House Bill of Lading (HBL)
A bill issued by a forwarder or NVOCC to its customer. It sits under the ocean carrier's master bill.
On a consolidated shipment, the ocean carrier issues a master bill to the consolidator and names the consolidator as shipper. The consolidator then issues a house bill to each exporter. So there are two contracts of carriage, one on top of the other.
Your contract is with whoever issued your bill. If you hold a house bill, any claim you make is against the NVOCC, on the NVOCC's terms. Those terms may give you much less cover than the ocean line's.
Banks often refuse a house bill under a letter of credit unless the credit clearly allows a forwarder's document. An LCL shipment always produces a house bill, so check the credit before you book.
Also called: HBL, forwarder's bill of lading.