In plain English
It refers to how many distinct units there are, counted one by one rather than by weight, volume, or another measure. Each unit is treated as its own item or package within goods being shipped, ordered, or held in stock.
In context
There it indicates that the field gives the number of separate items or packages in the cargo.
- Situation
- Coordinating freight quotes, booking, consolidation, handoff, and transport documents
- What it communicates
- labels the unit-count field in the cargo details.
Meaning limits
By itself, the term states only the count of separate units and does not indicate their size, weight, or condition.
Examples
“The warehouse received 500 PCS of bolts, not 500 kg.”
“After counting the loose boxes in the cargo, the agent entered 37 PCS on the manifest.”