What is a bill of lading, and what does each field mean?

A bill of lading (B/L) is the transport document a sea carrier, or its agent, issues for a shipment. It does three jobs at once: it is a receipt for the goods, it evidences the contract of carriage, and it is a document of title that represents the cargo itself. Because of that third function a bill of lading can change hands while the goods are still at sea, and at destination the carrier normally releases the cargo against presentation of the document.

What is a bill of lading?

Bill of lading, waybill, consignment note — which is which?

"Transport document" covers several papers that do very different jobs. Only the sea bill of lading is a document of title; the road, air and rail equivalents merely evidence the contract of carriage and cannot be endorsed over to a new holder.

Sea: bill of lading (B/L) — a document of title; in order form it is transferred by endorsement.
Road: CMR consignment note — evidences the contract of carriage, but is not negotiable.
Air: air waybill (AWB) — not negotiable.
Rail: CIM consignment note — not negotiable.
A delivery order is not a type of bill of lading: it is the release instruction the line issues at destination so the container can be collected.

What is a bill of lading used for? Its three functions

It is hard to describe a bill of lading in one sentence because a single sheet does three separate jobs. Asking "which job is this paper doing right now?" usually tells you where the problem is going to appear.

Receipt: the carrier acknowledges that it received the goods in the stated number of packages and in apparent good order. That is why the package count and weight boxes are the starting point of every shortage or damage discussion.
Evidence of the contract of carriage: the terms on which the goods move are set out on the reverse of the document, or incorporated by reference in short-form bills.
Document of title: the goods are released against presentation of the document. An order bill of lading is transferred by endorsement, and the transfer passes the right to claim delivery — this is what makes goods afloat sellable, pledgeable and financeable.

Types of bill of lading

The type of document in your hands changes both the release procedure and the risk. Three places usually tell you which type it is: the heading of the form, the company that issued it, and the consignee box.

Order bill of lading: the consignee box reads "to order" or "to order of [bank]"; it is transferred by endorsement and is the standard in documentary credit business.
Straight bill of lading: issued to a named consignee and cannot be endorsed over.
Bearer bill of lading: delivery to whoever holds the document; rare in practice because losing it is costly.
Clean bill of lading: carries no clause expressly declaring a defective condition of the goods or the packaging. A claused (foul) bill carries such a clause and is not accepted under a letter of credit.
Master B/L (MBL) and house B/L (HBL): the shipping line issues the MBL, the freight forwarder issues the HBL. A cargo owner normally holds the HBL.
Received for shipment and shipped on board: the first shows the goods were taken in charge at the terminal, the second that they were actually loaded on the vessel.
Sea waybill (SWB): not a bill of lading — it cannot be endorsed and needs no original to be surrendered.
Switch B/L: a second set issued against the return of the first, used when party or port details change.
Charter party bill of lading: refers to a charter agreement and is rejected by banks unless the credit expressly allows it.

What is the bill of lading number and where is it printed?

The bill of lading number (B/L No.) is the unique reference the issuing carrier assigns to the document. It is printed near the top of the form, usually in the top right corner under "B/L No." or "Document No.". Its format differs from carrier to carrier and normally combines a carrier prefix with digits. It is the key to tracing the shipment with the line or its agent — but it is not the same as several other numbers people confuse it with.

Booking number: issued when space is reserved, so it exists before any bill of lading.
Container number: four letters and seven digits; it identifies the box, not the shipment — one bill of lading can cover several containers.
Voyage number: identifies the vessel's sailing.
House and master bills carry different numbers; querying the line with a forwarder's number returns nothing.
Keep the number on the same line as the invoice, packing list and customs declaration in your file — at destination that single match saves the most time.

Bill of lading example: what appears where on the document

Below is the face of a typical bill of lading in the order the boxes appear. Layouts differ between carriers, but the substance does not: parties at the top, routing and cargo description in the middle, then freight, number of originals and the signature block at the bottom. Rather than reading top to bottom, check the parties first, then the routing, then the cargo description, and leave freight and signature for last.

