A detailed cargo description is a clear and concise description of an item. The description should be in plain language and detailed enough to allow the CBSA to identify the size, shape and characteristics of the cargo. Information not relevant to the cargo description (e.g. quantity, type of packaging, carrier disclaimers, etc.), should not be transmitted in the cargo description field. If the cargo is 'used', specify 'used' in front of the description, otherwise cargo is assumed to be new.
If the shipment is consolidated (where house bills and/or a Supplementary Cargo Report are expected to follow), the following descriptions may be accepted: Freight of All Kinds ( FAK ); shipper load and count ( SLC ); consolidated; general merchandise; and other similarly vague descriptions.
The following list is a guide to acceptable and unacceptable descriptions. This list is not exhaustive and is subject to change as acceptable descriptions are further refined.
| Not Acceptable | Acceptable |
|---|---|
| "Brand" or "Trade Mark" names by themselves i.e., "Bubbles Brand" | "Bubbles Brand" Laundry Detergent Laundry Detergent |
| Animals | Horse Poultry Bovine |
| Apparel/Clothing/Garments Wearing Apparel Ladies' Apparel Men's Apparel | Shoes, Footwear Women's Dresses Men's Shirts Boy's Jackets |
| Appliances | Refrigerator Stove Microwave Oven Coffee Machines |
| Accessories | Hair Elastics Sunglasses Socks |
| Auto Parts | Air Filters Automobile Brakes Automotive Windshield |
| Caps | Baseball Caps Blasting Caps Bottle Caps Hub Caps |
| Chemicals, hazardous Chemicals, non-hazardous | Actual Chemical Name (not brand name): Aluminum Potassium Sulfate Methyl Alcohol |
| Cleaning Products | Detergents Mops Window Cleaner |
| Consolidated (if the load is not consolidated and house bills are not expected to follow) | Consolidated (where house bills are expected to follow) |
| Consumer Goods | A clear and concise description of the item is required |
| Crafts/Craft Supplies Handicrafts | Pipe Cleaners Construction Paper Pompoms Decorative objects made by hand |
| Electronic Goods Electronics | Computers, Monitors, Televisions, Mobile Telephones, DVD players, Electronic Toys, Video Game Consoles, Electronic Dolls |
| Equipment Industrial Equipment | Oil Well Equipment Poultry Equipment Automotive Equipment |
| Film | Camera Film Polyethylene Film Polyester Film |
| Flooring | Wood Flooring Carpet Ceramic Tile Marble Flooring |
| Foodstuffs Food preparations Food Meat Fish Produce/Assorted Produce/Mixed produce/Mix Veg Pet food Cases of Food Snacks | Packaged Rice, Bulk Rice Fresh Beef, Frozen Chicken Live Trout, Frozen Salmon, Canned Tuna Fresh Oranges, Frozen Broccoli, Canned Peaches Canned Dog Food, Dry Cat Food, Juice, Olive Oil, Soda |
| Gifts/ Novelty Items | Dolls Remote Control Cars Picture Frames |
| Household Goods/ Personal Effects | Acceptable only when goods are Personal / Used Household Effects transported by a commercial carrier (Goods accounted under a Personal Effects Accounting Document) |
| Indecipherable descriptions ex. "RED SMOOTH MODULAR", "CDRE", "D6T PARTS", "RIPE | A clear and concise description of the item is required – see other acceptable descriptions for examples |
| Iron | Iron Pipes Iron Plates |
| Leather Articles | Saddles Leather Handbags Leather Jackets Shoes |
| Machines | Sewing Machines Printing Machines |
| Machine Parts | Oil Pumps Seals Engines |
| Medical Supplies Biologicals Laboratory Goods | Medical Gloves Syringes Dialysis Machine Blood, plasma, tissue, semen Glass vials for laboratory use |
| Medication/Pharmaceuticals | Insulin Allergy Medication |
| Metal | Ingots of metal (precious or otherwise) Round bars of steel or other metal Deformed bars/rebars (of metal) Plates (of metal) Billets (of metal) Slabs (of metal) Pipes (of metal) Beams (of metal) Tubes/Tubing (of metal) Angles, shapes and sections (of metal) Sheets (of metal) Expanded metal Flat bars (of metal) Strand wire (of metal) |
| Oil | Mineral Oil Motor Oil Olive Oil |
| Online Retailer Online Retailer Shipment | A clear and concise description of the item is required – see other acceptable descriptions for examples |
| Ore | Iron Ore Copper Ore |
| Packaging Boxes Cartons | Corrugated Cardboard Boxes Mailing Envelopes Plastic Bubble Wrap |
| Palletized Shipment | A clear and concise description of the item is required – see other acceptable descriptions for examples |
| Paper | Paper Rolls Wrapping Paper Paper Pulp Paper Towel Printing Paper |
| Pipes | Plastic Pipes PVC Pipes Steel Pipes |
| Plants/Flowers Cuttings | Tulips Cedar Saplings Tomato Plants |
| Plastic Goods Industrial Plastics | Plastic Kitchenware Plastic Toys Plastic Sheets Plastic Tubes |
| Polyurethane | Polyurethane Threads Polyurethane Medical Gloves |
| Powder | Flea Powder Baby Powder Corn Starch |
| Promotional Items | A clear and concise description of the item is required – see other acceptable descriptions for examples |
| Pump | Oil Pump Water Pump Bicycle Pump |
| Rubber Articles | Rubber Hoses Tires Rubber Toys Rubber Conveyor Belts |
| Rods | Welding Rods Rebar Aluminum Rods Reactor Rods |
| Sample | Shampoo Sample Conditioner Sample Makeup Sample |
| Scrap | Plastic Scrap Aluminum Scrap Iron Scrap |
| Serial Number only ("SN HAFR997MJ02041010") | A clear and concise description of the item is required – see other acceptable descriptions for examples |
| Shingles | Asphalt Shingles Steel Shingles Wood Shingles |
| Spare Parts | Cellphone Replacement Screen New Automobile Breaks |
| Sporting Goods | Hockey Sticks Soccer Balls Goal Nets |
| STC (Said to Contain) General Cargo FAK (Freight of All Kinds) "No Description" 'Misc/Miscellaneous' Various General Unknown UNK XX NOI (Not Otherwise Indicated) NES (Note Elsewhere Specified) 123456789 | If the shipment is consolidated, (where house bills are expected to follow), the following descriptions may be accepted: Freight of All Kinds ( FAK ), Shipper load and count ( SLC ) and Consolidated |
| Steel | Steel Plates Steel Coils |
| Supplements | Vitamins Protein Powder |
| Supplies | A clear and concise description of the item is required – see other acceptable descriptions for examples |
| Taxable Groceries | Ice Cream Potato Chips |
| Textiles | Carpets/Rugs Silk Finished Fabric Rolls |
| Tiles | Ceramic Tiles Marble Tiles |
| Toiletries/Bathroom Products | Towels Toothbrushes Shampoo |
| Tools | Hand Tools Power Tools Industrial Tools |
| Toys/Games | Wooden Children's Toys Plastic Children's Toys Board Games Console Games |
| Vehicles | Cars, Trucks, Buses Tractors, Combines Bicycles Boats |
| Wires | Steel Wire Copper Wire Auto Harness Coiled Wire (Industrial) |
| Wood | Hemlock logs with bark Empty Wood Pallets Cut Lumber |