Make an air waybill PDF
An air waybill (AWB) is the contract of carriage and the carrier’s receipt for air cargo. IATA Resolution 600a sets its layout and Resolution 600b the conditions printed on the back. This generator fills the standard face from your details, works out the chargeable weight and totals, and gives you a PDF of 3 originals or the full set of 8 copies, each followed by the conditions of contract.
Updated
- Cost
- Free, no account
- Layout
- IATA Resolution 600a face, 600b conditions on the reverse
- Waybills
- Master (carrier’s number, check digit verified) or house
- You get
- A vector PDF: 3 originals or all 8 labelled copies
Fill in the waybill and watch the preview: every box updates as you type. Download the PDF when it’s right. It prints on A4 or US Letter.
How to make an air waybill with border.bot
Fill, check and print an IATA air waybill in five steps.
Choose master or house
A master waybill uses the carrier’s 3-digit prefix and an 8-digit serial from its allocated stock. A house waybill takes your own number and names the master it travels under.
Enter the parties
Give the shipper’s and consignee’s names and full addresses, their account numbers with the carrier if they have one, and who issues the waybill.
Add the route and the goods
Enter airports as IATA codes, the first carrier and the flights, then each rating line: pieces, gross weight, dimensions, rate class and rate. The chargeable weight and totals are worked out for you.
Check the preview
Every box shows on the live preview as you type, with NVD, NCV and XXX printed where no value or insurance is declared.
Download, print and sign
Each copy in the PDF is labelled: Original 3 for the shipper, Original 1 for the issuing carrier, Original 2 for the consignee. The shipper signs box 31; the issuing carrier or its agent signs box 32 when it accepts the goods.
Example: chargeable weight and charges
4 cartons of cotton T-shirts, 86.4 kg, each 60 × 40 × 45 cm, rate class Q at GBP 3.85 per kg
| Volume | 0.432 m³ |
|---|---|
| Volume weight | 72 kg |
| Chargeable weight | 86.5 kg: the actual weight is higher, rounded up to the next half kilogram |
| Weight charge | GBP 333.03 |
| Other charges | AWA 25.00, MYC 51.84, SCC 12.96 |
| Total prepaid | GBP 422.83 |
The tool’s “Fill an example” waybill.
The copies in a full set
| Copy | For | Colour on carrier stock |
|---|---|---|
| Original 3 | Shipper | Blue |
| Copy 8 | Agent | White |
| Original 1 | Issuing carrier | Green |
| Original 2 | Consignee | Pink |
| Copy 4 | Delivery receipt | Yellow |
| Copy 5 | Extra copy | White |
| Copy 6 | Extra copy | White |
| Copy 7 | Extra copy | White |
What goes on an air waybill
- The AWB number
- Three digits for the airline, then an 8-digit serial whose last digit is a check digit: the first seven digits divided by 7, keeping the remainder. A wrong check digit usually means a typing error.
- Chargeable weight
- Air cargo is charged on the higher of the actual and the volume weight. IATA’s standard is 6000 cm³ per kilogram, so a 60 × 40 × 45 cm carton counts as 18 kg. The result is rounded up to the next half kilogram.
- Rate classes
- M is the minimum charge, N the normal rate under 45 kg, Q a quantity rate above it, C a specific commodity rate, and R or S a class rate below or above the normal rate.
- Prepaid or collect
- Weight and valuation charges, and the other charges, are each either prepaid by the shipper (PP) or collected from the consignee (CC). The totals land in the matching column.
- Declared values
- With no value declared for carriage the box reads NVD and the carrier’s liability limit applies: 26 SDR per kilogram since December 2024. With no customs value it reads NCV, and with no insurance XXX.
- Other charges
- Each has a two-letter code and A or C for whether it is due to the agent or the carrier: AWC is the waybill fee due to the carrier, MYC a fuel surcharge, SCC a security charge.
Before you hand it over
- Use a number from the carrier’s allocated stock: a valid check digit doesn’t make a number yours.
- Many lanes are e-AWB only. If your carrier wants the data electronically, send it through their booking system or your forwarder’s.
- Dangerous goods need a separate Shipper’s Declaration. Say so in Handling Information, and add CAO when they may travel on cargo aircraft only.
- The shipper answers for the particulars on the face: check names, addresses, pieces and weights against the commercial invoice and packing list.
- The printed conditions are IATA’s standard wording; the carrier’s own conditions of carriage and tariffs apply as well.
From your own systems and agents
The same engine answers over the REST API and the MCP server with an account, charged in credits. In the browser, agents can use this page’s WebMCP tool without an account.
- WebMCP on this page
- create_air_waybill
Common questions
What is an air waybill?
The document that travels with air cargo. It is the contract of carriage between the shipper and the carrier, the carrier’s receipt for the goods, and the source for customs and the freight bill. It is not a document of title, which is why it is marked “Not negotiable”.
What is the difference between a master and a house air waybill?
A master air waybill (MAWB) is issued by or for the airline and carries its prefix. A forwarder that consolidates several shipments issues each shipper a house air waybill (HAWB) with its own number, and they all travel under one master.
How is the AWB check digit worked out?
Divide the first seven digits of the serial by 7 and take the remainder. For 1234567 the remainder is 5, so the serial is 12345675, and with the prefix 125 the number is 125-1234 5675.
How many copies does an air waybill have?
A standard set has eight, in this order: Original 3 for the shipper, Copy 8 for the agent, Original 1 for the issuing carrier, Original 2 for the consignee, Copy 4 as the delivery receipt, and Copies 5 to 7 as extras. The three originals have the same validity.
Is a generated air waybill legally valid?
It becomes the contract of carriage when the issuing carrier or its authorised agent accepts the goods and signs it. This tool prepares the document: use a number from your carrier’s stock and have the carrier or its agent execute it.
Do I still need a paper air waybill with e-AWB?
Not on lanes where you and the carrier work under an e-AWB agreement: the data is sent electronically. Paper is still used where a carrier or a country requires it, and many shippers print one for their records.
What do NVD, NCV and XXX mean?
NVD means no value declared for carriage, so the carrier’s standard liability limit applies. NCV means no customs value declared. XXX in the insurance box means no insurance was asked for.
How many free waybills do I get?
Each visitor gets a few free waybills, separate from the other free tools, and the page shows how many are left. With an account, waybills cost credits in the dashboard, the API and the MCP server.
Sources
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