Forwarding Instruction Generator
A forwarding instruction briefs a freight forwarder on a job: what to collect, from where, how it should travel and what to do at each end. Where a shipping instruction concerns the transport document, this concerns the whole movement — collection, clearance, on-carriage and who is paying for each leg.
| Item # | Description | Pkgs | Pkg Type | Gross Wt (KG) | Dims (CM) | Vol (CBM) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Your entries are kept as you move between documents — the parties, ports, container and line items carry across.
Cover the whole journey, not just the sea leg
Freight rates quoted port to port say nothing about how goods reach the port or leave it at the other end. State the collection address and readiness date, whether the forwarder is arranging export clearance, and what happens after discharge. Gaps in the instruction become assumptions, and assumptions become charges you did not expect.
Say who pays for what
The Incoterm sets the split in principle, but forwarders need it in practice: prepaid or collect, which party is billed for terminal handling, and who covers customs charges at destination. Where the Incoterm and the instruction disagree, the forwarder will follow the instruction and invoice accordingly, so it is worth making them consistent before sending.
Flag anything that changes handling
Dangerous goods, temperature control, out-of-gauge dimensions, high value and time-critical delivery all change how a shipment is booked and priced. Raising them in the instruction gives the forwarder a chance to route accordingly. Raising them after booking usually means rebooking, and sometimes means missing the vessel.
Want a blank one to complete by hand? Download the forwarding instruction template →
Exporters
Issue the invoice, packing list and origin paperwork for a shipment in one sitting, without re-keying the consignee address four times.
Freight forwarders
Produce a clean set of documents for a client who sent you a spreadsheet, and hand back PDFs that a customs broker will accept.
Customs brokers
Rebuild a missing or unusable document from the particulars you already hold, without waiting on the shipper's software licence.
One shipment in, every document out
| FreightStow | Typical alternative | |
|---|---|---|
| Enter the shipment once, every document fills in | Yes | Re-key per document |
| Document types | 33 | Varies |
| Statutory forms (CMR, ISF, USMCA origin) | Included | Often missing |
| Add, rename or remove line-item columns | Yes | Fixed templates |
| PDF built in your browser | Yes | Upload, then download |
| Works before you create an account | Yes | Usually not |
The right-hand column describes the general pattern in this category, not one named vendor. Features and plans change — check any provider’s current terms before deciding.
Commercial documents · 12
- Packing List — DetailedFull itemised packing list with HS codes, marks and numbers, package types and per-item dimensions.
- Packing List — SimpleMinimal packing list: what is in the shipment, how many packages, and what it weighs. No HS codes or dimensions.
- Packing List — ContainerPacking list broken down by container, for FCL shipments where each line must be traced to a container and seal.
- Packing List — ConsolidatedOne packing list covering several orders or invoices consolidated into a single shipment.
- Commercial InvoiceThe primary customs valuation document: what was sold, to whom, on what terms, and for how much.
- Proforma InvoiceA binding quotation in invoice form, issued before shipment so the buyer can open a letter of credit or arrange an import licence.
- Tax InvoiceInvoice showing the tax charged on a supply, in the form required for the buyer to reclaim input tax.
- Credit NoteCancels or reduces a previously issued invoice, for returns, short shipments or agreed price adjustments.
- Purchase OrderThe buyer's formal instruction to supply goods on stated terms, prices and delivery dates.
- QuotationA priced offer to supply, stating validity, lead time and the Incoterms the price is quoted on.
- Request for QuotationInvites a supplier to price a specified list of goods against stated delivery terms and a response deadline.
- Sales ConfirmationThe seller's acceptance of an order, confirming goods, price, terms and shipment schedule back to the buyer.
Declarations & instructions · 10
- Non Asbestos DeclarationCertifies that the goods contain no asbestos in any form — required by Australia, Saudi Arabia and other markets that ban asbestos outright.
- New and Unused DeclarationCertifies that the goods are new and have never been used — required where the destination restricts imports of second-hand goods.
- Packing DeclarationDeclares the timber packaging and container cleanliness of a consignment — required for Australian and New Zealand biosecurity clearance.
- DeclarationA blank declaration on letterhead, for the one-off statements a buyer, bank or customs authority asks for that have no standard form.
- Declaration of OriginA self-certified origin statement made by the exporter, used where a full chamber-stamped certificate of origin is not required.
- Verified Gross Mass DeclarationThe SOLAS VGM certificate. No container may be loaded to a vessel without a signed verified gross mass from the shipper.
- Shipper's Letter of InstructionThe exporter's instructions to their freight forwarder, including the authority to act as agent for customs purposes.
- Shipping InstructionTells the carrier exactly how the bill of lading should read: parties, routing, cargo description and freight terms.
- Forwarding InstructionBooks a consignment with a freight forwarder: collection details, routing, cargo particulars and who pays which charges.
- Sales ContractThe agreement itself: goods, price, delivery terms, payment and the clauses both parties sign against.
Statutory & customs forms · 11
- CMR — Consignment Note (Sender)The sender's copy of the international road consignment note, retained as proof of what was handed to the carrier.
- CMR — Consignment Note (Carrier)The carrier's copy of the road consignment note, evidencing the contract of carriage.
- CMR — Consignment Note (Consignee)The consignee's copy of the road consignment note, travelling with the goods and signed on delivery.
- Bill of LadingThe carrier's receipt for the goods, evidence of the contract of carriage, and a document of title the consignee must surrender to collect the cargo.
- Certificate of OriginCertifies where goods were produced. Usually stamped by a chamber of commerce and required to claim tariff treatment or satisfy a letter of credit.
- Certification of Origin (USMCA/CUSMA/T-MEC)The free-trade certification for US–Mexico–Canada shipments. Has no prescribed form, but must carry all nine required data elements.
- Importer Security FilingThe ten data elements a US importer must file with CBP at least 24 hours before cargo is laden aboard a vessel bound for the United States.
- Phytosanitary CertificateCertifies that a consignment of plants or plant products meets the importing country's phytosanitary requirements.
- Form 6 — Transboundary Movement DocumentMovement document accompanying a transboundary shipment of hazardous waste, tracking it from exporter to disposal facility.
- Form 9 — Transboundary Movement DocumentMovement document for transboundary shipments of hazardous recyclable material, tracking custody through to the recovery facility.
- Bill of ExchangeAn unconditional written order requiring the drawee to pay a fixed sum on demand or at a stated future date — the instrument behind documentary collections.
+Is a forwarding instruction the same as a booking?
No. The instruction is your brief to the forwarder; the booking is what the forwarder then makes with a carrier. One leads to the other, and the confirmation you receive back is the booking.
+What does prepaid or collect mean?
Prepaid means the shipper pays the freight; collect means the consignee pays at destination. It should follow from the Incoterm, and it must be stated on the instruction because it is printed on the bill of lading.
+Do I need one for every shipment?
For regular movements on a standing arrangement, a short instruction or a reference to the standing terms is usually enough. For anything new, unusual or high value, a full instruction protects both sides by putting the assumptions in writing.
+Should I include the HS code?
Yes, where the forwarder is handling customs clearance. They will file on the basis of what you provide, and the responsibility for an incorrect classification generally rests with the exporter rather than with them.
Judge it by the document, not the feature list.
The generator on this page is the product, prefilled and editable. Fill it in and download the finished PDF — then decide.
Create a forwarding instruction