EDI 856: the Ship Notice / ASN

What the 856 is

The EDI 856 — the X12 Ship Notice / ASN — is the carton-level shipment mirror that must arrive before the freight does. It travels outbound for most trading programs.

When it's sent

The 856 sits in the fulfillment stage: after the 855 acknowledgment and before the 810 invoice in the 850 → 855 → 856 → 810 chain.

Key segments

Sample 856

A representative 856 interchange — fixed-width ISA envelope, functional group, and control totals:

1ISA*00*          *00*          *ZZ*ACMESUPPLY     *ZZ*RETAILPARTNER  *260101*1200*U*00401*000000001*0*P*>~
2GS*SH*ACMESUPPLY*RETAILPARTNER*20260101*1200*1*X*004010~
3ST*856*0001~
4BSN*00*SHIP0001*20260101*1200*0001~
5HL*1**S~
6TD1*CTN25*3****G*180*LB~
7TD5*B*2*UPSN*M~
8REF*BM*BOL000123~
9DTM*011*20260105~
10N1*ST*RETAIL PARTNER DC 5093*92*5093~
11HL*2*1*O~
12PRF*PO12345~
13HL*3*2*P~
14MAN*GM*00000123450000000017~
15HL*4*3*I~
16LIN**UP*012345678905~
17SN1**24*EA~
18CTT*4~
19SE*17*0001~
20GE*1*1~
21IEA*1*000000001~

Partners that require it

Trading partners in the EDISQ catalog that trade the 856:

FAQ