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Commercial invoice generator
A commercial invoice is the seller’s bill for goods crossing a border, and the document customs uses to value them for duty. For US imports, 19 CFR 141.86 says what it must show. This generator asks for each of those items, adds up lines and charges, checks what is missing, and gives you a PDF with every page numbered. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
Updated October 12, 2026
Fields follow 19 CFR 141.86, which sets what a commercial invoice for US imports must show. Other countries have their own rules, and some buyers or letters of credit ask for more. This tool lays out the document; check special requirements with your customs broker.
What a commercial invoice must show for US customs
19 CFR 141.86 lists the information every invoice of imported merchandise must carry. Each row below is a field or a check in the generator:
| Requirement | Where it is in 19 CFR 141.86 | In the generator |
|---|---|---|
| Port of entry the goods are going to | (a)(1) | US port of entry |
| When, where, by whom and to whom the goods were sold (or, if not sold, shipped) | (a)(2) | Seller, buyer, date and place of sale; for no sale, shipped from and date |
| Detailed description: the name the goods are sold under, grade or quality, marks and numbers, plus the marks and numbers of the packages | (a)(3) | Part number, description, package marks |
| Quantities in the weights and measures of the shipping country or the US | (a)(4) | Quantity and unit |
| Purchase price of each item in the currency of the sale | (a)(5) | Unit price |
| If not sold: the value of each item | (a)(6) | Unit value (choose “No sale”) |
| The currency | (a)(7) | Currency |
| All charges itemized by name and amount: freight, insurance, commission, cases, containers, coverings, packing | (a)(8) | Charges, marked in the price or added |
| Rebates, drawbacks and bounties allowed on export | (a)(9) | Rebates, drawbacks, bounties |
| Country of origin | (a)(10) | Origin on every line |
| Assists not in the price: dies, molds, tools, engineering | (a)(11) | Assists |
| In English, or with an English translation | (d) | The PDF is in English |
| What is in each package | (e) | Package numbers per line |
| Every discount from list price | (g) | Discounts |
| Invoice and page numbers at the bottom of each page | (h) | Printed on every page of this invoice; with several invoices in one entry, the importer numbers the pages in one series |
| A responsible employee of the exporter, by name | (j) | Responsible person |
Source: 19 CFR 141.86.
Two cases add details the generator does not ask for: goods sold while in transit need the resale invoice too (141.86(c)), and goods not bought from the manufacturer and shipped without a sale need the earlier purchase’s time, place, seller and price (141.86(b)). Put those in the notes or attach them.
The generator also has the fields brokers and buyers expect even though 141.86 does not list them: the HTS code per line, Incoterms, payment terms, net and gross weight, the importer of record, and whether buyer and seller are related.
Sale or no sale
Most invoices record a sale. When goods cross without one (samples, repairs, transfers to your own company, consignment), choose “No sale”. Each line then shows the value the goods would sell for in the usual wholesale quantities, which is what 141.86(a)(6) asks for, and the parties become shipper and receiver.
Charges: in the price or on top
List every charge by name and amount. Untick “in the price” for charges billed on top of the goods, such as freight and insurance to the US port; the invoice total adds them. Packing, cases and inland freight to the port of export need not be itemized by amount if they are included in the price and marked as such (141.86(a)(8)).
Exporting from the US: the destination control statement
US exporters shipping items on the Commerce Control List must put the destination control statement on the commercial invoice, unless the item is EAR99 or ships under License Exception BAG or GFT (15 CFR 758.6). Tick it and the generator prints the regulation’s wording word for word, with the ECCN where the rule asks for one.
How to fill it in
Enter the invoice number, date and currency.
Fill in the seller and buyer. Untick the boxes if the goods go to a different ship-to address or another company is the importer of record.
Add the date and place of sale, PO number, Incoterm and the US port of entry.
Add a line per item: part number, a detailed description, HTS code, origin, package numbers, quantity, unit and price.
List charges, discounts, rebates and assists. Write “None” where there are none, so customs does not have to ask.
Add the packages, their marks and the weights, and name the responsible person. Check the list under “Before you print”, then download or print.
Common questions
Can I make a proforma invoice?
Yes. Switch the type to Proforma. The International Trade Administration describes a pro forma invoice as “a quote in an invoice format that may be required by the buyer to apply for an import license, contract for pre-shipment inspection, open a letter of credit or arrange for transfer of hard currency.” The PDF is titled Proforma Invoice and closes with a line saying a commercial invoice follows when the goods ship. (The importer’s pro forma that US customs accepts in place of a missing commercial invoice is a different statement, set out in 19 CFR 141.85.)
Is a commercial invoice the same as a pro forma invoice?
No. A pro forma invoice is a quote the seller sends before the sale; the commercial invoice records the actual sale and travels with the goods. The International Trade Administration describes the pro forma as becoming the final commercial invoice once the deal is done.
Do other countries accept this invoice?
The International Trade Administration says most countries accept the seller’s own version if it has all the pertinent information, and a few require the invoice on a specific form. Check the destination’s rules or ask the buyer before you ship.
Can I make a certificate of origin from it?
Yes. Save or keep the invoice open in this browser, then open the certificate of origin generator and start from it. The USMCA generator can pull the same lines in for goods moving within North America.
How much duty will I pay on these goods?
Each line links to the tariff estimator with its HTS code, origin and value filled in. It lists the tariff actions that may apply and sums the rates you confirm.
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