Dimensional Weight & Packaging
Actual Weight
The physical weight of a package or shipment measured on a scale.
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Shipping & Logistics Glossary
Clear, practical explanations of freight, courier, postal, dimensional weight, fulfillment, warehousing, and distribution terminology.
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113 terms
Courier & Postal
Address Validation
The process of checking and standardizing an address against recognized postal or geographic data.
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Air Freight
Air Cargo
Goods transported by aircraft as commercial cargo rather than passenger baggage or mail.
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Air Freight
Air Waybill (AWB)
A transport document and shipment record used for cargo moving by air.
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Air Freight
Airport-to-Airport
An air-freight service covering movement between the origin and destination airports rather than the complete door-to-door journey.
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Fulfillment
Batch Picking
A picking method that groups several orders so common items can be collected in one trip.
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Ocean Freight
Bill of Lading (BOL)
A transport document acknowledging receipt of goods and setting out key terms for their carriage.
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Warehousing
Bonded Warehouse
A customs-controlled facility where eligible imported goods may be stored before duties and taxes are paid or before another authorized disposition.
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Air Freight
Cargo Cut-Off Time
The latest time cargo and required documents can be accepted for a planned departure or handling schedule.
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Freight Fundamentals
Carrier
A company that physically transports goods by a particular mode or delivery network.
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Documents & Incoterms
Certificate of Origin (COO)
A document certifying the stated country of origin of goods.
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Dimensional Weight & Packaging
Chargeable Weight
The weight used to rate a shipment after applying the relevant comparison and rounding rules.
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Road & Intermodal
Chassis
A wheeled frame used to transport a shipping container by road.
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Customs & Trade
CN22
A postal customs declaration used for eligible international mail items containing goods.
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Customs & Trade
CN23
A detailed postal customs declaration used when an international mail item requires more information than a simpler declaration provides.
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Documents & Incoterms
Commercial Invoice
A transaction document describing goods sold or transferred internationally and the parties, values, currency, and trade details.
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Freight Fundamentals
Consignee
The person or organization named to receive a shipment at destination.
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Ocean Freight
Container Freight Station (CFS)
A facility where consolidated cargo is received, grouped, loaded, unloaded, or separated for container movement.
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Ocean Freight
Container Yard (CY)
A terminal area used to receive, hold, and transfer full shipping containers.
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Dimensional Weight & Packaging
Corrugated Box
A paper-based shipping container made with fluted material between one or more liner sheets.
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Documents & Incoterms
Cost, Insurance and Freight (CIF)
An Incoterms rule for sea or inland-waterway transport under which the seller pays carriage and specified insurance to the destination port while risk transfers at origin.
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Customs & Trade
Country of Origin
The country determined to be the economic origin of a product under the applicable origin rules.
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Courier & Postal
Courier Service
A time-defined delivery service for documents, parcels, or small shipments collected from and delivered to specified locations.
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Courier & Postal
Cross-Border Parcel
A parcel that moves from one country or customs territory into another.
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Distribution & Inventory
Cross-Docking
A distribution process that transfers inbound goods to outbound movement with little or no storage.
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Dimensional Weight & Packaging
Cubic Volume
The three-dimensional space occupied by an item, calculated by multiplying length, width, and height.
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Customs & Trade
Customs Broker
A licensed or authorized specialist that prepares and submits customs transactions on behalf of an importer or exporter.
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Customs & Trade
Customs Clearance
The process of submitting information and satisfying border requirements so goods can enter, leave, or transit a customs territory.
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Air Freight
Dangerous Goods (DG)
Articles or substances capable of posing a risk to health, safety, property, or the environment during transportation.
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Customs & Trade
De Minimis Threshold
A value threshold below which simplified customs treatment or relief from certain duties or taxes may apply.
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Documents & Incoterms
Delivered at Place (DAP)
An Incoterms rule under which the seller arranges delivery to a named destination, ready for unloading, while the buyer handles import clearance.
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Documents & Incoterms
Delivered Duty Paid (DDP)
An Incoterms rule placing extensive delivery responsibility on the seller, including destination import clearance and applicable import duties.
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Courier & Postal
Delivery Attempt
A documented effort to deliver an item to the destination address.
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Courier & Postal
Delivery Confirmation
Status information confirming that an item reached its delivery point.
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Ocean Freight
Devanning
The process of unloading cargo from a shipping container.
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Dimensional Weight & Packaging
Dimensional Factor
The divisor or conversion factor used to translate package volume into dimensional weight.
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Dimensional Weight & Packaging
Dimensional Weight
A calculated weight based on the amount of space a package occupies rather than only its scale weight.
