Bill of Lading Documentation Learning Trade

Parts of a bill of lading – Part 3

Last Updated: August 3, 2026

Parts of a bill of lading – Part 3

This is Part 3 of a 4 part article.. In case you missed it, please read Part 1 and Part 2..

In this part, we shall cover the cargo particulars of the shipment..

In most bills of lading for containerised shipments, you will see the notation PARTICULARS FURNISHED BY SHIPPER – CARRIER NOT RESPONSIBLE..

Marks & Numbers – Marks & Numbers are important information in a shipment.. The shipper marks his packages with some information identifying the shipment so that the consignee can know what the shipment is.. The marks and numbers can have any of below :

the consignees name and address
the purchase order number
the number of the package – 1 of 32 etc for easy identification

or of course have any logos etc of the shipper..

Marks & Numbers play a much more important role in a breakbulk shipment or an LCL/Groupage shipment rather than a full container shipment.. In these cases it is prudent for the shipper to mark the packages in such a way so that identification of the same is easy, as in a breakbulk or groupage shipment there are many packages belonging to many shippers..

In the case of shipping lines that carry only containers, they normally show this field as Marks & Numbers/Container Nos. so that the container numbers and seal numbers are recorded here with or without marks and numbers..

No. and kind of Packages : Here the number of packages that are packed in the container or loaded on the ship as breakbulk are recorded.. Example : 16 crates & 23 pallets or 16 cartons in 2 pallets etc..

Description of Packages & Goods : This area is used to describe exactly what cargo is being loaded in the container or onboard the ship.. In the case of containerised cargo, it is usually reflected as :

“22 packages STC (or) Said To Contain 15000 tubes of Toothpaste and 500 cartons of Cigarettes”

Below the description, generally other information like Nett Weight, Import Licence Number, L/C Number, Freight conditions etc are also mentioned..

For containerised cargo, it is VERY IMPORTANT that the shipping line shows the SAID TO CONTAIN clause on the bill of lading.. The reason for this is that the shipping line does not get involved in the packaging of the container and as such does not know what and how many are packed in the container by the shipper.. The shipping line goes by what is declared by the shipper and the bill of lading is issued as such.. In a lot of cases, this is further covered by a stamp SHIPPERS, LOAD, STOW AND COUNT that is endorsed by the shipping line on the bill of lading..

Gross Weight : This is the weight of the cargo that is packed in the container or loaded on board.. This is generally only the weight of the cargo + the weight of the packaging and does not include the tare weight of the container..

Measurement : This is the volumetric calculation of the cargo that is packed in the container.. The total volume of the cargo in the container is shown here.. How the calculation of the volume is made can be read in the article https://www.shippingandfreightresource.com/2009/02/20/how-to-calculate-cbm-freight-ton/..