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XF, EXF, ETD, ETA, CRD: Production and Shipping Abbreviations Explained

Supplier emails and production trackers are written in shorthand. XF 15/11, CRD moved, PP approved, ETD slipped a week. If you are new to importing, or new to a particular factory, half the message can be letters. This guide explains the abbreviations you will meet most, grouped in the order they turn up on a typical order, so you can read an update and know what has actually happened.

XF and EXF date meaning

XF and EXF both mean ex-factory. The XF date or EXF date is the date your finished goods are produced, packed and ready to leave the factory. You will also see X-fty, ex-fty and ex-factory written out. They all mean the same milestone.

In shipping, the ex-factory date marks the handover from production to logistics. Everything before it is manufacturing, everything after it is freight. It is the date the supplier commits to on the purchase order or proforma, and it is the date most worth tracking, because a slip here is the earliest delay you can still do something about.

When someone writes XF 15/11, check the date format. Many Asian suppliers write day first, many US buyers write month first. 03/04 can be the 3rd of April or the 4th of March, so confirm it once and write dates in full on purchase orders.

Order and payment abbreviations

PO (purchase order): your order to the supplier, listing styles, quantities, prices, terms and the agreed ex-factory date.
PI (proforma invoice): the supplier's quote or advance invoice, usually issued before production so you can pay the deposit.
CI (commercial invoice): the final invoice for goods actually shipped, used by customs to assess duty.
PL (packing list): what is in each carton, with weights and dimensions.
TT (telegraphic transfer): a bank transfer. 30/70 TT means 30% deposit and 70% balance, usually due before shipment or against documents.
L/C (letter of credit): a bank guarantee that pays the supplier once agreed documents are presented.
MOQ (minimum order quantity): the smallest order a supplier or mill will accept.

Development and sample abbreviations

Lab dip: a small fabric swatch dyed to match your colour standard, sent for approval before bulk fabric is dyed.
Strike-off: a sample of a print on the actual fabric, approved before bulk printing.
Fit sample: a sample made to check fit and measurements. There may be several rounds.
SMS (salesman sample): samples made for selling, photography or showing to retailers before bulk.
PP sample (pre-production sample): a sample made in the bulk fabric and trims, approved before production starts. Late PP approval is the most common cause of a late XF date.
TOP sample (top of production): a sample pulled from the bulk run once production has started, to confirm bulk matches the approved PP sample.
Bulk: the main production run, as opposed to samples.

Production and quality abbreviations

Ex-mill: the date fabric or raw material leaves the mill for the factory. It comes weeks before ex-factory.
In-house: materials have arrived at the factory, as in fabric in-house or trims in-house.
Cut, sew, pack: the main production stages for apparel and soft goods. Factories often report progress against them.
QC (quality control): checking the goods. FRI (final random inspection) or PSI (pre-shipment inspection) is the check done once production is finished and at least 80% is packed.
AQL (acceptable quality limit): the sampling standard an inspection uses to decide pass or fail.

Shipping date abbreviations

CRD (cargo ready date): the date the cargo is ready for the forwarder to collect or receive. On most FOB orders it is the same day as, or a day or two after, the XF date.
CY cut-off: the last time a full container can be delivered to the container yard to make a particular sailing.
CFS cut-off: the same deadline for LCL cargo delivered to the consolidation warehouse.
Doc cut-off and VGM cut-off: the deadlines for shipping instructions and the verified gross mass of the container. Miss them and the cargo can be rolled.
ETD (estimated time of departure): when the vessel or flight is expected to leave the origin port.
ETA (estimated time of arrival): when it is expected at the destination port. ATD and ATA are the actual times once they happen.
Rolled: the cargo missed its booked vessel, through a late cut-off or an overbooked ship, and moves to the next one.

Freight and document abbreviations

FCL (full container load) and LCL (less than container load): whether you fill a container yourself or share one.
CBM (cubic metre): the volume measure used to price LCL freight and plan container loads.
B/L (bill of lading): the shipping document issued by the carrier. HBL is the house bill from your forwarder, MBL the master bill from the shipping line.
Telex release: the original bill of lading is surrendered electronically, so cargo can be released without paper documents.
FOB, EXW, CIF, DDP: Incoterms that decide who pays for each leg and where risk passes to you.

Delivery abbreviations

In-DC or in-warehouse date: the date stock has to arrive at your distribution centre or warehouse.
In-store or on-floor date: the date stock has to be on sale.
Ship window: in retail, the start-ship and cancel dates a supplier must ship between. Miss the cancel date and the retailer can cancel the order.

ImportHQ tracks the XF date, the milestones that feed it and the shipping dates after it on each purchase order, and flags an order when the XF date is at risk, before it has slipped.

Need a term that is not here? The free trade glossary covers more of the language importers meet. Open the free trade glossary

The bottom line

Most of the shorthand maps onto one timeline: order and pay, develop and approve samples, produce and inspect, then ship and deliver. XF sits in the middle of it, which is why it gets written so often. Once you know where each abbreviation sits on that timeline, a one-line supplier update tells you exactly how close your order is to being on time.

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