Export Glossary
Common terms in international trade, shipping and export documentation.
- Admixture
- Foreign matter or off-grade material mixed into a food commodity, measured as a percentage of the total lot.
- Advance Payment
- Payment made by the buyer before goods are shipped, often as a percentage of order value with the balance due later.
- Aflatoxin
- A toxin produced by certain moulds that can occur in grains, pulses, nuts and spices; many markets set maximum allowable limits.
- APEDA
- Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority — the Indian government body registering and supporting agricultural exporters.
- Bill of Lading (B/L)
- A document issued by the shipping line acknowledging receipt of cargo and serving as a contract of carriage and title document.
- Bulk Cargo
- Cargo shipped loose (not in containers or packages), such as grain loaded directly into a vessel's hold.
- CAD (Cash Against Documents)
- A payment method where the buyer pays upon presentation of shipping documents, typically through the banks involved.
- Certificate of Analysis (CoA)
- A lab report confirming a product's measured characteristics (e.g. moisture, purity, residue levels) against a specification.
- Certificate of Origin
- A document certifying the country in which goods were produced, often required for customs clearance or preferential tariff treatment.
- CFR (Cost and Freight)
- An Incoterm where the seller pays for transport to the destination port; risk transfers to the buyer once goods are loaded at origin.
- CIF (Cost, Insurance and Freight)
- An Incoterm where the seller pays for transport and insurance to the destination port; risk transfers once goods are loaded at origin.
- Commercial Invoice
- A document itemising the goods sold, their value and terms of sale, used for customs valuation.
- Consignee
- The party named to receive a shipment, typically the buyer or their agent.
- Container Yard (CY)
- A facility where containers are stored, loaded and unloaded before or after ocean transport.
- Country of Origin
- The country where goods were produced or manufactured, which must be declared for customs and labelling purposes.
- Customs Broker
- A licensed professional who handles import/export customs clearance on behalf of a buyer or seller.
- Demurrage
- A charge levied when a container is not returned or picked up within the free time allowed by the shipping line or port.
- DGFT
- Directorate General of Foreign Trade — the Indian government body regulating and licensing foreign trade, including export policy.
- Dry Container
- A standard shipping container without temperature control, used for non-perishable dry cargo.
- Duty / Tariff
- A tax imposed by the importing country's government on goods entering its territory, usually based on HS classification and value.
- Export House
- A company whose core business is exporting goods, often across multiple product categories, as distinct from a manufacturer that exports occasionally.
- EXW (Ex Works)
- An Incoterm where the seller makes goods available at their premises; the buyer arranges and bears the cost/risk of all transport from there.
- FCL (Full Container Load)
- A shipment that fills an entire container, booked and billed as a single unit.
- FOB (Free On Board)
- An Incoterm where the seller delivers goods loaded onto the vessel at the origin port; risk transfers to the buyer at that point.
- Free Trade Agreement (FTA)
- A treaty between countries reducing or eliminating tariffs on trade between them.
- Freight Forwarder
- A company that arranges shipping logistics on behalf of an importer or exporter, including booking carriers and handling documentation.
- FSSAI
- Food Safety and Standards Authority of India — India's domestic food safety regulator (not an export certification body).
- Fumigation Certificate
- A document certifying that cargo or packaging (often wooden pallets) has been treated against pests, often required for phytosanitary compliance.
- GAIN Report
- Global Agricultural Information Network report — USDA Foreign Agricultural Service country-level agricultural trade reports.
- Grade / Grading
- The classification of a commodity by quality criteria such as size, colour, moisture or defect percentage.
- GST
- Goods and Services Tax — India's domestic indirect tax; exports are generally zero-rated under Indian GST law.
- HACCP
- Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points — a food-safety management system methodology used in some processing facilities.
- Health Certificate
- A document certifying that a food product (commonly seafood or meat) meets the health/sanitary standards of the destination market.
