Free Delivery Note Template (PDF, Word & Excel)
A delivery note records the goods a seller delivers to a customer: what arrived, how many items were received, and when. It is not an invoice, because it does not ask for payment or show an amount due. This free delivery note template is available in PDF, Word and Excel. Fill it in, send it with the goods, and keep the signed copy as your delivery record. No sign-up, no email, no watermark.
Download the delivery note template
Delivery note
Delivered items, quantities, delivery date, and recipient sign-off. No amount columns.
Signed-for delivery note
A delivery note with a signed receipt block for the receiving party.
Delivery note with returns
A delivery note with fields for goods returned or refused at delivery.
What goes on a delivery note
Include sender and recipient details, delivery address and date, delivery note number, item descriptions, quantities, and a signature or receipt field. Do not include prices, tax, or an amount due.
A filled-in delivery note, line by line
A delivery note travels with the goods and carries no prices — quantities and condition are its whole job. Here is one from a garden-supply drop where not everything arrived:
| Field | Entry |
|---|---|
| Delivery note no. | DN-0462 |
| Date of delivery | August 5, 2026 |
| From | Greenward Wholesale |
| Deliver to | Bramble & Stone Garden Centre, 18 Fenn Rd |
| Reference | Order ORD-1187 |
| Received by | A. Okafor (signature) — 10:20 am |
The two quantity columns are the point of the document. "Ordered 25 / delivered 18" states the shortfall in the goods' own paperwork, at the moment it was discovered — the 7 missing bags are already documented before anyone has to make a phone call. And the condition column catches what the quantities can't: ten trowels arrived, but one arrived broken, and the note says so next to the signature that accepted the rest.
| Item | Qty ordered | Qty delivered | Condition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ceramic planter, 20 cm | 40 | 40 | Good |
| Potting mix, 25 L bag | 25 | 18 | Good — 7 to follow |
| Hand trowel, ash handle | 10 | 10 | 1 handle cracked, noted |
Short shipment: sign for what actually arrived
Sign for the count you made, not the count on the paper. If the note says 25 bags and you count 18, correct the delivered column to 18 before signing — your signature sits under the numbers as written, and a clean signature under "25" is the supplier's evidence that 25 arrived. The delivered-quantity column plus an annotated signature ("18 received, 7 short — A. Okafor") turns a short shipment from a dispute into a to-do: the supplier owes 7 bags against DN-0462, and both copies of the note say so. If the driver can't wait for a full count, write "quantity not checked at delivery" next to the signature rather than signing clean.
If you're the one receiving the goods
Count before you sign, not after the van leaves — the delivery note is the last moment the shortfall is the supplier's problem by default. Check quantities against the note's ordered column, open anything that rattles, and write damage on the note itself while the driver is standing there: a note made on the spot, on the document, in front of the other side's representative, is worth more than any email sent an hour later.
Frequently asked questions
Does a delivery note include prices?
No. A delivery note is a delivery record, not a bill.
Who keeps the delivery note?
The sender and recipient should each retain a copy of the signed delivery record.
Is a delivery note an invoice?
No. An invoice asks for payment; a delivery note records received goods.
What's the difference between a delivery note and a packing slip?
In everyday use, almost nothing — both list what's in the shipment without prices. Where a distinction is drawn, the packing slip sits inside the box describing its contents, while the delivery note travels with the whole delivery and collects the receiver's signature. If your customers expect one name or the other, use that; the fields are nearly identical.
How do I document a partial delivery?
On the note itself, in the quantity columns: ordered quantity in one, actually delivered in the other, with a short remark for the balance ("7 to follow"). The follow-up delivery then gets its own note referencing the same order number, so the two notes together add up to the full order — 18 + 7 against the 25 ordered.
Does signing the delivery note mean I accepted the goods' condition?
It records what was checked at the door, and no more — but a clean signature is easy to read as "all fine," so make the note say what actually happened. Sign against corrected quantities, write visible damage in the condition column, and add "contents not inspected" if boxes stayed sealed. What a signature commits you to beyond that depends on your terms with the supplier.