The delivery note versus packing list distinction is one of those things everyone half knows. The short version: a packing list describes what is inside the packaging, and a delivery note covers the consignment as a whole and is the one that gets signed.
Side by side
| Delivery note | Packing list | |
|---|---|---|
| Covers | The whole consignment | The contents of each carton or pallet |
| Signed on receipt | Yes | Usually not |
| Shows prices | No | No |
| Typically travels | With the goods, in an envelope | Inside or attached to each package |
| Used by | The person receiving | The person unpacking |
When one is enough
Most domestic deliveries need only a delivery note. One carton, one consignment, one signature.
A packing list earns its place when the consignment is split across several packages, when the receiver unpacks somewhere other than where they signed, or when the goods go into a stores system carton by carton.
When you need both
A shipment of forty cartons to a warehouse is the clear case. The delivery note says forty cartons arrived and gets signed at the gate. Each packing list says what is in that carton and gets read at the shelf.
Without the packing lists, someone opens forty boxes to find one item. With them, the goods received note can be filled in accurately, carton by carton.
Exports
International shipments usually want more than either. A commercial invoice for customs, a packing list showing weights and dimensions per package, and often a delivery note as well.
If the buyer needs the costs before the goods move, that is a proforma invoice rather than any of these. There is more in proforma invoices for customs.
What goes on a packing list that does not go on a delivery note
- Carton or pallet number, and how many in the consignment.
- Contents of that specific package.
- Gross and net weight, where it matters.
- Dimensions, for freight.
The weights and dimensions are the practical difference. A carrier needs them; a customer signing for a box does not.
Which one to make here
The sheet makes the delivery note. Set the columns to description, item code and quantity, keep prices off, and switch the signature block on. That is the document that gets signed.
If you need a packing list as well, run a second sheet per package with the carton number in the details box and the contents as the lines. Save each one, since nothing is stored for you.
A common mistake
Sending a priced document in the crate because it was quicker than making a second one. The customer’s warehouse staff then see your prices, and on a business to business shipment that information travels further than you expect.
Keep the priced document, the invoice, on the email to the buyer.
Next
For the document itself, see how to write a delivery note. For a reusable layout, see a delivery note template. Or open the delivery note generator.