- HS Code (Harmonized System Code)
- An internationally standardised numerical classification for traded products, used for customs and tariff purposes.
- IEC (Import Export Code)
- The registration number issued by India's DGFT that a business must hold to legally export from or import into India.
- Incoterms
- A set of standardised international trade terms (published by the ICC) defining responsibilities for shipping, insurance and risk between buyer and seller.
- IQF (Individually Quick Frozen)
- A freezing method where each piece of product is frozen separately rather than as a solid block, common for seafood.
- ITC-HS
- India's 8-digit extension of the international HS code, used for Indian customs and export policy classification.
- Jumbo Bag (FIBC)
- A large flexible bulk container, typically holding 500kg–1.5 tonnes, used for grains, feed and fertilizer.
- Landed Cost
- The total cost of a shipment once it has arrived at the buyer's destination, including product cost, freight, insurance, duties and local charges.
- LCL (Less than Container Load)
- A shipment that doesn't fill a full container and is consolidated with other shippers' cargo.
- Letter of Credit (LC)
- A bank-issued payment guarantee to the seller, conditional on presentation of compliant shipping documents.
- Lot
- A specific batch of product with a shared origin, harvest/production date and quality characteristics.
- Master Carton
- An outer shipping carton containing multiple retail or inner units, typically used for packaged/frozen goods.
- MEP (Minimum Export Price)
- A government-set floor price below which a product cannot legally be exported, sometimes used to manage domestic supply.
- Mesh Bag
- A ventilated net bag used for some fresh produce to allow airflow during transit.
- Moisture Content
- The percentage of water in a commodity, a key specification for grains, pulses, spices and dried products affecting shelf life and weight.
- MOQ (Minimum Order Quantity)
- The smallest quantity a supplier is willing to sell in a single order.
- MPEDA
- Marine Products Export Development Authority — the Indian government body overseeing seafood exports.
- Packing Density
- How much product weight or volume fits within a given container or package format.
- Packing List
- A document detailing the contents, weights and dimensions of each package in a shipment.
- Phytosanitary Certificate
- A document certifying that plant-origin goods are free from pests and diseases, issued by the exporting country's plant protection authority.
- Pre-Shipment Inspection
- A quality check performed on goods before they are loaded for export, to verify they meet the agreed specification.
- RCMC (Registration-cum-Membership Certificate)
- A certificate issued by an export promotion body (such as APEDA) confirming an exporter's registration for a product category.
- Reefer Container
- A refrigerated shipping container used to transport temperature-sensitive cargo such as fresh produce or frozen seafood.
- Shipping Line
- The company that owns or operates the vessel transporting containerised or bulk cargo.
- Specification (Spec)
- The agreed set of measurable quality criteria for a product order — grade, size, moisture, admixture, etc.
- Swell Factor (Swell Volume)
- How much a fibre product like psyllium husk expands in water, usually read in ml per gram. Buyers and labs use "swell factor" and "swell volume" interchangeably for the same test; what matters for comparing results is the method (water temperature, settling time) each lab used.
- Transit Time
- The time a shipment takes to travel from origin port to destination port.
- Transshipment
- The process of unloading cargo at an intermediate port and reloading it onto another vessel en route to its final destination.
- TT (Telegraphic Transfer)
- A direct electronic bank transfer used as a payment method in international trade.
- Vessel Booking
- The reservation of container/cargo space on a specific ship's sailing, arranged with a shipping line or forwarder.
- Vessel ETA / ETD
- Estimated Time of Arrival / Estimated Time of Departure for a shipping vessel.
- Viscosity
- A measure of how thick a solution is, read in centipoise (cP) on a rotational viscometer. The reading depends on concentration, temperature, hydration time and the instrument used, so the test method matters as much as the number — relevant for products like guar gum.
- WCO (World Customs Organization)
- The international body that maintains and updates the Harmonized System (HS) classification used globally for customs purposes.
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