Advance Ship Notice (ASN)

The EDI 856 Advance Ship Notice notifies the buyer that a shipment is on its way. It includes the carrier, tracking number, contents, and packaging hierarchy. Major retailers require it within 30 minutes of shipment.

Industries

Retail Grocery Distribution Manufacturing

Direction

Supplier → Buyer / 3PL

Common Use Cases

CPG supplier notifies retailer of inbound pallet shipment
Manufacturer notifies 3PL of inbound freight
Supplier provides SSCC-18 barcode labels for each pallet/carton

Key Segments

BSN Beginning Segment — ship notice number, date, time, hierarchical structure code

HL Hierarchical Level — defines Shipment > Order > Pack > Item hierarchy

TD1 Carrier Details — packaging code, weight, volume

TD5 Carrier Details — SCAC code, transport mode, tracking number

MAN Marks and Numbers — SSCC-18 barcode for GS1-128 labels

Transaction Flow

Sent after goods leave the warehouse. Triggers receiving appointments, dock scheduling, and cross-dock operations at the buyer's DC. Late or missing ASNs result in chargebacks.

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Common Validation Errors

856 is the most complex transaction set. Common failures: wrong HL structure (must match BSN08 code), missing TD5 SCAC, and SSCC-18 check digit errors in MAN02.

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Other Transaction Sets

850 855 810 820 997 832 846 204 210 860 940 945 943 214