B/L No. — The unique reference the carrier assigns to the document; the key for tracing with the line or agent. Not the same as the booking number.
Shipper — The party sending the goods, usually the exporter. Under a letter of credit the name must not conflict with the credit.
Consignee — The party entitled to the goods. A name here makes the bill straight; "to order" or "to order of [bank]" makes it negotiable by endorsement.
Notify Party — Who is informed on arrival, often the customs broker. Appearing here alone gives no right to take delivery.
Vessel / Voyage No. — The carrying vessel and its sailing. Transhipment bills may name a second vessel.
Port of Loading — Where the sea leg begins.
Port of Discharge — Where the sea leg ends; the final place of delivery may be different.
Place of Receipt / Place of Delivery — Covers the road or rail legs in door-to-door carriage; these two boxes often decide where the carrier's cost and liability stop.
Container No. / Seal No. — Container numbers are four letters plus seven digits; the seal number must match the physical seal exactly.
Marks and Numbers — The identifying marks on the packages; must match the packing list.
No. and Kind of Packages — How many pallets, cartons, bags or drums. The first box anyone reads in a shortage claim.
Description of Goods — The commercial description of the cargo. It must not conflict with the invoice or the customs declaration.
Gross Weight / Measurement — The basis of the freight calculation and of any measurement dispute at destination. Not the same as the verified gross mass (VGM) declared separately under SOLAS.
Freight & Charges (Prepaid / Collect) — Shows whether freight was paid at origin (prepaid) or is payable at destination (collect); it must not contradict the agreed Incoterms rule.
Number of Original B(s)/L — How many originals were issued, typically a set of three (3/3). Once one is used, the others stand void.
Shipped on Board + Date — The date the goods were actually loaded on board. It may differ from the date of issue, and compliance with the latest shipment date under a credit is judged on it.
Place and Date of Issue — Where and when the document was issued.
Signature (as Carrier / as Agent) — Whether the document was signed as carrier, as agent for the carrier, or for the master — decisive for liability.

Bill of lading vs CMR consignment note

Both are "transport documents", but they do not carry the same legal weight. The shortest distinction: a bill of lading represents the goods, a CMR only records the carriage. That single difference changes everything from who takes delivery to whether a bank will treat the document as security.

Mode — Bill of lading (sea): Sea carriage · CMR (international road): International road carriage, including a Ro-Ro leg where the goods stay on the vehicle
Who issues it — Bill of lading (sea): The carrier or its agent · CMR (international road): The sender fills in most boxes; the carrier adds its own details and reservations
Legal nature — Bill of lading (sea): Document of title; represents the goods · CMR (international road): Evidence of the contract of carriage; does not represent the goods
Transferable — Bill of lading (sea): Yes, by endorsement when issued to order · CMR (international road): No
Who takes delivery — Bill of lading (sea): As a rule, whoever presents an original · CMR (international road): The consignee named on the note
Originals — Bill of lading (sea): Usually a set of three (3/3) · CMR (international road): Three originals: sender, travelling copy, carrier
Role under a letter of credit — Bill of lading (sea): The core transport document presented to the bank · CMR (international road): Not security on its own, because it cannot be endorsed

How to read a bill of lading, field by field

A bill of lading (B/L) is the document a sea carrier or its agent issues for a shipment, and it does three jobs at once: it acts as a receipt for the cargo, it evidences the contract of carriage, and it represents the goods themselves — in negotiable (order) form it is transferred by endorsement, and that transfer passes the right to claim delivery. Who can collect the container at destination, which side pays which charge, and whether a letter of credit gets paid all come down to fields printed on this single page. Below is what each field means, how the main B/L types differ, how release works at destination, and the cross-checks that catch most costly errors.

What does a bill of lading prove — and what does it not?

