EDI 856 - Ship Notice / Manifest (ASN)
The EDI 856 Advance Ship Notice is the most compliance-critical document in retail EDI. It must arrive before the freight does, describe exactly what's in every carton, and match the GS1-128 labels on the pallets - or chargebacks follow automatically.
✦ What It Does
The EDI 856 travels from supplier to retailer and serves as a packing list, shipment manifest, and receiving document all in one. It tells the buyer exactly what was shipped: which POs are included, how many cartons and pallets, what items and quantities are in each carton, the carrier name, PRO number or tracking number, and the expected delivery date. Without the 856, the retailer's DC receives a truck with no pre-knowledge of its contents - leading to slow receiving, inability to stage merchandise, and maximum compliance chargebacks.
The architectural core of the 856 is its hierarchical loop (HL) structure. HL segments nest to represent the physical packaging hierarchy: shipment → order → pack (carton) → item. The HL01 is the loop's sequence number, HL02 is the parent loop reference, and HL03 is the level code: S = shipment, O = order, P = pack, I = item. A correctly structured 856 for a typical retailer shipment might have 1 shipment-level HL loop, 2 order-level HL loops (one per PO), 12 pack-level HL loops (one per carton), and 36 item-level HL loops inside the cartons.
The 856 is also the linkage between the EDI data and the physical GS1-128 shipping labels on the cartons. The SSCC-18 (Serial Shipping Container Code) in the MAN segment of each pack-level HL loop must match the barcode on the physical carton label. Retailers scan these barcodes at receiving; if the SSCC doesn't exist in the 856 data they received, the carton cannot be receipted efficiently and the supplier gets a missing-856 or mismatched-label chargeback.
⚡ When It's Triggered
- A warehouse management system finalizes cartonization for an outbound shipment and generates the 856 along with the GS1-128 carton labels - both must be created from the same data in the same moment.
- A 3PL shipping on behalf of a supplier is required to transmit the 856 at time of shipment, typically triggered by a manifest close or carrier pickup scan in their WMS.
- A freight consolidator combining multiple supplier shipments generates an 856 that covers items from several POs, requiring a multi-order HL structure.
- A direct-import container is loaded at origin and the 856 is transmitted days before the container arrives at port, giving the retailer time to pre-assign DC locations.
- An eCommerce supplier fulfilling drop-ship orders sends an 856 with ship-to consumer address data and carrier tracking number at time of small-parcel carrier pickup.
- A grocery supplier ships a mixed-SKU pallet and the 856 must describe each layer of the pallet with exact item quantities for FIFO compliance in the retailer's DC.
Who Uses EDI 856
Retail Suppliers
The 856 is where most retail chargebacks originate. Common violations: 856 transmitted after delivery (late ASN), carton-level SSCC missing from MAN segment, item quantities in the 856 don't match physical carton contents, or the 856 references a PO number not open in the retailer's system. Retailers like Walmart, Target, and Amazon enforce strict 856 compliance with automated chargeback systems that fire within 24 hours of receiving exceptions.
Grocery & CPG
Grocery DCs depend on 856 data for slotting and receiving appointments. When a supplier's 856 accurately describes pallet configuration (HL structure at pallet level), the DC can pre-assign dock doors, allocate slot space, and stage merchandise by store before the truck arrives. Grocery 856s often require pallet-level HL loops (HL03=T) in addition to carton-level packs.
3PL Providers
3PLs operating as fulfillment nodes must generate 856s that comply with the end retailer's specifications, not generic 856 formats. A 3PL managing fulfillment for 20 retail trading partners must maintain 20 separate 856 maps with different SSCC formats, HL structures, and timing requirements. Getting the 856 right is often the hardest part of a retail 3PL implementation.
Manufacturing
Manufacturers shipping to distributor or retailer DCs use 856s to communicate lot numbers, expiration dates (via REF and DTM segments), and production batch codes within the item-level HL loop. This traceability data is increasingly required by food safety regulations and automotive recall management systems.
eCommerce Fulfillment
For drop-ship programs, the 856 structure shifts: the ship-to is a consumer address rather than a DC, and the carton-level data includes the carrier tracking number (PRO/BOL segments) as the primary identification. Marketplaces like Amazon use the 856 to auto-close the order and trigger consumer delivery notifications.
