Certificate of Weight is a written document issued by a commodity inspection agency, a public surveyor, or an independent inspector, certifying the weight of goods (such as gross weight, net weight, and tare weight). It is commonly used in the trade settlement, letter of credit negotiation, customs declaration, and claims for bulk cargo and commodities (such as grain, ore, petroleum, and fertilizer). Use scenarios include: when the contract stipulates that the landed weight or shipped weight shall prevail, this certificate serves as the basis for pricing; when the letter of credit requires the submission of a Certificate of Weight, the bank negotiates against it. Precautions: The certificate must be issued by the inspection agency designated in the letter of credit, the inspection date must not be later than the shipment date, the weight unit must be consistent with the contract, and the contents of the certificate must not conflict with other documents. Difference from Certificate of Quality: the former certifies weight, while the latter certifies quality; difference from Weight Note: a Weight Note is usually issued by the seller itself, whereas a Certificate of Weight is issued by an authoritative third-party agency and has stronger evidentiary force. In addition, if the contract stipulates that "the weight at the port of discharge shall prevail," then reinspection at the destination port and issuance of a certificate are required, which may involve claims for weight discrepancies.
📝 Examples
1. According to the requirements of the letter of credit, the seller must obtain a weight inspection certificate issued by SGS before shipment and present it along with other documents to the bank for negotiation. (Note: Used for letter of credit settlement, issued by a designated institution.)
2. The contract stipulates that the weight inspection certificate at the port of discharge shall prevail. If the weight at the port of arrival differs from the certificate at the port of shipment by more than 0.5%, the buyer has the right to file a claim. (Note: Used for bulk cargo trade, as the basis for weight discrepancy claims.)
💡 Foreign Trade Tips
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