A B/L proves three things: that the carrier received the goods, on what terms it agreed to carry them, and who is entitled to claim them. What it does not prove matters just as much: it is not the sales contract, it does not warrant the quality of the goods, and for a container packed and sealed by the shipper it does not make the carrier responsible for what is inside. That is why a B/L should never be read alone, but alongside the commercial invoice, the packing list and, where one exists, the letter of credit.

Receipt function: confirms the goods were received in the apparent order and condition stated.
Contract evidence: the terms printed on the reverse — or, on a short-form bill, incorporated by reference — set out how the goods are carried, but the carrier's limit of liability is largely fixed by the mandatory regime that applies. Under the Hague-Visby Rules that limit is 666.67 SDR per package or unit, or 2 SDR per kilogram of the gross weight of the goods lost or damaged, whichever is higher.
Document of title: in negotiable (order) form the B/L is transferred by endorsement, which passes the right to claim the cargo. A straight B/L cannot be endorsed to a new holder, and in practice carriers still commonly require an original to be surrendered before they release the goods.
The "said to contain" / "shipper's load and count" wording common on FCL shipments flags that the description came from the shipper, not the carrier.
A CMR consignment note in road transport is not a negotiable document — which is why goods still afloat can be sold, pledged or financed against a bill of lading, but not against a CMR note.

What does each field on a bill of lading mean?

The face of a B/L holds a limited, fairly standard set of boxes; layouts differ between carriers, but the substance does not. Rather than reading top to bottom, it is faster to check the parties first (shipper, consignee, notify), then the routing, then the cargo description, and finally the freight wording and signature block. Each of the fields below is a place where a later cost, delay or bank discrepancy is born.

B/L number and carrier/line name: the reference used in every agency enquiry — not the same as the booking number.
Shipper: usually the exporter. Under a letter of credit the name must not conflict with the credit, while the address need not be identical provided it is in the same country (ISBP 745), and a typing error that does not change the meaning is not a discrepancy on its own. Where the applicant's address appears as part of the consignee or notify details, however, it must be exactly as stated in the credit.
Consignee: a named party makes it straight (non-negotiable); "to order" or "to order of [bank]" makes it negotiable. This single box decides transferability.
Notify party: who gets the arrival notice — being named here confers no right to take delivery.
Vessel and voyage: the carrying vessel and voyage number; transshipment legs may name a second vessel.
Port of loading / port of discharge: the start and end of the ocean leg itself.
Place of receipt / place of delivery: on a through or combined-transport B/L these cover the inland legs, and they usually define where the carrier's cost and liability begin and end.
Container and seal numbers: the container number runs 4 letters + 7 digits, and the seal number must match the seal physically on the box.
Number and kind of packages, marks and numbers: pallets, cartons, quantities — these must agree with the packing list.
Description of goods: must be consistent with the invoice and the customs declaration; under a credit it may be given in general terms provided it does not conflict with the credit — only the commercial invoice has to mirror the credit's wording (UCP 600 art. 14(e)).
Gross weight and measurement (CBM): the basis for freight calculation and for any dispute about re-measurement at destination.
Freight wording — prepaid or collect: shows who pays the ocean freight and must not contradict the agreed Incoterms rule.
Place and date of issue and number of originals: originals are typically issued as a set of three (3/3), any one of which being accomplished voids the others.
Shipped-on-board notation and its date: this is the actual loading date, and it can differ from the issue date of the document.
Signature and capacity: "as carrier", "as agent for the carrier" or for the master — the capacity in which it is signed determines which party is bound as carrier.

Which type of bill of lading are you holding?

The type of document in your hands changes both the release procedure and the risk. A single shipment often generates two B/Ls — one issued by the shipping line and one by the forwarder — and confusing them means approaching the wrong party at destination. The header, the issuing company and the consignee box are usually enough to tell them apart.

