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An EDI 856 is an X12 Ship Notice/Manifest, commonly called an Advance Ship Notice (ASN). It tells a trading partner what is being shipped and how the goods are organized. On the wire, it is a hierarchy of shipment data wrapped in control envelopes—not simply a flat list of products. The exact hierarchy, segments, and required values depend on the X12 version and the receiving partner’s implementation guide.

What an EDI 856 tells the receiver

The 856 communicates shipment contents and related details. X12 says it can describe orders, products, physical characteristics, packaging, markings, carriers, and how goods are configured in transportation equipment. Its flexibility lets a sender provide details at different levels of a shipment; the receiver’s guide determines which of those details are expected. See X12’s 856 overview.

Operationally, the notice can help a receiver prepare for and reconcile an inbound delivery. X12’s supply-chain flow describes capturing item identifiers, quantities, lot or batch and serial numbers, dates, and container data as a shipment is assembled. Package markings can help match cases or pallets to the electronic notice. That benefit depends on accurate data capture and routing; the wire format alone cannot ensure the physical shipment and notice agree.

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Start outside: the control envelopes

An 856 transaction sits inside nested X12 control structures. In the example below, the outer envelope identifies the interchange, the next envelope groups transactions, and the innermost envelope delimits the 856 transaction set.

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  • Interchange: ISA starts it and IEA ends it.
  • Functional group: GS starts it and GE ends it.
  • Transaction set: ST starts the transaction and SE ends it. ST*856 identifies this transaction as an 856.

Control values connect the boundaries: in the displayed sample, the interchange control number is repeated in ISA and IEA, the group control number in GS and GE, and the transaction control number in ST and SE. The matching and count rules must be validated against the applicable guide.

A representative raw 856, read inward

This lightly reformatted excerpt comes from Adient’s published ANSI X12 856 V3020 example. Its identifiers and values are sample data: do not use them as real trading-partner IDs or treat this segment sequence as universally required. Adient’s guide defines the conventions for its example.

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ISA*00*          *00*          *01*03350*01*000290*090226*0914*U*00200*000000160*0*P*
GS*SH*03350*000290*090226*0914*160*X*003020
ST*856*30288802
BSN*00*30288802*090226*0914
DTM*011*090226*1630
HL*1**S
TD1*PCS90*0
TD5*B*02*UNPC*LT
REF*BM*30288802
N1*SF**01*03350
N1*ST**92*000290
HL*2*1*I
LIN**BP*616108-167A
SN1**600*EA*600
PRF*55025112
CTT*5*840
SE*31*30288802
GE*1*160
IEA*1*000000160

Each line is a segment; the asterisk separates its elements. The sequence below explains what the displayed segments are doing in this particular map, not a universal requirement list.

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  • BSN and DTM: The beginning segment carries shipment-notice data in this example; DTM supplies a date/time qualifier and value.
  • HL: Each hierarchical-level segment identifies a node, its parent when present, and its level code. HL*1**S starts a shipment node; HL*2*1*I makes an item node its child. This excerpt goes from shipment directly to item.
  • N1: Identifies parties according to this supplier map.
  • LIN and SN1: Identify an item and report shipped quantity and unit information in this sample.
  • TD1, TD5, REF, PRF, and CTT: Carry packaging or shipping, reference, order, and transaction-count information as configured here.
  • SE, GE, and IEA: Close their respective transaction, group, and interchange envelopes.

How the hierarchy connects packages to items

HL is what makes the shipment more than a flat item list: its parent-child links express how levels relate. Published guides illustrate different valid shapes. Fisher Scientific’s 004010 supplier examples show shipment (S) → order (O) → pack (P) → item (I), with a MAN identifier at pack level and LIN and SN1 for the item and quantity. A second Fisher example shows a pallet-level variation. The Adient V3020 excerpt above instead demonstrates shipment-to-item. These are partner-specific patterns, not interchangeable templates. See the Fisher Scientific supplier guide.

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When a package or pallet identifier is placed in the hierarchy, it can associate a physical container with the items nested beneath it. The receiver can then use that relationship, along with matching container markings, to direct receiving work. Whether identifiers appear at pack, pallet, or another level—and which identifier qualifiers are valid—depends on the partner map.

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Why two valid 856s may look different

There is no single supplier sample that should be treated as “the standard 856.” X12’s format supports ordered flexibility, while implementation guides specify the actual structure and usage for an industry or trading relationship. For example, X12 lists an aerospace-industry 004010 X359 856 TR3 with a publication date of October 1, 2021; the listing says the resources require a license. That dated aerospace listing is not evidence of the newest guide for every industry. See the X12 aerospace guide listing.

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When comparing maps or building a translator, check these dimensions in the receiving partner’s current guide:

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  • X12 version or release and the partner guide’s revision.
  • Required shipment, order, pack, and item levels, including every HL parent-child relationship.
  • Required item, order, container, carrier, and tracking identifiers, plus the qualifiers that introduce them.
  • Where package markings belong in the hierarchy and whether pallet or other container levels are used.
  • Required segment order, conditional loops, code values, envelope fields, and control-number and count rules.

For an implementation, validate the actual transaction against that guide rather than inferring requirements from a published example. Also ensure shipment-container details are captured correctly and routed to the outbound EDI process; X12 identifies those operational controls as part of producing an accurate notice in its supply-chain process flow.

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