Every packing list runs on four abbreviations. CBM is the space your goods occupy. GW and NW are the weight the forwarder charges and the weight your warehouse receives. Carton Qty turns pieces into cartons and cartons into a container. If one of them is wrong, the quote is wrong and the freight invoice will say so.
Quick answer
- Sea freight is charged on the greater of CBM or weight, so light bulky bottles ship on volume and dense caps ship on weight.
- GW includes every packing layer — inner bags, carton, pallet and wrap; NW is only what comes off the filling line.
- Carton Qty must be a fixed integer, because it is the number your broker uses to check the load against the order.
What do CBM, GW, NW and Carton Qty actually stand for?
These four terms are not interchangeable and they are not decoration on a quote. Each one feeds a different calculation, and each one is asked for in a different unit.
| Abbreviation | Stands for | Unit | What it includes | Who needs it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CBM | Cubic metre | m³ | Length × width × height of the packed unit, usually the outer carton or the pallet footprint | Your forwarder, for booking and for space-based freight |
| GW | Gross weight | kg | Everything: bottles, closures, inner packaging, carton, pallet, stretch wrap, banding | Your forwarder, and the VGM declaration at the port |
| NW | Net weight | kg | The product and its immediate packaging only, with no outer carton and no pallet | Your warehouse, and any charge that follows the goods rather than the freight |
| Carton Qty | Carton quantity | cartons per case, and total cases | How many units fit in one outer carton, and how many cartons in total | Your broker, for container planning and for the packing list |
The single most useful thing to get right is the relationship between them: Carton Qty × unit weight = carton net weight, and carton net weight + carton tare = carton gross weight. If any of those three numbers in a packing sheet cannot be reconstructed from the others, the sheet is not a packing sheet, it is an estimate.
Why do these four numbers decide your freight bill and your demurrage?
Container shipping does not have one price. It has a revenue ton, which is the larger of volume in CBM or weight in tonnes, and the freight charge is built from that figure. This is why two shipments of identical product value can cost very different amounts to move.
| Shipment profile | Example load | Volume | Weight | Chargeable on |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Light, bulky bottles | Large-format cosmetic bottles in low-weight PET, low carton count per CBM | High CBM | Low tonnes | Volume |
| Dense, small parts | Closures and small caps packed tight in cartons | Lower CBM | High tonnes | Weight |
| Balanced load | Mixed cartons where volume and weight land close together | Comparable | Comparable | Either — price is similar |
| Heavy liquid in heavy resin | Large-capacity HDPE bottles, thick walls | Moderate | High | Weight, often by a wide margin |
Demurrage and detention are charged on time, not on volume, but they are triggered by the same packing quality. A load whose pallets are too tall, too heavy for the floor limit, or not counted correctly sits at the terminal waiting to be corrected, and every extra day is billed at a daily rate that can exceed the ocean freight itself. Correct carton quantity and a verified pallet count are therefore not paperwork; they are how the container gets moved out on the day it arrives. Our guide to importing bottles — freight, payment and lead time covers how the shipping terms sit with the payment terms.
What rows should a proper packing data sheet contain?
A quote that carries only CBM and total weight cannot be checked by anyone. This is the row set we send with every packing plan, and it is enough to rebuild the entire load plan from scratch.
| # | Row | Unit | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Units per carton (carton quantity) | pieces | Turns order quantity into a carton count you can load |
| 2 | Carton dimensions L × W × H | cm | The only way to calculate CBM |
| 3 | CBM per carton | m³ | Volume basis for space freight |
| 4 | Net weight per carton | kg | Product plus inner packaging, used to cross-check pieces against weight |
| 5 | Gross weight per carton | kg | Weight basis for the freight charge and the VGM filing |
| 6 | Carton tare (difference between GW and NW) | kg | Catches under-reported packaging weight, which forwarders add back later |
| 7 | Total cartons | cartons | The packing list number and the receiving count |
| 8 | Units per pallet | cartons | Shows how the pallet was actually built |
| 9 | Pallet dimensions and height with cartons | cm | Checks the loaded height against truck and container limits |
| 10 | Number of pallets | pallets | The final volume and floor-weight check before booking |
| 11 | Total gross weight including pallets | kg | The number that goes on the shipping declaration |
| 12 | Total CBM including pallets | m³ | Determines whether the order fits one container or needs two |
| 13 | Loading method (FCL, LCL, or pallets and cartons) | — | Tells the forwarder what handling is expected |
| 14 | Port of loading and named place | — | Required to turn the data into an actual booking |
For a multi-SKU shipment the same table is repeated per model, then summarised, because the volume is the sum of the models and the total carton count is the sum of the cartons. Our article on mixing many SKUs in one container shows how that summary is built without losing the per-model detail.
Why do the factory’s numbers and the forwarder’s numbers disagree?