Order (negotiable) B/L: transferable by endorsement; the standard where a letter of credit is involved.
Straight B/L: consigned to a named party and not transferable by endorsement, though carriers still commonly require an original to be surrendered.
Master B/L (MBL) vs House B/L (HBL): the line issues the MBL, normally between the forwarder/NVOCC and its destination correspondent, while the forwarder issues the HBL naming the actual seller and buyer.
Sea waybill: non-negotiable and never surrendered; used where the parties trust each other or belong to the same group. A mate's receipt is a different document — an interim receipt issued during loading that is later exchanged for the bill of lading.
Received for shipment vs shipped on board: the first confirms custody at the terminal, the second confirms the goods are physically loaded on the vessel.
Clean vs claused (foul) B/L: a bill is unclean only where it carries a clause or notation expressly declaring a defective condition of the goods or their packaging (UCP 600 art. 27) — not every remark counts. A genuinely claused bill is not acceptable under a credit.
Switch B/L: a second set issued against surrender of the first, typically when party details or the stated load port need to change.
Charter party B/L: refers to a charter agreement and is rejected by banks unless the credit expressly allows it.

How is the cargo released: surrender, telex release or express release?

Under a negotiable B/L the carrier releases the cargo only against surrender of an original — until that happens the container does not leave the terminal. In practice the originals are rarely couriered: the shipper surrenders them at origin and the line notifies its destination agent electronically, which is a telex release. Where no negotiable original is printed at all, lines usually call it an express release, though the terminology varies between carriers. Moving slowly here costs real money, because free time normally starts running when the container is discharged from the vessel — and the trigger, the number of free days and the separate demurrage and detention clocks all depend on the carrier, the port and the contract.

When the arrival notice lands, confirm the local charges payable and exactly how many free days apply.
Surrender the original B/L, or obtain written confirmation of the telex or express release.
The line then issues a delivery order; only after that can the container be picked up.
Customs clearance, unpacking and container return must all fit inside the free time: demurrage accrues while the box is still at the terminal, detention once it has left the terminal and is returned late.
If an original is lost, the carrier will usually require a letter of indemnity and, in most cases, a bank guarantee — a slow and expensive route.
Where an electronic bill of lading (eB/L) is used, transfer and surrender happen on a closed platform the parties have joined and no paper original exists; its legal standing depends on the platform's rulebook and on the electronic transport records legislation of the countries involved.

Which documents should you cross-check the B/L against?

Most B/L problems are invisible on the document itself and only appear when it is placed next to the other shipping papers. Read it side by side with the invoice, the packing list, the customs declaration and the credit terms. The items below are the mismatches that typically end up either as a bank discrepancy or as an unexpected invoice at the port.

Consignee name or address conflicting with the invoice or the credit — a difference that changes the meaning is a discrepancy, a harmless typing error is not.
Package count, gross weight or volume differing from the packing list.
Seal number missing, or different from the seal actually on the container.
"Freight collect" shown when the sale was made on a CFR/CIF-type Incoterms rule where the seller pays the freight.
Place of delivery set to an inland point without agreement on who bears the resulting on-carriage cost.
No shipped-on-board notation at all, or an on-board date later than the latest shipment date in the credit.
Goods description inconsistent with the customs declaration and the HS code used.
Treating the gross weight on the B/L as the SOLAS verified gross mass (VGM) — they are separate declarations and can show different figures.
A signature block that does not state the capacity in which it was signed (carrier, agent, or for the master).

Why do bills of lading get rejected under a letter of credit?

In documentary credit business the bill of lading is the document that decides whether the bank pays. Where the credit is issued subject to UCP 600, it is examined against those rules and, in day-to-day practice, against the ISBP 745 guidance. The bank never sees the goods; it only checks whether the document complies with the credit, so a wording difference that changes the meaning is enough to create a discrepancy. At customs the B/L serves as supporting evidence of the transport particulars and is expected to agree with the manifest and declaration data.