Key Segments & Data Elements
BSN: Beginning Segment for Ship Notice
Opens the 856. BSN01 = transaction set purpose code (00 = original, 05 = replace). BSN02 = shipment identification number (Bill of Lading or PRO number). BSN03 = ship date. BSN04 = ship time. BSN05 = hierarchical structure code - the most important field. Common values: 0001 (shipment/order/pack/item), 0002 (shipment/pack/item), 0007 (shipment/order/item). The retailer's spec sheet will specify exactly which code and HL structure they require.
HL: Hierarchical Level
The structural backbone of the 856. Each HL segment establishes a node in the packaging hierarchy. HL01 = sequence number (1, 2, 3...), HL02 = parent HL sequence number (blank for the shipment level), HL03 = hierarchical level code (S=shipment, O=order, P=pack/carton, T=tare/pallet, I=item), HL04 = child code (1 if children exist, 0 if leaf node). Every segment that follows an HL applies to that HL's level until the next HL appears.
MAN: Marks and Numbers
Appears within the pack-level HL loop to carry the SSCC-18 barcode that appears on the GS1-128 carton label. MAN01 = qualifier (GM = SSCC-18). MAN02 = the 18-digit SSCC value. This is the critical linkage between the EDI data and the physical label. The SSCC in MAN02 must identically match what's encoded in the barcode on the carton - one digit off means the DC scanner can't match the carton to the 856.
PRF: Purchase Order Reference
Appears within the order-level HL loop to reference the originating PO. PRF01 = PO number (must match the 850's BEG03). PRF04 = release number if it's a blanket PO release. PRF05 = PO date. When multiple POs are included in one shipment, there is one order-level HL loop (with its PRF) per PO number - this is the correct structure for mixed-PO shipments.
LIN / SN1: Item Identification
Within the item-level HL loop, LIN identifies the product using qualifier-value pairs (UP = UPC, BP = buyer's part number, VP = vendor's part number). SN1 follows LIN to provide quantities: SN101 = item sequence number, SN102 = number of units shipped, SN103 = unit of measure, SN104 = quantity left to ship. SN102 must exactly match the physical carton contents - overstatement and understatement both trigger receiving discrepancies.
TD1 / TD5 / TD3: Transportation Details
At the shipment HL level, TD1 carries commodity details and packaging information (TD101 = commodity code, TD103 = lading quantity, TD104 = packaging form). TD5 identifies the carrier (TD501 = routing sequence/UPS qualifier, TD502 = SCAC code, TD503 = routing/service level code). TD3 carries equipment details including container or trailer number. These segments feed the retailer's inbound transportation system for dock scheduling.
Related Transaction Sets
Purchase Order
The originating PO referenced in the 856's PRF segment at the order-level HL. The PO number is the primary cross-reference retailers use to match incoming shipments to open orders in their OMS. A 856 that references a PO not open in the retailer's system will be rejected and may not generate a receipt.
Purchase Order Acknowledgment
The 855 that confirmed the order quantities being shipped. Retailers expect the 856 quantities to align with the 855 acknowledged quantities. Shipping more than acknowledged can trigger over-receipt chargebacks; shipping less without prior 855 notification triggers short-shipment chargebacks.
Warehouse Shipping Order
When a 3PL is fulfilling on the supplier's behalf, the supplier generates a 940 to instruct the warehouse to pick and ship. The 3PL's WMS processes the 940, generates the shipment, and fires the 856 back - confirming to both the supplier and retailer that the order has shipped.
Transportation Carrier Shipment Status
The 214 comes from the carrier (not the supplier) and provides in-transit status updates. When combined with the 856's shipment identification number, the 214 gives the retailer a complete visibility picture: what's in the shipment (856) and where it is right now (214).
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