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More Incoterms & Transport Documents

House Bill of Lading

Also known as: HBL, House B/L

A house bill of lading is the transport document issued by a freight forwarder or non-vessel-operating carrier to its customer, the actual shipper, covering that shipper's specific consignment within a larger consolidated movement. It sits beneath the master bill that the ocean carrier issues to the forwarder for the whole container. The house bill governs the contractual relationship and cargo details between the forwarder and the individual shipper, and in a consolidation many house bills correspond to a single master bill, allowing each underlying shipper's goods and terms to be documented separately.

The JFS takeLicensed customs broker · Filer 82G

This is the document your entry is filed against, and its number is the one to quote. Your forwarder issues it; it covers your goods inside a container full of other people's.

Where it matters for compliance

  • House bill data must match the manifest filing or the entry rejects.

Related terms

Master Bill of LadingA master bill of lading is the transport document issued by the actual ocean carrier to the party that booked the space — usually a freight forwarder or consolidator — covering the entire shipment or container as a single contract of carriage.ConsolidationConsolidation is the practice of combining multiple smaller shipments, often from different shippers, into a single larger load — typically a full container or an air-cargo unit — to achieve the lower per-unit rates available to bulk movements.NVOCCA non-vessel operating common carrier is an entity that acts as a carrier to the shipper — issuing its own bills of lading and taking contractual responsibility for the cargo — while itself buying space from the ocean lines that actually operate the vessels.

Reviewed by a licensed customs broker. Definitions are general information, not legal or customs advice for a particular shipment. Duty rates, tariff programs and agency requirements change frequently.