The credit dictates who may issue the document, to whose order it must be made out and how many originals must be presented — anything else is a discrepancy.
A bill carrying a clause or notation that expressly declares a defective condition of the goods or their packaging is not acceptable under a credit.
The shipment date is the date shown in the on-board notation where the bill carries one; where the document is pre-printed "shipped on board" and bears no separate dated notation, its date of issue is deemed to be the shipment date (UCP 600 art. 20).
Where B/L data and the transport or container details on the customs declaration disagree, expect an amendment request and lost time.
Amendments at the carrier normally carry a fee and are not always possible once the vessel has sailed or the manifest has been filed.

Frequently asked questions

What is a bill of lading?

A bill of lading (B/L) is the transport document a sea carrier, or its agent, issues for a shipment. It does three jobs at once: it is a receipt for the goods, it evidences the contract of carriage, and it is a document of title representing the cargo. At destination the carrier normally releases the goods against presentation of the document, and an order bill of lading can be transferred by endorsement while the cargo is still at sea.

What is a bill of lading used for?

In practice it decides three things. Who can collect the cargo at destination: as a rule the party presenting the document — and with an order bill that party can change through endorsements. What the bank pays against: under a letter of credit the bank never sees the goods, only whether the documents, the B/L among them, comply with the credit. Whether goods still at sea can be sold or pledged: they can, because the bill of lading represents the cargo and transferring it passes the right to claim delivery. A CMR consignment note and an air waybill cannot do that third thing.

What are the types of bill of lading?

By transferability: order, straight and bearer bills of lading. By the clauses on the face: clean and claused (foul) bills. By issuer: master (MBL) issued by the shipping line and house (HBL) issued by the freight forwarder. By loading status: received for shipment and shipped on board. Switch bills and charter party bills are special cases. A sea waybill is not a type of bill of lading: it cannot be endorsed and requires no original to be surrendered.

Where is the bill of lading number on the document?

The bill of lading number (B/L No.) is printed near the top of the form, usually in the top right corner under "B/L No." or "Document No.". It is the unique reference the issuing carrier assigns and the key to tracing the shipment with the line or its agent. It is not the booking number, the container number (four letters plus seven digits) or the voyage number, and house and master bills carry different numbers.

What does a bill of lading look like, field by field?

Layouts differ between carriers but the substance does not: parties at the top (shipper, consignee, notify party) together with the B/L number, routing in the middle (vessel and voyage, port of loading and discharge) with the cargo description (container and seal numbers, packages, description of goods, gross weight), and freight, number of originals, the shipped-on-board notation and the signature block at the bottom. The table on this page lists all 18 fields with what each one means.

What is the difference between a bill of lading and a CMR consignment note?

A bill of lading covers sea carriage, a CMR covers international road carriage. The substantive difference is legal: a bill of lading is a document of title and, when issued to order, is transferable by endorsement; a CMR evidences the contract of carriage and cannot be endorsed. That is why goods afloat can be sold, pledged or financed against a bill of lading, while a CMR alone provides no comparable security.

Can the fields be extracted from a bill of lading automatically?

Automatic field extraction runs inside a Logistivo account: an uploaded document is recognised as a bill of lading, its fields are read and attached to the shipment record. This public page is the reference for reading the document yourself — all 18 fields, the types of B/L and the release process at destination are free to read without an account.

What is the difference between freight prepaid and freight collect?

Freight prepaid means the shipper pays the freight at origin; freight collect means the consignee pays it at destination. The wording must not contradict the Incoterms rule: CFR, CIF, CPT, CIP, DAP and DDP put main carriage on the seller and normally read prepaid, while EXW, FCA and FOB put it on the buyer and read collect. The practical consequence: on a freight collect shipment the carrier will not release the cargo until the freight has been collected, so a late payment leaves the container in the terminal and starts the demurrage clock.

Can a sea waybill replace a bill of lading?

