Shipping Terms Glossary

Below are most commonly used INCOTERMS:

Abbreviation
A.A. Always Afloat
a.d. Ante diem/before date
A.F. Advance Freight
A.H. After Hatch
A.P. Additional Premium
a/c Account
A/C Account current
A/d After date
a/s (economics) At sight
A/S (sea freight) Alongside
A/S (trade) Account Sale
A/S (banking) Account Sales/After sight
A/V Ad valorem
Acc Accepted,Acceptance
ad/advt Advocate
Afft. Affidavit
aflt. Afloat
AI First class
Alt. Alternate
amt. Amount
an. Anno
Anch. Anchorage
arbtn./ arbtror Arbitration/Arbitrator
art. Article
assd. Assessed
Assigt. Assignment
Assn. Association
Att. Gen. Attorney General
att.At.,/ Atty. Attorney
Awb Airwaybill
B.B. Bill Book
B.B.B. Before Breaking Bulk
b.d. (banking) Bills discounted/Bank draft
B.D. Bar Draught
B.D.I. Both Dates Inclusive
B.E. Both ends, at both load/ discharge ports
B.O.T. Board of Trade
b.p. By procuration (power of attorney)
B.U. Buyer's option
B/C Bills for collection
B/Ch. Bristol Channel
b/d Broughtdown
B/E Bill of Exchange
B/G Bonded goods
B/H Bil1 of Health/Bulkhead
B/N Banknote
B/P (banking) Bills payable
B/P (trade) Bill payable
B/R Bills receivable
B/S (sea freight) Bill of Sale
B/T Berth terms
B/S (b.s) (banking) Bill of Sale/Balance Sheet
bal. Balance
Bd. Bond
Bds. Boards
bkpt. Bankrupt
bre. Barrel
Bs/c Bills of collection
c Currency/Cents/Case/
C and D Collection and Delivery
C. C. Cash Credit
C. div. Cumulative dividend
C.a.D. Cash against documents
C.b.d. Cash before delivery
c.d. Cash discount/Certificate of deposit
C.F. Cost and Freight
C.G. Coast Guard
C.G.A. Cargo's proportion of General Average
C.H. Custom House
C.i.a. Cash in advance
C.I.F. Cost, Insurance, Freight
C.I.F.c.and I. Cost insurance, Freight, Commission and Interest
C.L. Carload Lot
C.O.D. Cash on Delivery
C.O.P. Custom of the Port
C.o.S. Cash on shipment
C.P.D. Charterers Pay Dues
c.r. Current rate
c.r.m. Cash by return mail/Cash on receipt of merchandise
c.r.s. Cash by return steamer
c.w.o. Cash with order
C/A Capital account
c/f Carried forward
C/H Clearing House
c/m Certificate of manufacture
C/n Certificate of Origin
C/N (trade) Credit Note
C/N (banking) Credit Note
c/o Care of/Cash order
C/P Charter Party
Carr.pd. (cge.pd.) Carriage paid
cash b/I Cash against bill of lading
Cash. Cashier
cd. Sl Conditional sale
ch.ppd. Charges prepaid
chq. Cheque
cl.b/l Clean bill of lading
cld. Cleared
Coll. Collect/collection
Conf. Confirm/confirmed
Cons.cert. Consular certificate
ctf. Certified/certificate
Ctge. Cartage
curr. Current/Currency
D / D Demand Draft
D / N Debit Note
D.1/2 D. Despatch half Demurrage
D.a. (banking) Documents against acceptance
D.a.d. Documents against discretion of collecting bank
D.A. (trade) Deposit account
D.A.F. Delivery at Frontier
d.b.k. Drawback
d.d.o. Despatch Discharging only
D.F. Dead Freight
D.L.O. Despatch Loading Only
D.P.B. Deposit pass-book
d.s. Days after sight
D.W. Dead Weight
D.W.C.C.C. Dead Weight Cargo Carry Capacity
d/a Days after acceptance
D/A (trade) Documents against Acceptance
D/D Demand draft
D/N Debit note
D/O Delivery Order
D/P Documents against Payment
D/r Deposit receipt
D/y Delivery
deb. Debit
Decl. Declaration/Declared
Deft. Defendant
Depr. Depreciation
dft. Draft
dft/a. Draft attached
dft/c Clean draft
Dis. Discount
Distr. Distribute/Distributor
Div. Dividend/Division
do Ditto
Dr. Drawer
ds dft Sight draft/Date draft
e.and o.e Errors and omissions excepted
e.e. Errors excepted
E.P.D. Excess Profit Duty
E.T. A. Expected Time of Arrival
E.T.D. Expected Time of Departure
ea Each
encl. Enclosure
end. Endorsed/endorsement
ex. Exchange
Ex. int. Ex interest
Ex.d.( ex.div.) Ex dividend (um)
exl. Exclusive, excluding
