Transaction set guide

EDI 856 Advance Ship Notice (ASN)

The 856 is the most chargeback-prone document in EDI. Suppliers send it to retailers to say "the truck is on the way, here's what's inside, in what cartons, on what pallets." Late, malformed, or content-wrong ASNs are the #1 cause of retailer compliance fees.

What makes 856 different from 850

The 850 is flat — header + line items. The 856 is hierarchical. It uses HL (Hierarchical Level) segments to express shipment → order → tare (pallet) → pack (carton) → item relationships. Most 856 rejections are HL hierarchy mistakes.

The standard hierarchy

HL*1**S          (Shipment)
  HL*2*1*O       (Order — references HL 1)
    HL*3*2*T     (Tare / pallet — references HL 2)
      HL*4*3*P   (Pack / carton — references HL 3)
        HL*5*4*I (Item — references HL 4)

• Each HL has its own number (HL01) and a parent reference (HL02). Levels can be omitted depending on the partner's pack structure.
• Common partner-supported structures: SOPI (Shipment-Order-Pack-Item), SOTPI (with Tare), STPI, SI (very small).

Required segments

Segment	Purpose	Required?
BSN	Beginning segment for ship notice — shipment ID, date, hierarchical structure code	Yes
DTM	Ship date, estimated delivery date	Often
HL	Hierarchical level — defines shipment / order / pack / item	Yes (multiple)
TD1	Carrier details (weight, packaging type)	Often
TD5	Carrier details (SCAC code, mode)	Often
REF	Bill of lading, BOL number, pro number	Often (REF*BM)
N1	Ship-from / ship-to / carrier names and addresses	Often
PRF	Purchase order reference inside the order HL	Yes (at order HL)
MAN	Marks and numbers — UCC-128 / SSCC-18 carton label	Yes (at pack HL)
LIN	Item identification at the item HL	Yes (at item HL)
SN1	Item detail (quantity, unit of measure)	Yes (at item HL)
CTT	Total HL count	Yes

BSN — the ship-notice header

BSN*00*SHIPMENT001*20250506*1200*0001~

• BSN01 — purpose code. 00 = original, 05 = replace.
• BSN02 — shipment identification. Often the BOL or a supplier-assigned shipment ID.
• BSN03 / BSN04 — ship date and time.
• BSN05 — hierarchical structure code: 0001 = SOPI, 0002 = SOI, 0004 = SI.

UCC-128 / SSCC-18 labels (MAN segment)

At the pack HL, you put a MAN segment with the carton's 18- or 20-digit serial shipping container code. This must match the barcode physically printed on the carton.

MAN*GM*00012345678901234560~

• MAN01 — qualifier. GM = SSCC-18.
• MAN02 — the SSCC value. Format: extension digit + GS1 company prefix + serial reference + check digit.

The five most common 856 rejections / chargebacks

1. ASN sent late. Retailers commonly require the ASN before the truck arrives at the DC. Late = chargeback (often $200–$500 per shipment).
2. Carton barcode doesn't match MAN segment. Operations gets the carton, scans the label, doesn't find the SSCC in the ASN. Chargeback.
3. HL hierarchy broken. A pack HL referencing a non-existent order HL. Most parsers reject the entire 856.
4. Quantity mismatch between SN1 and physical receipt. ASN says 12 each, dock counts 10. Chargeback.
5. Wrong hierarchical structure code. BSN05 = 0001 (SOPI) but the file is actually SOI. Parser rejects.

Validating an 856 in EDI-X12

1. Paste the 856 into the validator.
2. Click Validate — get the structural report.
3. Click Explain with AI to get a tree-view of the HL hierarchy in plain English.

Note: EDI-X12's structural validator confirms the HL parents resolve and the SE count matches. It does not confirm that your hierarchy matches the partner's expected structure code — that requires the partner's implementation guide.

Related

• 850 Purchase Order — what triggers your 856
• 997 — what acknowledgement you'll get back
• Glossary — UCC-128, SSCC, HL, BSN