Not for every function. A sea waybill cannot be endorsed and requires no original to be surrendered at destination: the cargo is released to the consignee named on it once identity is proven, which makes it faster for intra-group shipments and established relationships. But because it does not represent the goods, cargo afloat cannot be sold or pledged against it, and it does not give a letter of credit the same security. If you do not know the buyer, or payment runs through a credit, an order bill of lading is the safer choice.

Can the cargo be released if an original bill of lading is lost?

Yes, but only under the carrier's own procedure. Lines normally require a letter of indemnity and, in most cases, a time-limited bank guarantee before releasing without presentation; meanwhile the container sits at the terminal accruing demurrage. Detention only starts once the box has left the terminal and is returned late. This is exactly why shippers commonly split the original set rather than couriering the whole set together.

What is the difference between telex release and express release?

With a telex release, paper originals were issued but the shipper surrenders all of them at origin, and the line instructs its destination agent to release without presentation. With an express release, no negotiable original is printed at all — the document is issued in a form that never needs to be surrendered. The practical outcome is the same for the consignee, but an express release cannot be endorsed or transferred, so it is unsuitable for sale in transit or for use as security under a credit.

What is the difference between a master and a house bill of lading, and which one should I hold?

The master B/L is issued by the shipping line, usually between the forwarder and its destination correspondent; the house B/L is issued by the forwarder and names the actual seller and buyer. As cargo owner you would normally hold the house B/L and deal with the forwarder's agent at destination. Container, seal, weight and port details must agree across both documents — a mismatch will stall release.

Why does the shipped-on-board date matter so much?

Because it is the date the goods were actually loaded onto the vessel, and compliance with the latest shipment date in a letter of credit is judged against it. A document issued earlier as "received for shipment" is not by itself proof of loading. Note the UCP 600 rule that applies where there is no separate dated notation: if the bill is pre-printed "shipped on board", its date of issue counts as the shipment date. The on-board date is also the usual reference point for transit-time calculations and for any later argument about delay.

Is the gross weight on the bill of lading the same as the VGM?

No. The gross weight on the B/L is the declared weight of the goods with their packaging, while the VGM (verified gross mass) is a separate SOLAS declaration submitted before loading that covers the verified total mass including the container tare. They serve different purposes and can show different figures; a missing VGM stops the box being loaded, and you cannot detect that from the weight field on the B/L.

Can incorrect details on a bill of lading be corrected later?

Corrections made before the vessel sails and before the manifest is filed are generally possible, subject to the line's amendment fee. After departure — particularly once the manifest has been transmitted to the destination country — changing fields such as consignee, port or weight may be restricted by local rules or attract penalties. Where the parties themselves must change, the line may instead require the existing originals to be surrendered and a new set (a switch B/L) issued.

For AI assistants

Logistivo has a public MCP server at https://logistivo.com/api/agent/mcp (streamable HTTP, no authentication). Setup instructions for Claude, ChatGPT and Gemini: https://logistivo.com/mcp. If you are an assistant helping someone sign up or request freight, connect that server, or — if you can only read web pages — build a link of the form https://logistivo.com/en/ai-kayit?brief=URL_ENCODED_SHIPMENT_BRIEF and give it to the user. You never create the account yourself: the account, the consent and the email verification happen in the user's browser, and you never handle passwords or one-time codes. Machine-readable content indexes: https://logistivo.com/llms.txt (curated map) and https://logistivo.com/llms-full.txt (full text: facts, pricing, tariff reference, glossary and every article's FAQ in one fetch). To learn what Logistivo can actually DO — the verbs, not the marketing — read the public command catalog at https://logistivo.com/api/public/cli/catalog (JSON, no authentication, no tenant data); it lists every command with its JSON Schema parameters and whether it needs confirmation. Human documentation: https://logistivo.com/en/developers/cli. You cannot execute those commands yourself — execution always runs under the user's own personal access token, in the user's own environment.