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Distribution & Inventory
Distribution
The coordinated movement and positioning of finished goods from production or storage toward business locations or customers.
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Warehousing
Distribution Center (DC)
A facility that receives products and redistributes them to stores, facilities, businesses, or customers.
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Road & Intermodal
Drayage
Short-distance movement of a container or freight unit between ports, rail terminals, warehouses, or nearby facilities.
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Road & Intermodal
Dry Van
An enclosed, non-temperature-controlled trailer used for general freight.
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Fulfillment
Ecommerce Fulfillment
Order fulfillment designed for online sales, usually involving individual consumer orders and parcel delivery.
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Courier & Postal
Economy Delivery
A delivery option that prioritizes lower transportation cost over the fastest available transit time.
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Documents & Incoterms
Ex Works (EXW)
An Incoterms rule under which the seller makes goods available at a named place with limited responsibility for onward movement.
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Customs & Trade
Exporter of Record (EOR)
The party responsible for meeting export-control and export-declaration obligations in the origin country.
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Courier & Postal
Express Delivery
A faster delivery service with a shorter expected transit time than standard or economy options.
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Courier & Postal
First Mile
The opening stage of a shipment journey, usually from the shipper or pickup point into the transportation network.
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Documents & Incoterms
Free Carrier (FCA)
An Incoterms rule under which the seller delivers goods to the buyer-nominated carrier or party at a named place.
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Documents & Incoterms
Free on Board (FOB)
An Incoterms rule for sea or inland-waterway transport under which the seller delivers goods on board the buyer-nominated vessel at the named port.
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Freight Fundamentals
Freight
Goods transported commercially from one location to another by road, rail, air, ocean, or a combination of modes.
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Freight Fundamentals
Freight Forwarder
A logistics intermediary that arranges transportation and related services on behalf of shippers.
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Warehousing
Fulfillment Center
A facility designed primarily to process and ship customer orders in addition to storing inventory.
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Ocean Freight
Full Container Load (FCL)
An ocean shipment using a container assigned to one shipper or shipment, whether or not every cubic unit is occupied.
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Road & Intermodal
Full Truckload (FTL)
A road service in which a trailer or vehicle is primarily dedicated to one shipment.
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Customs & Trade
Harmonized System Code (HS code)
A standardized numerical classification used internationally to identify traded products.
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Air Freight
House Air Waybill (HAWB)
A forwarding document issued for an individual shipment moving within an air-freight consolidation.
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Customs & Trade
Importer of Record (IOR)
The party legally responsible for the import declaration and compliance obligations in the destination country.
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Documents & Incoterms
Incoterms
A standardized set of international trade rules defining selected delivery responsibilities, costs, and risk transfer between seller and buyer.
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Road & Intermodal
Intermodal Transportation
The movement of goods using two or more transportation modes while the loading unit remains intact between modes.
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Distribution & Inventory
Inventory
Goods and materials held for sale, production, service, or future use.
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Distribution & Inventory
Inventory Turnover
A measure of how often inventory is sold or used and replaced during a period.
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Dimensional Weight & Packaging
Irregular Package
A package whose shape, surface, wrapping, or protrusions make standard automated handling difficult.
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Fulfillment
Kitting
Combining separate inventory items into a prepared set that is handled or sold as one unit.
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Courier & Postal
Last-Mile Delivery
The final transportation stage from a local facility or delivery point to the consignee.
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Dimensional Weight & Packaging
Length and Girth
A package-size measurement combining the longest side with the distance around the other two dimensions.
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Ocean Freight
Less Than Container Load (LCL)
An ocean service that consolidates cargo from multiple shipments into one container.
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Road & Intermodal
Less Than Truckload (LTL)
A road freight service that combines smaller shipments from multiple customers within a shared network.
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Air Freight
Master Air Waybill (MAWB)
The air waybill issued for the consolidated movement between the air carrier and the forwarding party.
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Fulfillment
Order Accuracy
The percentage or rate of orders completed with the correct items, quantities, packaging, and documentation.
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Fulfillment
Order Cycle Time
The elapsed time from order receipt to a defined completion point, commonly shipment confirmation or customer delivery.
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Fulfillment
Order Fulfillment
The complete process of receiving an order, allocating inventory, picking, packing, shipping, and confirming completion.
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Dimensional Weight & Packaging
Oversize Package
A package that exceeds a standard dimensional threshold for its delivery service.
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Dimensional Weight & Packaging
Package Density
The relationship between a package weight and the volume of space it occupies.
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Dimensional Weight & Packaging
Package Dimensions
The external length, width, and height of a fully packed item.
