Clean B/L

Clean B/L (Clean Bill of Lading) refers to a bill of lading on which the carrier has made no adverse remarks regarding the packaging or apparent condition of the goods, indicating that the goods were in good external condition when loaded on board. Usage scenarios: In letter of credit settlements, banks typically require the submission of a clean B/L, otherwise payment may be refused; importers also use it to confirm that the goods were free from defects at the time of shipment. Precautions: A clean B/L only concerns the external condition of the goods and does not prove internal quality; if there is packaging damage, rust, etc., the carrier will add remarks, making it an "Unclean B/L" (Unclean Bill of Lading), in which case the exporter needs to exchange the bill of lading or provide a letter of guarantee. The difference from an "Unclean B/L" lies in whether there are adverse remarks; the difference from a "Shipped B/L" lies in that the latter emphasizes that the goods have been loaded on board, while the former emphasizes that the goods are in good external condition. In practice, exporters should ensure that the packaging of the goods is qualified to avoid unclean remarks, so as to facilitate smooth settlement of foreign exchange.