A delivery note is the document your customer signs when goods leave you; a goods received note (GRN) is the one your storekeeper signs when a supplier's goods arrive. Enter each item with the quantity ordered and the quantity actually delivered or received, and the generator writes the variance on every line and highlights shortages and overages before anyone signs, valued in Saudi riyals if you add prices. Download the note as a PDF for printing, in Word for editing, in Excel with live formulas, or as an image sized for a sales rep's phone.
How the generator works out the variance on a GRN
Each item has two columns: ordered (from the purchase order, invoice or customer order) and actual (what was counted at the door). The generator subtracts one from the other to three decimal places, so it works for cartons and pieces as well as weights such as 12.5 kg. Switch on advanced mode and enter a unit price, and it multiplies the variance by the price to give you the value of the shortage or overage in riyals.
Variance = Received − Ordered · Value = |Variance| × Unit price
Delivery note format: what goes on it and who signs
A delivery note is issued by the seller or distributor and travels with the goods to the customer. It carries your company name, the customer, the note number and date, the invoice or sales order it relates to, and a table of items with unit and quantity. The customer, or someone acting for them, signs for receipt, the sales rep or driver signs for delivery, and each side keeps a signed copy.
The signed note is your evidence if the customer says a week later that two cartons never arrived. Ask the receiver to count before signing, and write the quantity actually delivered rather than the invoice quantity. Advanced mode adds the vehicle plate or rep code, the number of packages and an on-screen signature for the receiver.
GRN meaning and matching it to the purchase order
GRN stands for Goods Received Note. The buyer issues it, usually the storekeeper or receiving clerk, when a supplier's delivery arrives. It records the purchase order number, the supplier, ordered against received quantity for every item, and the condition of the goods: sound, damaged, expired or off-specification.
Its value lies in the three-way match: the purchase order says what you ordered, the GRN says what arrived, and the supplier invoice says what you are asked to pay. Do not approve the invoice for payment until its quantities agree with the GRN. If something is short, the GRN signed by the supplier's driver is what you claim with.
Materials receipts and packing slips
A materials receipt note is the version of the GRN used by factories, central kitchens and contractors when the goods are raw materials or operating supplies rather than stock for sale. Choose "Materials receipt" under the GRN tab and the document title and the receiving statement above the signatures change to match.
A packing slip is prepared in the warehouse before dispatch and lists what was ordered against what was actually packed. It catches a short pick before the shipment leaves, so you fix it in the warehouse instead of the customer finding it. Choose "Packing slip" under the delivery note tab.
Goods received note in Excel and delivery note in Word
The "Download Excel" button gives you the note as a sheet with formulas: the variance column subtracts ordered from actual, the status column writes "Short", "Over" or "Matches", the totals and the number of lines that differ sit underneath, and ten blank rows carry the same formulas so you can add items yourself. If you entered prices in advanced mode, a variance value column is added with ROUND.
Download it in Word if you want to add your logo or special terms before printing. The file holds only what you entered on the page, with no empty boxes for fields you did not use.
Delivery note vs bill of lading
A delivery note proves what was delivered, item by item, and the receiver signs it. A bill of lading proves that a carrier took the packages to deliver them: number of packages, weight, consignee and address, issued by the carrier or the shipper. If you deliver in your own vehicle, the signed note is all you need. If you hand the goods to a transport company, the bill of lading travels with the packages and the customer still signs your note on arrival. For a parcel label with the national address and an internal waybill, use the shipping label generator.
Common mistakes with delivery and receiving notes
- Copying the invoice quantity into the received column without counting, so the shortage disappears.
- The receiver signing a note with blank quantities that are filled in later.
- No purchase order or invoice number, so nobody can later tell which order the note belongs to.
- Writing "damaged" without the number of damaged items or a photo, so the supplier refuses to compensate.
- Sending an overage back without the driver signing for the quantity returned.
What to do with the result
If the GRN shows a shortage, write the quantity on the note and sign it together with the supplier's driver, then ask for a credit note for its value or adjust the invoice before approving it for payment. If there is an overage, decide at the door: send it back with the driver, or keep it and ask for an invoice. When you are the one delivering, file the customer's signed copy with the invoice; it settles any later dispute with the customer. To issue the purchase order the goods are received against, use the purchase order generator. For a credit note covering the shortage, use the credit and debit note generator.
When vans leave every morning with dozens of orders
One note takes a minute. When several vans leave every day with dozens of orders, every shortage not recorded at the door turns into a collection dispute, and every receipt not matched to its purchase order turns into a stock-count difference. That is why at Microtec we offer wholesale and distribution companies in the Kingdom O-Orange, a system for field sales and distribution. Try it on one day's deliveries.