They disagree for a reason, and it is usually one of four measurable things rather than bad faith. When the two sides sit down with the packing sheet, most disputes resolve within ten minutes.
| Disagreement | What actually differs | How to settle it |
|---|---|---|
| Volume | The factory measures the pallet footprint and gaps; the forwarder measures the stacked load and gaps | Ask whether the figure is per pallet or total, and whether it is theoretical or as-loaded |
| Weight | The factory weighs bottles and cartons without the wooden pallet, which is typically 20–25 kg each | Confirm whether pallet weight is included. A 100-pallet load adds about two tonnes that nobody counted |
| Carton count | One side rounds to a “nice” number for a full-carton rule, the other counts actual pieces | Ask for the piece count per carton as an integer and derive cartons from the order quantity |
| Height | The carton stack is measured without the pallet, and then the loaded height exceeds the container door or the truck floor limit | Ask for the loaded height including pallet, and check it against the booking you intend |
The fix is procedural, not argumentative: fix the booking first, then demand packing data that fits inside it. Buyers who send their freight quote and their intended container type to the supplier at the same time, at the same time as the purchase order, get one round of corrections instead of three. The pre-shipment document list in our import guide covering MOQ, shipping and QC covers the documents that belong with that data.
How can you use packing data to work out your freight cost yourself?
You do not need the forwarder’s rate card to check whether a quote is in the right range. The arithmetic is four steps and it takes about a minute.
- Calculate total CBM — carton CBM × number of cartons, then add pallet footprint area × loaded height if the pallet is not inside the carton figure.
- Calculate total gross weight — carton gross × cartons, plus pallet weight × pallet count.
- Convert both to revenue tons — CBM becomes tons using the rate your forwarder quotes for LCL; weight stays in tonnes. The larger of the two is chargeable.
- Multiply by the rate and add the fixed fees — documentation, terminal handling, destination charges.
- Check the loaded height — carton stack plus pallet height, against the container door height and the truck floor limit.
- Convert the container count to a boundary — divide total CBM by the usable CBM of the container you intend to book, and round up.
Run that on the supplier’s own packing data before you accept the freight quote. If the arithmetic produces something wildly different from the quoted figure, you have found the disagreement while it is still cheap to fix — not at the terminal, where the daily rate is running.
What are the three packing-data mistakes that cost buyers money?
1. Counting the pallets twice. The supplier reports CBM per pallet and then a forwarder adds the pallet footprint again to get the total. The order looks like it needs an extra container. Ask for one line that is explicitly “total, including pallets” and one that is explicitly “cartons only”.
2. Leaving the outer carton out of the gross weight. GW is quoted as the weight of bottles plus closures plus carton, and the pallet, wrap and banding are added later by the terminal. A 100-pallet shipment carries roughly two tonnes of pallets alone, and that weight lands on your invoice whether you planned for it or not.
3. Sending the net weight as the gross weight. This is the most common and the most expensive error, because it silently hides the packaging weight and then the forwarder or the terminal corrects it. Bottles and caps are light and packaging is not, so the gap between NW and GW is frequently between 15% and 30% of the total on a cosmetic order. Any packing sheet where the carton tare row is missing should go back for completion before booking.
Frequently asked questions
Is CBM always calculated on the carton or on the pallet?
Both appear in practice. Ask which one the supplier is quoting, and always ask for a second line that states the total including pallets, so nobody adds the footprint twice.
Does pallet weight count as gross weight?
Yes. For shipping purposes gross weight is the complete loaded unit, including the pallet, banding and stretch wrap. That is the figure used for the verified gross mass declaration at the port.
What is the difference between gross weight and net weight in freight terms?
Net weight is the goods themselves. Gross weight is the goods plus all packing. Freight and port declarations use gross weight; your warehouse inventory, duty calculation and handling equipment often work from net weight.
Why does my supplier quote a higher carton quantity than my order divides by?
Because the quantity is set for handling and space rather than arithmetic. A supplier may pack above the divisible figure and ship a partial carton. The load sheet should say whether partial cartons are counted as full cartons.
Is a light product always cheaper to ship by sea?
Light bulky goods often cost more freight per kilo than dense goods, because the chargeable basis becomes volume rather than weight. Shipping cost is a ratio, not a total, so compare freight cost per kilo or per carton, not the total freight line.
How much packing data should I request before I book?
Fourteen fields, including units per carton, carton dimensions, carton CBM, net and gross weight per carton, total cartons, units per pallet, pallet count, loaded height, total CBM and total gross weight, plus the loading method and named port.
About Shijin Packaging
Shijin Packaging Products Co., Ltd. has been manufacturing plastic packaging in Shenzhen, Huizhou and Guangzhou since 2003. We hold more than 2,000 existing moulds, run ISO 9001, GRS and SGS audited production, and ship roughly 500,000 bottles a day for cosmetic, personal care, household, car care and food-grade customers. Every packing plan we issue carries the full fourteen-field data sheet, so your forwarder receives the same numbers we build the cartons from.
Send us your current packing plan and we will rebuild it: give us the bottle, the closure and the carton quantity you are using, and we will return the carton dimensions, net and gross weight, CBM, pallet count and loaded height, plus the freight cost you can check independently.