Commercial Template Sample - Complete Incoterms Option

This sample of blank commercial invoice template demonstrates how to add a complete Incoterms option, in the format of the dropdown list, to replace the existing checkbox-based freight rules.

As detailed on export.gov, "The term, Incoterms®, is an abbreviation for International Commercial Terms. They are a set of rules which define the responsibilities of sellers and buyers for the delivery of goods under sales contracts for domestic and international trade." With the previous implementations of blank commercial invoice templates (FedEx style), terms of Sale (Incoterms) was limited to 3 options on the printable form - FOB (Free On Board - risk pass to buyer including payment of all transportation and insurance cost once delivered on board the ship by the seller. Used for sea or inland waterway transportation), C&F (Cost and Freight - CFR, Title, risk and insurance cost pass to buyer when delivered on board the ship by seller who pays the transportation cost to the destination port. Used for sea or inland waterway transportation) and CIF (Cost Insurance and Freight - Title and risk pass to buyer when delivered on board the ship by seller who pays transportation and insurance cost to destination port. Used for sea or inland waterway transportation). These options are implemented as checkbox on the bottom of the form. All the 3 options are rules for sea and inland waterway transport. Effective January 2010, the ICC once again updated Incoterms (see Incoterms 2010) to follow the modern trends in international trade. The number of Incoterms® rules has been reduced from 13 to 11.

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What if you want to be able to choose from all the 11 available Incoterms? If we implemented the option with 11 checkbox control (see Commercial Template Sample - Using Payment Method Checkboxes), it would take over a large range of cells on our printable commercial invoicing form. In this case, a better idea is to use a dropdown list. In this sample template, we'll add the Incoterms field as a dropdown list. A drop-down list makes the fillable commercial invoice template easier to work with, because the value of a field is selectable from a list, and thus you don't have to type it manually.

Microsoft Excel allows you to add a dropdown list to a spreadsheet document by using data validation. In this tutorial, we details the steps required to add a dropdown list to a blank commercial invoice template. This dropdown list could be found on other examples too, for example at Commercial Invoice Template (UPS Style) in the Proforma and Commercial category. But in this tutorial, we'll take a look at the steps required to create the dropdown list. This sample is based on Excel 2016. For a sample on Excel 2003, visit Invoice Template Sample - Using Drop-Down List.

First, open your commercial invoice template. Make sure the "Invoice" worksheet is active (the current sheet). Push down the "Design Mode" button on the "Invoice" ribbon tab (If you don't see this tab, make sure you have Invoice Manager for Excel installed).

Second, choose a cell to place the Incoterms field. In this sample, we choose the range P38:P41. Clear the existing content / checkboxes. Name the "oknINCOTERM" and unlock it.

Third, create the source of the dropdown list. In this sample, we choose the range "W4:W14" for the codes of Incoterms, and a short description of each term placed on the cell "X4:X14". The available options are as follows - EXW, EX WORKS; FCA, FREE CARRIER; CPT, CARRIAGE PAID TO; CIP, CARRIAGE AND INSURANCE PAID TO; DAT, DELIVERED AT TERMINAL; DAP, DELIVERED AT PLACE; DDP, DELIVERED DUTY PAID; FAS, FREE ALONGSIDE SHIP; FOB, FREE ON BOARD; CFR, COST AND FREIGHT; CIF, COST INSURANCE AND FREIGHT.

Fourth, create the dropdown list by using Excel data validation. Select the "oknIncoterm" cell. Click Excel command on the ribbon: Data, Data Validation, and then Data Validation again. On the "Data Validation" dialog box, choose "List" from the "Allow" box, and then click the "Source" field, enter the range of the source - in this sample, it is "$W$4:$W$14". There are other options you can set on this dialog box too, for example you can specify the error message to show if a user entered an incorrect value. Once finished, click OK.

Now if you click the "oknIncoterm" cell, a dropdown list mark appears. Click it to choose your Incoterms option for your next commercial invoice!