Packaging Types and Waybill Lines

  • Published on May 1, 2026
  • 9 minute(s) read
  • AF
 Prev Next

Feature Overview

Every waybill consists of one or more waybill lines, where each line represents a physical package in the shipment. To create consistent and accurate waybill lines, Shipping Manager uses Packaging Types — a catalogue of reusable package definitions that carry default dimensions (length, width, height), calculated volume, tare weight, maximum weight, and unit of measure settings. When you assign a packaging type to a waybill line, these defaults are applied immediately, reducing manual data entry at the time of packing.

For scenarios where the same packaging type is always used for specific customers, shipping agents, or services, Shipping Manager offers Waybill Line Setup. This configuration table allows you to define rules that cause waybill lines to be created automatically when a new waybill is initialised. The matching logic uses a two-pass approach: first it looks for exact matches on connector, customer, shipping agent, and service; if none are found, it falls back to wildcard rules where some of those fields are left blank or set to All Customers. This means you can define both customer-specific rules and general rules that apply to all customers.

Each waybill line also maintains its own Packaging Unit record, which carries a unique package number (from the Packaging Unit number series) and supports hierarchical package tracking. The package number is the identifier that travels with the physical package and may be scanned at various points in the logistics chain.

Key Facts

Item Detail
Main pages Packaging Type (list/card), Waybill Line Setup, Waybill Lines (subpage on waybill)
Packaging type fields Code, Description, Type (Package/Half-Pallet/Pallet), Dimensions, Volume, Tare Weight, Max. Weight, Swap Pallet
Volume calculation Calculated automatically from Length × Width × Height with UOM conversion
Waybill line auto-creation Triggered when a waybill is created, using Waybill Line Setup rules
Matching logic Exact match first (connector + customer + agent + service), then wildcard fallback
Packaging unit number series Packaging Unit Nos. in Shipping Manager Setup
Package status Package Open → Package Closed
Auto Created flag Lines created by Waybill Line Setup are marked as Auto Created

Getting Started

  1. Go to Packaging Types and create one record for each type of package your warehouse uses (e.g., SMALL-BOX, LARGE-BOX, EUR-PALLET).
  2. For each packaging type, enter the Length, Width, and Height and set the Dimension Unit of Measure (e.g., CM). Volume is calculated automatically.
  3. Set the Volume Unit of Measure (e.g., M3) and the Weight Unit of Measure (e.g., KG).
  4. Optionally enter a Tare Weight (the weight of the empty package) and a Max. Weight (the maximum allowed load).
  5. Set the Type (Package, Half-Pallet, or Pallet) and enable Swap Pallet if the carrier requires a pallet exchange.
  6. If you want lines to be created automatically on new waybills, go to Waybill Line Setup and create rules linking a connector, customer (or all customers), shipping agent, service, and packaging type.
  7. When a new waybill is created for a matching combination, a line with the specified packaging type is added automatically. Manual lines can always be added regardless of whether auto-creation rules exist.

Related Features

Waybills are the parent documents that contain waybill lines. You cannot close a waybill or send it to the broker until all lines are closed. Connectors are referenced in Waybill Line Setup — rules are connector-specific. Shipping Fees use package types as a dimension in the fee price matrix, so packaging type setup affects automatic fee calculation. Customs Tariffs are separate from waybill lines but are attached to the same waybill, providing item-level customs data alongside the package-level information on the lines.

User Stories

US-01: Create a packaging type for a standard box

As a IT Manager
I want to define a reusable packaging type for a standard shipping box
So that warehouse staff always use consistent dimensions and weights when creating waybill lines

Setup:

  1. Go to Packaging Types and choose New.
  2. Enter a Code (e.g., BOX-S) and a Description (e.g., Small Box).
  3. Set Type to Package.
  4. Enter Length, Width, and Height in the relevant unit (e.g., 30, 20, 15 in CM).
  5. Set Dimension Unit of Measure to CM and Volume Unit of Measure to M3. Volume is automatically calculated.
  6. Enter a Tare Weight (the empty box weight, e.g., 0.5 KG) and a Max. Weight (e.g., 20 KG).
  7. Save.
US-02: Create a packaging type for a pallet

As a IT Manager
I want to define pallet packaging types including the swap pallet option
So that pallet shipments are correctly configured and carriers are notified of pallet exchange requirements

Setup:

  1. Go to Packaging Types and choose New.
  2. Enter a Code (e.g., EUR-PALLET) and a Description (e.g., EUR Pallet 120x80).
  3. Set Type to Pallet.
  4. Enter the pallet dimensions (e.g., Length: 120, Width: 80, Height: 15 in CM).
  5. Enable Swap Pallet if the carrier requires a pallet exchange for this type.
  6. Set Tare Weight and Max. Weight as appropriate.
  7. Save.
US-03: Assign a packaging type to a waybill line to apply default dimensions

As a Sales Order Processor
I want to select a packaging type on a waybill line
So that the dimensions and volume are automatically filled in without manual calculation

Setup:

  1. Open the waybill and go to the Waybill Lines subpage.
  2. Insert a new line.
  3. In the Package Type field, look up and select the relevant packaging type.
  4. The Length, Width, Height, Dimension Unit of Measure, and Unit Volume fields are populated from the packaging type definition.
  5. Enter the Gross Weight for the contents of this package.
  6. Modify dimensions if this specific package differs from the default.

