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Both documents ride along with a physical shipment, both list what's inside, and both deliberately leave prices off — which is exactly why the terms get used as if they mean the same thing. In everyday small-business use, they largely do.
What they have in common
Neither is a request for payment — that's the invoice's job, sent separately. Both exist to answer one question for whoever receives the shipment: does what arrived match what was supposed to arrive? Quantities and item descriptions are the core content of each; prices are deliberately left off so the document can be handled by warehouse or receiving staff without exposing commercial terms.
Where a distinction sometimes gets drawn
Where businesses do draw a line, it's usually this: a packing slip itemizes exactly what's inside a specific box or shipment — useful when an order ships in multiple packages and the recipient needs to reconcile each one individually. A delivery note is more often used as a general confirmation that delivery occurred, sometimes covering an entire order rather than itemizing box by box, and is more likely to include a signature line confirming receipt.
Does the distinction matter for your business?
For most small businesses, no — use whichever term your industry or region defaults to, and pick the one your clients will recognize without needing an explanation. What matters far more than the label is what's actually on the document: accurate quantities, clear item descriptions, and a way for the recipient to confirm (and flag any discrepancy) that what arrived matches what was ordered.
What belongs on either one
- Order or reference number, tying it back to the original order or invoice.
- Itemized quantities and descriptions — no prices.
- Shipping/delivery date.
- Sender and recipient details.
- A signature line, if confirmation of receipt matters for your business.
Our packing slip generator and delivery note generator both produce this layout — pick whichever name fits how your business and industry usually refer to it.
The names may be near-interchangeable, but the job either document does is a real one: giving the person receiving a shipment a fast, reliable way to check that what showed up is what was supposed to.