Coffee Commercial Invoice: A Filled Example for Packaged Coffee

Fictional example only. All parties, addresses, references, dates, and values below are illustrative. This is not a real MR.VIET shipment or a customs-approved form.

The assumed order is roasted ground Vietnamese robusta in 250 g pouches, packed 12 pouches per case. The buyer orders 40 cases. Pricing is agreed at USD 4 per pouch, so the invoice charges for 480 pouches.

The illustrative delivery term is FCA at a fictional warehouse in Ho Chi Minh City, Incoterms 2020. The seller’s price includes the agreed preparation and delivery at that location; no onward freight or insurance is separately charged on this invoice. These cost assumptions must match the parties’ contract and handover arrangements.

Illustrative commercial invoice

The pending entries show what still needs work before this draft can become a final document. Enter gross weight from verified packing data, add the transport reference when assigned, and confirm the destination tariff classification. Inventing those details would hide an unresolved task.

The example establishes no preferential origin claim, food-labeling approval, or destination tax treatment.

Use the worksheet to connect each invoice entry to the record that supports it. For an unresolved field, identify who will confirm it and keep it open until that confirmation arrives.

Use the accepted order and verified company details for the legal parties. Use the product specification for coffee form, composition, pack size, and case configuration. Include species or blend details only when supported by that specification.

Check origin independently of the seller’s address. A seller based in Vietnam does not, by that fact alone, establish Vietnamese origin for the goods. Enter the origin supported by the actual product and transaction records.

Cases describe the packing arrangement, pouches are the agreed price unit, and kilograms express coffee content. The calculations below connect all three.

Either price basis works when the invoiced quantity matches it. On a pouch basis, enter 480 at USD 4. On a case basis, enter 40 at USD 48.

Entering a quantity of “40” alongside a unit price of “USD 4” produces USD 160. Both numbers appear in the order, but they refer to different units. Labeling the quantity and price basis prevents that error.

The 120 kg figure is calculated coffee content. Gross packed weight includes packaging and the shipment components covered by the weighing record. Obtain verified packing data and state whether pallet weight is included.

For an order with several products, calculate each SKU separately, then apply the agreed adjustments:

Invoice total = sum of line values − agreed discounts + agreed additional charges.

Show whether freight or other charges are included in the unit price or added separately so they are not counted twice. The invoice total does not automatically equal customs value; confirm applicable valuation adjustments with the importer or broker.

Review these documents together. Each serves a different purpose, but their shared quantities and references must remain consistent.

A final invoice can legitimately differ from a proforma. For example, the buyer may approve fewer cases or a revised price. Keep the approved change traceable in the transaction records so the difference has an explanation.

Connect the documents through shared order, shipment, and product references. Compare quantities, pack configuration, and origin where shown. Check currency and delivery terms across the commercial records; the packing list need not repeat the payment calculation.

Use the export packing-list guide to organize the physical shipment record alongside the invoice. Reconcile transport-document references once they are assigned.

The importer’s destination review determines which fields and supporting documents the final invoice needs. Mandatory entries, language, identifiers, and authentication requirements vary by destination and transaction.

Give the importer or broker the exact product description, composition, pack format, origin records, route, and agreed commercial terms. Ask them to check the applicable requirements against current official customs guidance and tariff information.

Before release, confirm:

1. Classification: use the classification for the actual coffee form, rather than a code copied from a green-coffee example.
2. Destination entries: confirm applicable party identifiers, declarations, language, and authentication requirements.
3. Origin: establish the relevant treatment and supporting evidence.
4. Valuation: confirm any adjustments and how charges should appear.
5. Delivery terms: include the full Incoterms entry, named location, version, and agreed handover arrangement.
6. Document consistency: reconcile quantities, currency, totals, and references across the final document set.

Keep origin and payment terms in their own fields. The delivery term does not establish either.

The import-declaration guide connects invoice data with the declaration workflow. Food labeling and other product requirements need a separate review.

Can I invoice coffee by case?

Yes, if case pricing matches the agreed transaction. State the units per case so reviewers can reconcile the invoiced cases with retail units and coffee net weight. In this example, 40 cases at USD 48 per case gives the same USD 1,920 goods total as 480 pouches at USD 4 each.

Should I copy the example’s tariff classification?

The example leaves classification unresolved. Confirm the destination classification for your exact product before finalizing the document.

Is the commercial invoice a packing list?

No. The commercial invoice records value and sale terms; the packing list describes the physical contents and packing arrangement. Their quantities and shared references should agree.

Populate the worksheet from the accepted order and product specification, reconcile it with the final packing records, and resolve the pending destination fields before issuing the invoice.

If your team needs MR.VIET branded products for wholesale retail distribution, send a wholesale enquiry with your target market, retail channel, preferred product format, and expected volume.