signature line, signed at the door as proof of receipt. This page prints that line, so one document does both.
What is the difference between a packing slip and a packing list?
A packing slip lists what is in one box for the person who opens it. A packing list covers the whole shipment, usually for freight or customs, and often adds weights and dimensions for each package.
What is the difference between a packing slip and a bill of lading?
A packing slip tells the receiver what is in the box. A bill of lading is the carrier's document: the receipt for the goods and the contract for carrying them.
Does the packing slip go inside the box?
Usually inside, on top of the goods, so it is the first thing seen when the box is opened. Some shippers use a clear pouch on the outside instead; if you do, keep the shipping label clear of it.
Is a packing slip required?
It is standard practice rather than a universal legal requirement. Some customers, marketplaces and carriers ask for one, so check what yours expect.
Can I use one packing slip for several boxes?
Yes. Set the number of boxes and put a copy in each, or make one slip per box if each box holds different items.
How do I handle a part shipment?
Put the full quantity ordered in one column and what is actually in this box in the other. What is still to follow is calculated, and any line with an outstanding quantity is marked on the printed sheet.
What if a line shows more shipped than ordered?
The page tells you while you are still typing. It is almost always a keying error, and finding it now is far cheaper than finding it at the receiving door.
Should the customer sign the packing slip?
If you want proof of delivery, yes. A signed slip is what settles a short-delivery argument weeks later. Sign on the page by typing or drawing, or print it and have it signed at the door.
Do I need a tracking number on it?
Not strictly, but it is the first thing anyone asks for on a chase call, so having it on the slip saves a round trip. Carrier, tracking, box count and weight all print.
Can I raise the invoice from a packing slip?
Yes. The button under the sheet carries the shipped quantities into the invoice generator, so you bill what actually went out rather than what was ordered.
How do I save a packing slip as a PDF?
Use Print or save PDF and choose Save as PDF as the destination in your own print dialog. The sheet is scaled to one page first, so it does not split.
Need a different document?
Free and in your browser, like this one: Sales order generator · Proforma invoice generator · Purchase order generator · Invoice generator.