Purchase Order Template
A purchase order is the buyer's offer to buy on stated terms. That matters more than it sounds: once the supplier accepts it, the PO and its terms become the contract between you, which is why the wording on it outranks whatever was agreed by email. It is also the number every later document quotes, so getting it right once saves correcting it five times.
| Item # | Description | HS Code | Qty | Unit | Unit Price (USD) | Amount (USD) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Parties, ports, container and line items carry across every document.
An offer, not a record of something already agreed
A purchase order is issued before anything ships and before any money moves, and it says what the buyer will buy, at what price, on what delivery and payment terms. Acceptance by the supplier forms the contract, whether by signature, by sales confirmation, or simply by shipping. This is the reverse of an invoice. An invoice records a transaction that has already happened. If the supplier accepts a PO carrying terms you did not intend, those are the terms.
The number that threads the whole shipment together
The PO number reappears on the sales confirmation, the commercial invoice, the packing list and often the bill of lading. Buyers reconcile against it. A mismatch is the most common reason an accounts department holds payment. Where a buyer runs multiple orders with one supplier, the PO number is also how the warehouse knows which delivery is which. So it belongs on the carton marks, not only on the paperwork.
Purchase order or proforma invoice
They cover similar ground from opposite directions. The buyer issues the purchase order. The seller issues the proforma invoice. Where a letter of credit or an import licence is involved, the bank or the authority usually wants the seller's proforma, because it is the seller committing to supply. For routine repeat buying, the PO alone is normal and no proforma is needed.
Prefer to fill it in on screen? Use the purchase order generator →
Not sure what goes in a box? How to fill out a purchase order, field by field →
Exporters
Make the invoice, packing list and certificate of origin for a shipment in one go, without typing the consignee's address four times.
Freight forwarders
Turn a client's spreadsheet into a clean set of documents that a customs broker will accept.
Customs brokers
Rebuild a missing or unusable document from the details you already have.
One shipment in, every document out
| FreightStow | Typical alternative | |
|---|---|---|
| Enter the details once for every document | Yes | Retype for each document |
| Document types | 33 | Varies |
| Statutory forms (CMR, ISF, USMCA origin) | Included | Often missing |
| Add, rename or remove line-item columns | Yes | Fixed templates |
| Download formats | PDF, Excel, Word | PDF only |
| Try it without 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 purchase order legally binding?
Not on its own. It is an offer. It becomes binding when the supplier accepts it, and acceptance can be explicit or implied by performance, such as despatching the goods. Once that happens, the terms printed on the PO generally govern the sale.
+What is the difference between a purchase order and an invoice?
A purchase order comes first and is issued by the buyer, setting out what they want to buy. An invoice comes after and is issued by the seller, demanding payment for what was supplied. One is a request, the other is a bill.
+Do I need a purchase order for an international shipment?
Not legally, but most buyers will not pay without one, because it is what their finance team reconciles the invoice against. It also fixes the terms in writing before goods move, which is worth having when a dispute arises months later.
+Should the purchase order carry the Incoterm?
Yes, with the named place. EXW Shenzhen and DAP Rotterdam are very different prices for the same goods. A purchase order that states a price without an Incoterm has not actually agreed a price, because it has not said who pays for freight, insurance and clearance.
+Can I change a purchase order after sending it?
Before acceptance, yes. Issue a revised PO with the same number and a revision marker. After acceptance you are amending a contract, which needs the supplier to agree. Either way, reissue the document rather than agreeing the change by email, so the paperwork matches what was actually agreed.
Try it with a real shipment.
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