Which English logistics words do you need at work?
English logistics vocabulary sorts into three groups: the warehouse ("warehouse", "stock", "dispatch"), transport ("shipment", "freight", "freight forwarder") and delivery ("delivery note", "tracking number", "lead time"). Watch two traps: a German Spedition is a "freight forwarder", not an "expedition", and goods you have are "in stock", not "on stock".
- Three groups: warehouse, transport, delivery.
- False friends: "Spedition" = freight forwarder, not expedition.
- Goods are "in stock" or "out of stock", and "goods" is plural.
B1 · Sector Vocabulary · 10 minLogistics English for work, taught brick by brick.
A structured lesson for B1 learners who deal with orders, warehouses, shipping or deliveries at work. Hear the core logistics words in context, meet the organising idea from a human tutor, then practise the vocabulary in interactive drills and a final quiz. The typical traps for German speakers, such as "Spedition", "auf Lager" and "liefern", are included. It takes about ten minutes and nothing requires a signup.
- CEFR levelB1 · Intermediate
- Time to completeAbout 10 minutes
- SkillsVocabulary, Listening, Writing, Speaking
- Bricks10 blocks
01 / 06
What logistics English at work covers
You don't need to work in a warehouse or for a haulage company to need logistics English. It is enough that an English-speaking customer asks where their order is, that a foreign supplier gives you a new delivery date, or that you have to explain to a colleague in another country why a part is not available right now. The core vocabulary is manageable and sorts into three groups that follow the path of the goods. The first group is the warehouse: "warehouse", "stock", "picking", "packing" and "dispatch". The second group is transport: "shipment", "freight", "pallet", "carrier" and "freight forwarder". The third group is delivery to the customer: "delivery", "delivery note", "tracking number", "lead time" and "ETA". If you file each new word under one of these three stations, you build a chain in your head instead of a loose list. This lesson follows exactly that order and shows you, for each group, where German speakers tend to stumble — above all with "Spedition", "auf Lager" and the verb "liefern".
02 / 06
In the warehouse: warehouse, stock and dispatch
Two meanings of the German word "Lager" matter here, and you need different English words for them. The building is "the warehouse": "Our warehouse is near Hanover." The goods inside it are "stock": "We keep a lot of stock in the warehouse." In American English and in many international companies you will also hear "inventory" for the goods you hold. When something is available, it is "in stock"; when it has sold out or is not available, it is "out of stock": "Sorry, that model is out of stock until next week." Checking how much you have is "checking stock levels". Then come the steps inside the warehouse: in "picking", the items for an order are taken from the shelves; in "packing", they are packed; and with "dispatch", they leave the building. So "to dispatch" means to send off: "We dispatch all orders within 24 hours." Many companies simply call their shipping department "dispatch" or "shipping". Goods that arrive at the warehouse go through "goods in", also called "goods receiving".
03 / 06
On the road: shipment, freight and freight forwarder
Goods sent together form "a shipment", in British English also "a consignment". A small box sent by post is "a parcel" in British English and "a package" in American English. "Freight" is goods carried by lorry, rail, ship or plane; "air freight" goes by plane and "sea freight" by ship. Larger quantities travel on "pallets" or in "containers". The company that actually moves the goods is "the carrier". The company that organises the transport for you, books carriers and handles the paperwork is "a freight forwarder", or simply "a forwarder". That is usually what Germans mean by "Spedition". Many forwarders also run their own lorries; for a company that mainly moves goods by road, you can say "haulier" in British English or "trucking company" in American English. When a shipment leaves or enters the EU, customs come into play: "customs", "customs clearance" for the formalities, and "customs declaration" for the form you submit.
04 / 06
At the customer: delivery, delivery note and lead time
At the end of the chain comes "the delivery". The document that travels with the goods is a "delivery note" in British English and often a "packing slip" in American English. Whoever accepts the goods signs for them: "to sign for a delivery". The signature serves as "proof of delivery". With "the tracking number", the customer can follow the shipment online: "You can track the shipment with this number." The time from placing an order to receiving it is "the lead time", or more simply "the delivery time": "The lead time for this part is three weeks." For the expected arrival, people use the abbreviation "ETA", "estimated time of arrival": "The ETA is Friday morning." When something goes wrong, you need "a delay", "to be delayed" or "to arrive late", and for broken items "damaged goods". An item sent by mistake is "the wrong item", and goods that go back are "a return".
05 / 06
Typical mistakes: Spedition, auf Lager and liefern
The best-known trap is "Spedition". English "expedition" means a journey of exploration, for example to the Antarctic, and does not name a transport company. So say "freight forwarder" or "haulier". The second trap hides in "auf Lager": goods you have are "in stock", and "on stock" is not usual in English. The third trap is the verb "liefern", which covers two ideas in German. When goods are brought to someone, English says "deliver": "The parts were delivered on Monday." When one company is the regular source of products for another, English usually says "supply": "We supply car parts to three manufacturers." So the German question "Wer beliefert euch?" is "Who supplies you?", not "Who delivers you?". Finally, "goods": in the sense of products, the word is used as a plural noun. So you say "The goods have arrived", not "The goods has arrived", and for a single piece you say "an item" or "a product".
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Logistics English at work
At work you mostly need these words in short, clear sentences. When a customer asks: "Your order was dispatched this morning. Here is the tracking number." When something is not available: "That item is currently out of stock. The lead time is about three weeks." When a delivery is late: "I'm afraid the shipment has been delayed at customs. The new ETA is Thursday." When you talk to your forwarder: "Could you collect four pallets from our warehouse on Monday?" When goods are missing: "We received the delivery, but two items on the delivery note are missing." With delays especially, a friendly, factual tone matters: apologise briefly, give the new date and include the tracking number. Watch the tenses too: for a result that matters now, the present perfect often fits ("The goods have arrived"), while a specific time usually calls for the past simple ("We dispatched the order on Tuesday"). Practise these sentences aloud once, and they will be there when it counts.