What Is an ASN? The EDI 856 Advance Ship Notice Explained
The advance ship notice: what is in each carton and pallet, sent before the shipment arrives so the buyer can receive it by scanning labels.
- Document
- X12 856: Ship Notice/Manifest (ASN)
- Sent by
- Supplier (or its 3PL)
- Sent to
- Buyer
- In NetSuite
- Item fulfillment, with package and carton details
(01)What it is
An ASN (advance ship notice) is the EDI 856. The supplier sends it when an order ships, before it arrives, describing exactly what is coming: which orders, which items, how many, and in which cartons and pallets. The buyer’s distribution center uses it to receive the shipment by scanning carton labels instead of opening boxes.
Because receiving depends on it, the 856 is the document retailers enforce most strictly. A missing, late or inaccurate ASN slows down the dock, and most large retailers charge suppliers for that as a compliance chargeback. The carton labels, usually GS1-128 with a serial shipping container code (SSCC), must match the ASN exactly.
ASNs are usually built as a hierarchy: shipment, then order, then pallet or carton, then item. Partners differ on which levels they want, so the same shipment can need differently shaped ASNs for different customers.
(02)What it carries
- 01Shipment details: ship date, carrier, tracking or bill of lading number, weight
- 02The buyer’s PO numbers included in the shipment
- 03Pallets and cartons, each with its label serial number (SSCC)
- 04The items and quantities packed in each carton
- 05Ship-from and ship-to locations
In plain language. Each trading partner’s implementation guide sets the exact fields it requires.
(03)Where it fits
Documents usually exchanged before and after the 856.
(04)In NetSuite
The 856 is built from the NetSuite item fulfillment. The hard part is carton data: NetSuite’s standard fulfillment knows items and packages but not necessarily which items are in which carton, so pack data usually comes from a packing app, the warehouse system or a 3PL’s 945, and must be stored before the ASN is sent. The same data should print the carton labels.
(05)Common mistakes
- 01Building the ASN from what was ordered rather than what was packed, so cartons don’t match the notice.
- 02Printing labels from one system and sending the ASN from another, with serial numbers that don’t match.
- 03Sending the ASN after the truck has arrived; most retailers set a deadline relative to shipment or arrival.
(06)Questions
What is an ASN in shipping?
An ASN, or advance ship notice, is an electronic notice of what a shipment contains, sent before it arrives. In EDI it is the X12 856 document. (In networking, ASN also means an autonomous system number, which is unrelated.)
Why do retailers charge back for ASNs?
Their receiving process depends on the ASN matching the cartons. If it is late, missing or wrong, the dock has to check boxes by hand, and retailers pass that cost back to the supplier as a chargeback.
What is the difference between an 856 and a 945?
The 856 goes from the supplier to the buyer describing the shipment. The 945 goes from a 3PL warehouse back to the supplier confirming what it shipped. A supplier using a 3PL often builds the 856 from the 945.