EXQ Ex Quay
EXW Ex Works
F.A.C. Fast As Can
F.a.q. Fair average quality
F.A.S. Free Alongside Ship
F.and.D. Freight and Demurrage
f.b. Freight bill
F.d. Free discharge
F.g. Fully good
f.i.a. Full interest admitted
f.i.b. Free into bunkers
F.I.O. Free In and Out
F.I.O.S. Free In and Out, Stowed
F.I.O.S.T. Free In and Out, Stowed and Trimmed
f.o.c. Free of charge
f.o.l. Free of interest
F.O. Firm Offer
F.O.B. Free On Board
F.O.R. Free On Rail
F.O.T. Free On Truck
f. p. Fully paid
F.P. Floating (open) policy
F.T. (sea freight) Freight ton
F.T. (sea freight) Free of Turn
F.T. (sea freight) Full Terms
F.T.W. Free Trade Wharf
f.x. Foreign exchange
fr.fwrd. Freight forward
frt. coll. Freight collect
frt.pp. Freight prepaid
FRT. Freight
g r. Gross
G.M.B. Good merchantable brand
G.R.T. Gross Register Tonnage
gr. wt. Gross weight
Gtee. Guarantee
Gtee.(gtd ). Guarantee/Guaranteed
H.O. Head Office
H.P. Horse Power
H.W.M. High Water Mark
hrs. Hours
I. B. Invoice Book
I.O.U. I owe you
I/c In charge of
I/F Insufficient funds
I/F Insufficient funds
I/I Indorsement irregular
Incl. Included, inclusive
Inst. Instant (present month)
Irr. Irredeemable
j.a. Joint account
L.a. Letter of advice
L.b. Long bill
L.B. Life Boat
L.C.D. Telegram Country Destination
L.C.O. Telegram Country Origin
L.h. Letter of hypothecation
L.H. Lower Hold
L.O.A. Length Overall
L/C Letter of Credit
L/D Letter of deposit
Led. Ledger
Liq. Liquidation,1iquidated/liquid
Ltd. Limited
m.d. Months date/months after date
M.I.P. Marine Insurance Policy
M.O. Money Order
M.O.L.O.O. More or Less In Owner's Option
m.p. Months after payment
m.s. Months after sight, months sight
M/R Mate's Receipt Ordino
Marg. Margin
mat. Maturity
Mem. Memorandum
mtg.(mort). Mortgage
mth. Month
N.A.A. Not Always Afloat
n.d. Not dated
N.O.R. Notice of Readiness
n.o.s. Not otherwise stated, not otherwise specified
n.p. Net proceeds
N.R.T. Net. Register Tonnage
n/a No account
n/e. Not exceeding
n/f. no funds
natl. National
neg. Negotiable
Net Terms Free of Charterer's commission
o.d. on demand/overdraft
o.p. Open policy
O.R. Owner's Risk
o.s. Outstanding
O.S.D. Open Shelter Decker
O.S.P. One Safe Port
O/a. On acceptance/ On account
o/c. Overcharge
O/o. Order of
on cons. On consignment
o.p.o One price only
opt. Option, optional
P.A. Power of Attorney/ Private account
p.and l. Profit and loss
P.B. Pass Book
P.O.C. Port of Call
P.O.R. Port of Refuge
P/N (p.n.) Promissory note
pchs. Purchase
per.pro. Per procuration
prem. Premium
Q.O.O. Quantity in Owner's Option
R.d. (sea freight) Running days
r/a. (R.A.) Refer to acceptor
R/C Re-credited
r/d (banking) Refer to drawer
r/e Refer to endorser
rem. Remit, remittance
rept.( recpt.) Receipt
Rev. Revision
Rev. A /C . Revenue account
s, p. Supra under protest
S.B. Sales Book
S.C. Salvage charges
S.F. Stowage Factor
S.H.E.X. Sundays and Holidays Excepted
S.H.I.N.C. Sundays and Holidays Included
S.O.L. Shipowner's Liability
S.P.A. Sundry Persons' account
S.W. Shipper's Weights
s/a . Subject to approval
s/d b/ L Sight draft with bill of lading attached
S/N Shipping Note
Supt. Superintendent
Sy. Drs. Sundry debtors
Sy.Crs. Sundry Creditors
T.B. Trial Balance
T.D. Tweendeck
t.m.o. Telegraphic money order
T.O. Turnover
t.r. Trust receipt
t.t. Telegraphic transfer
T/C Time Charter
tar. Tariff
ult. Ultimo, last month
V.o.p. Value as in original policy
V/A Voucher attached
W.A. With Average
W.B. Water Ballast
W.I.B.O.N. Whether in Berth or Not
W.S.(RED) Rates, Extras and Demurrage per World Scale
W.V.N.S. With Vessels Natural Segregations
W.W.D. Weather Working Days
w/m Without margin
w/w Warehouse warrant
whf. Wharf
wholes. Wholesale
x.in. Ex interest