Note: If the packaging type's Volume Unit of Measure differs from the waybill header's Volume Unit of Measure, a confirmation is shown. The waybill header's UOM takes precedence.

US-04: Set up automatic waybill line creation for all customers

As a IT Manager
I want to configure a waybill line setup rule that applies to all customers for a specific connector and shipping service
So that every new waybill created for that connector automatically gets a standard package line

Setup:

  1. Go to Waybill Line Setup and choose New.
  2. Set Connector to the relevant connector (e.g., GLS-DK).
  3. Set Source Type to All Customers.
  4. Set Shipping Agent Code and Shipping Agent Service Code to the relevant agent and service.
  5. Set Package Type to the packaging type to automatically add (e.g., BOX-S).
  6. Optionally enter a default Gross Weight and Net Weight for the auto-created line.
  7. Save. From now on, all new waybills for this connector and agent/service combination will automatically have this package line added.
US-05: Set up automatic waybill line creation for a specific customer

As a IT Manager
I want to configure a customer-specific waybill line setup rule
So that a specific customer always gets a predefined package type on their waybills regardless of the service used

Setup:

  1. Go to Waybill Line Setup and choose New.
  2. Set Connector to the relevant connector.
  3. Set Source Type to Customer.
  4. Set Customer No. to the specific customer.
  5. Leave Shipping Agent Code and Shipping Agent Service Code blank to match any agent/service for this customer.
  6. Set Package Type to the desired packaging type.
  7. Save. When a waybill is created for this customer, the package line is added automatically. The exact-match pass will pick this rule up if the customer and connector match; since agent/service are blank, it falls into the wildcard pass.

Note: Customer-specific rules take precedence over All Customers rules when both match the same Package Type. Each Package Type is only added once per waybill.

US-06: Add multiple packages of the same type to a waybill

As a Sales Order Processor
I want to add several packages of the same packaging type to a waybill in one step
So that I do not have to create lines manually for each individual box in a multi-package shipment

Setup:

  1. Open the waybill and go to the Waybill Lines subpage.
  2. Choose Add Multiple Packages action on the lines.
  3. Specify the Package Type and the Number of Packages to add.
  4. The system creates the requested number of lines, each with its own packaging unit and package number.
US-07: Close a single package when packing is complete

As a Sales Order Processor
I want to close individual packages as they are packed
So that packing progress is tracked line by line before the whole waybill is finalised

Setup:

  1. Open the waybill and navigate to the relevant line in Waybill Lines.
  2. Change the line Status to Package Closed, or use the Close Package action.
  3. A closed package requires that the waybill header has a Weight Unit of Measure set.
  4. Repeat for each line as packing is completed.
  5. Once all lines are closed, use Close All Packages on the waybill header to finalise.

Note: A closed line cannot be modified. Use Re-Open Package to revert a line to Package Open if a correction is needed.

US-08: View unit of measure relationships for volume conversion

As a IT Manager
I want to configure unit of measure relationships between dimension and volume UOMs
So that the system can correctly convert cubic measurements when dimensions and volume use different units

Setup:

  1. Go to Unit of Measure Relations in Shipping Manager.
  2. Create a relationship from the dimension UOM to the volume UOM (e.g., CM → M3 with factor 100, INCH → M3 with factor 39.37).
  3. The system uses these relationships when calculating volume on packaging types and waybill lines.
  4. Default relationships (CM→M3, INCH→M3, MM→M3) are created automatically during the initial setup wizard.

Field Reference

Field Where to find it What it does Default
Code Packaging Type Unique identifier for the packaging type (required)
Description Packaging Type Human-readable name (blank)
Type Packaging Type Physical category: Package, Half-Pallet, or Pallet Package
Length Packaging Type Length of the package 0
Width Packaging Type Width of the package 0
Height Packaging Type Height of the package 0
Dimension Unit of Measure Packaging Type Unit for Length/Width/Height (e.g., CM) From setup default
Volume Packaging Type Calculated from Length × Width × Height Auto-calculated
Volume Unit of Measure Packaging Type Unit for the calculated volume (e.g., M3) From setup default
Tare Weight Packaging Type Weight of the empty package 0
Max. Weight Packaging Type Maximum allowed gross weight 0
Swap Pallet Packaging Type Indicates carrier pallet exchange is required Disabled
Item No. Packaging Type Optional item linked to this packaging type (blank)
Qty. pr. Pallet Space Packaging Type Units per pallet space (for pallet planning) 0
Connector Waybill Line Setup The connector this rule applies to (required)
Source Type Waybill Line Setup All Customers or specific Customer (required)
Customer No. Waybill Line Setup Specific customer for this rule (if Source Type = Customer) (blank)
Shipping Agent Code Waybill Line Setup Shipping agent filter for this rule (blank = all agents) (blank)
Shipping Agent Service Code Waybill Line Setup Service filter for this rule (blank = all services) (blank)
Package Type Waybill Line Setup The packaging type to auto-create on matching waybills (required)
Gross Weight Waybill Line Setup Default gross weight for the auto-created line 0
Net Weight Waybill Line Setup Default net weight for the auto-created line 0
Auto Created Waybill Lines Indicates the line was created by a Waybill Line Setup rule Set automatically
Related articles

abakion@abakion.com