Free Bill of Lading Template & Blank BOL Form

What Is a Bill of Lading?

A bill of lading (BOL or B/L) is a legal shipping document issued by a carrier to a shipper that serves three critical functions: it acts as a receipt confirming the carrier has received the goods, a contract of carriage between the shipper and carrier, and — in the case of a negotiable BOL — a document of title that can be used to transfer ownership of the goods.

For ecommerce sellers importing products from overseas or shipping bulk orders domestically, the bill of lading is one of the most important documents in the supply chain. Without it, goods cannot clear customs, carriers cannot release shipments, and ownership disputes become difficult to resolve.

Types of Bill of Lading

What to Include on a Bill of Lading

A complete bill of lading should contain these essential fields:

How to Fill Out a Bill of Lading (Step by Step)

You can fill in the form at the top of this page and print it, or click Blank Form to download a printable blank bill of lading and complete it by hand. Either way, the order below is the one carriers expect. Working top to bottom avoids the back-and-forth that holds shipments at the dock.

1. Enter the shipper details. Full legal business name and pickup address, not a trading name or a PO box. This is the party the carrier collects from and the party liable if the goods are misdeclared.
2. Enter the consignee details. The party legally entitled to receive the goods. Include a named contact and phone number. Most delivery failures trace back to a missing contact rather than a missing document. If the consignee differs from the notify party (common with letters of credit), note the notify party under special instructions.
3. Enter the carrier and, for US domestic freight, the SCAC code. The Standard Carrier Alpha Code is the four-letter carrier identifier used on LTL and FTL paperwork. Add the PRO or booking number if the carrier has already issued one.
4. Assign a BOL number. Use a consistent, sortable format such as BOL-2026-001. This is the reference every other party quotes back to you, so it needs to be unique and traceable to the matching purchase order and commercial invoice.
5. Set the shipment mode and freight terms. Freight terms decide who pays: prepaid means the shipper pays, collect means the consignee pays, and third party means someone else is billed. Getting this wrong is the single most common cause of a disputed freight invoice.
6. Add the routing details. Port of loading and port of discharge for ocean and air freight, or origin and destination cities for trucking. For ocean freight, add the vessel name, voyage number, container number and seal number.
7. Describe the goods precisely. List each line with quantity, packaging type, weight and dimensions. Vague descriptions like "general merchandise" invite customs inspection and delay. For LTL freight in the US, include the NMFC code and freight class. Carriers reweigh and reclassify shipments, and a wrong class triggers a rebill.
8. Declare the value. This caps the carrier's liability. Undeclaring to save on freight cost means a lost container is reimbursed at the carrier's default rate per kilo, not what the goods are worth.
9. Add special instructions. Temperature limits, stacking restrictions, liftgate or appointment requirements, and hazardous goods markings all belong here.
10. Print, sign and distribute. A bill of lading is not binding until it is signed. The shipper signs at pickup, the carrier signs on receipt, and the consignee signs on delivery. Keep a copy for each party plus one for your own records.

Check every field against your commercial invoice before you sign. Once the carrier countersigns, the bill of lading becomes a contract, and correcting it afterwards means issuing an amended BOL with all parties' agreement.

Actionable Insight: If you ship the same lanes repeatedly, fill the form once, export it to CSV, and keep it as your starting point. Re-keying shipper, consignee and carrier details on every shipment is where most typos enter the paperwork.

Bill of Lading vs Other Shipping Documents

Typical import workflow: Buyer sends a purchase order → seller creates a commercial invoice + packing list → carrier issues the bill of lading → goods are shipped → consignee presents the BOL to collect goods → delivery order is issued for final-mile delivery.