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Dimensional Weight & Packaging
Packaging Optimization
The process of designing packaging to protect goods while reducing unnecessary material, size, weight, and handling difficulty.
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Documents & Incoterms
Packing List
A document showing how goods are packed, including package counts, contents, marks, dimensions, and weights.
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Dimensional Weight & Packaging
Palletized Shipment
Goods secured to one or more pallets so they can be handled as larger units.
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Courier & Postal
Parcel
A packaged item handled as an individual unit through a courier or postal delivery network.
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Courier & Postal
Parcel Locker
A secure self-service compartment used to receive, hold, or sometimes send parcels.
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Road & Intermodal
Partial Truckload (PTL)
A shared-trailer road service for shipments larger than typical LTL freight but smaller than a full truckload.
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Fulfillment
Pick and Pack
The warehouse process of selecting ordered items from storage and packing them for shipment.
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Courier & Postal
Pickup and Drop-Off Point (PUDO)
A staffed location where customers can tender outgoing items or collect incoming items.
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Ocean Freight
Port-to-Port
An ocean service covering carriage between the loading port and discharge port.
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Courier & Postal
Postal Code
A structured series of letters, numbers, or both used to identify a geographic delivery area.
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Courier & Postal
Postal Customs Declaration
Customs information submitted for goods travelling through an international postal network.
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Courier & Postal
Postal Operator
An organization authorized to provide postal collection, processing, transportation, and delivery services within a jurisdiction.
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Courier & Postal
Postal Service
A network that accepts, processes, transports, and delivers mail and parcels under domestic or international postal rules.
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Courier & Postal
Proof of Delivery (POD)
A record showing that a shipment was delivered, often including a date, time, location, recipient name, signature, or delivery image.
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Warehousing
Putaway
The process of moving received goods from the inbound area to assigned storage or picking locations.
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Warehousing
Receiving
The warehouse process of accepting inbound goods and verifying their quantity, identity, condition, and documentation.
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Road & Intermodal
Refrigerated Trailer
An insulated trailer with equipment used to control or maintain cargo temperature.
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Courier & Postal
Registered Mail
A postal service that records acceptance and handling and may include added security, delivery evidence, or limited liability protection.
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Distribution & Inventory
Reorder Point
The inventory level that triggers a replenishment or purchasing action.
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Courier & Postal
Return to Sender (RTS)
The process of sending an undeliverable or refused item back toward the original sender.
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Fulfillment
Returns Management
The controlled process of authorizing, receiving, inspecting, routing, and resolving returned goods.
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Distribution & Inventory
Safety Stock
Inventory held as a buffer against uncertainty in demand, supply, or replenishment time.
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Freight Fundamentals
Shipment
A specific quantity of goods tendered for transportation from an origin to a destination under one shipping instruction or movement.
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Freight Fundamentals
Shipper
The person or organization that arranges or tenders goods for transportation.
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Courier & Postal
Signature Required
A delivery instruction requiring an eligible recipient to sign before an item can be released.
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Distribution & Inventory
Stock Keeping Unit (SKU)
A unique internal identifier assigned to a distinct product or inventory variation.
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Distribution & Inventory
Stockout
A condition in which required inventory is unavailable when demand occurs.
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Customs & Trade
Tariff Classification
The process of assigning the correct customs classification code to a product.
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Freight Fundamentals
Third-Party Logistics (3PL)
Outsourced logistics services provided by a specialist that may manage transportation, warehousing, fulfillment, or distribution.
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Courier & Postal
Tracked Mail
A postal item assigned an identifier that records selected processing and delivery events.
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Ocean Freight
Twenty-Foot Equivalent Unit (TEU)
A standard capacity measure based on one nominal 20-foot shipping container.
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Courier & Postal
Undeliverable as Addressed (UAA)
A status indicating that an item cannot be delivered using the address provided.
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Air Freight
Unit Load Device (ULD)
A standardized aircraft container or pallet used to combine and secure cargo for loading.
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Dimensional Weight & Packaging
Unitization
Combining multiple items or packages into one stable handling unit.
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Warehousing
Warehouse
A facility used to receive, store, protect, handle, and release goods.
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Warehousing
Warehouse Management System (WMS)
Software that directs and records warehouse activities such as receiving, inventory, putaway, picking, packing, and shipping.
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Warehousing
Warehouse Slotting
The practice of assigning products to storage and picking locations based on operational characteristics.
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Fulfillment
Wave Picking
A picking method that releases groups of orders at planned times based on operational priorities.
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Fulfillment
Zone Picking
A picking method in which workers or equipment are assigned to specific warehouse areas.
Learn about Zone PickingNo matching terms found
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