Tips for Managing Bills of Lading

1. Verify details before signing — once signed, the BOL becomes a legal contract. Check shipper/consignee addresses, item descriptions, and quantities match your commercial invoice.
2. Keep the original — for negotiable (order) bills of lading, the original document is required to collect goods at the destination port. Losing it causes major delays and requires a bank guarantee or court order.
3. Match container and seal numbers — at the receiving end, compare the container and seal numbers on the BOL to the physical shipment. A broken or mismatched seal may indicate tampering.
4. Note discrepancies on receipt — if cargo is damaged or quantities differ, note this on the BOL at delivery. A "clean" BOL (no exceptions noted) makes damage claims harder later.
5. Use a consistent numbering system — format like BOL-2026-001 or OCN-SG-2026-0315 helps you track shipments and match them to invoices, purchase orders, and customs declarations.
6. Sync with your inventory system — every inbound shipment documented by a BOL should trigger an expected inventory update. Tools like OneCart help sellers track incoming stock across multiple sales channels so listings reflect accurate availability.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make my own bill of lading?

Yes. There is no legally mandated bill of lading form in most countries. What matters is that the document contains the required information and is signed by the shipper, carrier and consignee. Shippers and freight forwarders routinely prepare their own BOL and hand it to the carrier, who reviews and countersigns it. Use the generator above to create one, or start from the blank form. Two exceptions to be aware of: some carriers insist on their own branded BOL (FedEx Freight and most parcel carriers do), and negotiable order bills of lading used with letters of credit usually have to be issued on the carrier's own stationery to satisfy the bank.

Is there a free blank bill of lading form I can print?

Yes. Click Blank Form in the quick-start row above and the preview renders an empty bill of lading with all standard fields and three blank line-item rows. Use Print or Download PDF to save it as a PDF or print it directly. It is free, requires no signup, and you can print as many copies as you need. Most shippers keep a small stack of blank BOLs at the loading bay for walk-up collections.

How do I download a bill of lading as a PDF?

Fill in the form (or load one of the presets), then click Download PDF. This opens your browser's print dialogue, then choose Save as PDF as the destination instead of a printer. The page is styled for print, so the form, header and navigation are stripped out and only the bill of lading itself appears on the page. This works in Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari with no plugin.

Can I get a bill of lading template in Excel?

Click Download CSV to export the shipment as a spreadsheet file. CSV opens directly in Excel, Google Sheets and Numbers, and it contains the full header block (shipper, consignee, carrier, routing, freight terms, declared value) plus one row per line item with totals. This is the more useful format if you want to keep a shipment log, reuse details across repeat lanes, or import the data into another system. For a document you intend to sign and hand to a driver, print the PDF instead.

Who issues a bill of lading?

The carrier (shipping line, freight company, or their agent) issues the bill of lading to the shipper after receiving the goods for transport. In practice, the shipper or their freight forwarder often prepares a draft BOL, which the carrier then reviews, signs, and issues as the official document. For ocean freight, the shipping line issues it; for trucking, the trucking company issues it; for air freight, an air waybill (AWB) is issued instead.

What is the difference between a straight and order bill of lading?

A straight bill of lading is non-negotiable. Goods can only be delivered to the named consignee and the document cannot be endorsed or transferred. It is the most common type for domestic shipments and direct B2B transactions. An order bill of lading is negotiable. It can be endorsed and transferred to a third party, effectively transferring ownership of the goods. Order BOLs are commonly used in international trade with letters of credit.

Can I use a bill of lading for customs clearance?

Yes. The bill of lading is one of the core documents required for customs clearance in most countries. Customs authorities use it alongside the commercial invoice, packing list, and certificate of origin to verify the shipment. For imports, the consignee or customs broker presents the BOL to prove they are authorised to receive the goods and to confirm shipment details match the declaration.

What happens if I lose a bill of lading?

For a non-negotiable (straight) BOL, losing the document is inconvenient but manageable — the carrier can verify the consignee's identity through other means. For a negotiable (order) BOL, losing the original is a serious problem because it is a document of title. The carrier cannot release goods without it. You will typically need to obtain a bank guarantee or indemnity letter, and in some cases a court order, before the carrier will release the shipment. This can take weeks and incur significant costs.