GS1-128 SSCC labels are pallet labels that carry a Serial Shipping Container Code in a GS1-128 barcode, and Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central does not produce them on its own; the number comes from your GS1 company prefix, the pallet identity comes from the warehouse, and the label and the matching Advance Ship Notice come from your shipping and EDI tools. Retail and distribution customers ask for them because one scan of the pallet label tells their receiving dock exactly what is on the pallet, as long as the ASN arrived first. This article explains the pieces in order: what GS1-128 and the SSCC are, why trading partners require them, and how a license plate in a Business Central warehouse becomes the SSCC on the label and in the EDI 856.
What is a GS1-128 barcode and what does it carry?
GS1-128 is a barcode symbology, a way of encoding data, not the data itself. It is an application of Code 128, an ISO/IEC standard, with GS1 rules layered on top so that a scanner can tell what each piece of encoded data means. GS1 US explains that “the GS1-128 barcode can carry up to 48 characters of information” and that it is used in shipping, receiving and warehouse scanning rather than at retail checkout (what is a GS1-128 barcode).
The meaning of each segment comes from Application Identifiers, two- to four-digit prefixes that announce what follows. The ones that show up on pallet and case labels are:
- (00) SSCC, the identity of the logistic unit itself.
- (01) GTIN, the trade item on the pallet.
- (02) and (37) GTIN of contained items and their count.
- (10) batch or lot number.
- (17) expiration date.
- (21) serial number.
The full searchable list is in the GS1 Application Identifier reference. The older names UCC-128 and EAN-128 refer to the same symbology; use them only when quoting a retailer’s own compliance document.
What is an SSCC and why is it not a barcode?
The SSCC is a number, not a symbol. GS1 US describes it directly: “An SSCC number is an 18-digit identifier assigned to a logistics unit” (Serial Shipping Container Codes). Those 18 digits are an extension digit, your GS1 Company Prefix, a serial reference you assign, and a check digit. GS1’s own definition of the logistic unit is any “combination of trade items packaged together for storage and/or transport purposes; for example a case, pallet or parcel” (SSCC on gs1.org).
Two consequences follow. First, an SSCC must be globally unique, which is why it can only be minted from a GS1 Company Prefix your company licenses from GS1. No software vendor can generate a valid SSCC for you without that prefix. Second, the SSCC is normally printed in a GS1-128 barcode under AI (00), which is why the two terms travel together and get confused. The label is GS1-128; the number inside it is the SSCC.
Why do retailers require SSCC pallet labels and an ASN?
Because the SSCC lets the receiving dock treat the pallet as one object. The receiver scans the AI (00) barcode, their system looks up that SSCC in the Advance Ship Notice you sent electronically before the truck arrived, and the pallet’s contents, quantities, lots and purchase order references appear without opening a case. Large retailers write this into their vendor compliance guides, and chargebacks for a missing or unreadable label are common.
The ASN is the X12 856 transaction set. X12 defines it as establishing “the data contents of the Ship Notice/Manifest Transaction Set (856) for use within the context of an Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) environment” (X12 856). In practice the 856 carries a hierarchy: shipment, then order, then pack (the pallet, identified by SSCC), then item. The SSCC on the physical label and the SSCC in the pack loop of the 856 must be the same 18 digits, or the scan finds nothing.
How does a license plate in Business Central become the SSCC?
A license plate is the internal version of the same idea. In a Business Central warehouse running Warehouse Insight, license plating for Business Central gives every pallet, carton or container a License Plate Number that already knows its items, lots, serials, quantities and location. A worker scans one barcode instead of many. License Plating requires Warehouse Insight; it is never a standalone recommendation. Dynamic Ship has its own license plate handling built in, so a packing station without Warehouse Insight still builds the pallet as a record.
The SSCC is the external version. The relationship works like this:
- Build the plate. During picking on the handheld, or in the Dynamic Ship Package Worksheet at the pack station, the worker builds a license plate that holds the cartons for one customer shipment. The plate records item, lot or serial, and quantity per line.
- Assign the SSCC. Dynamic Ship generates the 18-digit SSCC from your GS1 Company Prefix, an extension digit and a serial reference, and stores it on the license plate. The serial reference comes from a Business Central number series; the knowledge base recommends reusing the license plate number series so the SSCC and the plate stay traceable to each other. If your EDI provider generates the SSCC instead, the plate carries the number it returns.
- Print the label. A GS1-128 logistic label prints with AI (00) and the SSCC, plus whatever the trading partner’s guide requires: ship-to, purchase order, GTIN and count. Dynamic Ship supplies the package and tracking data and ships sample reports (Sample SSCC LP Label, Sample UCC128 Label, Sample Sales Bill of Lading) as developer examples, documented in the sample SSCC labels article; they assume the SSCC already exists on the plate and are starting points for your Microsoft partner’s report, not finished compliance labels. Because each retailer’s layout differs, a separate report per customer is normal, and Dynamic Ship Customer Options let you assign a label report and printing behavior per customer.
- Ship and post. The pallet ships against the Warehouse Shipment. Package-level detail, which lot went in which carton on which pallet, is what ASN and EDI shipping integration for Business Central in Dynamic Ship is built on.
- Send the 856. Your EDI provider maps the posted shipment and its pack hierarchy into the 856 and transmits it. Dynamic Ship is EDI-network agnostic: it captures the carton contents, lot and serial detail and per-package tracking, then pairs with the EDI network your trading partners already use, such as SPS Commerce or TrueCommerce. Transmission remains the EDI provider’s job.
The table below separates the two identifiers, since most EDI project confusion comes from treating them as one.
| License plate (LPN) | SSCC | |
|---|---|---|
| Who assigns it | Your warehouse, from a Business Central number series | Your company, from a GS1 Company Prefix you license |
| Scope of uniqueness | Inside your company | Global |
| Length and format | Any format your number series produces | Exactly 18 digits under AI (00) |
| Where it lives | Warehouse Insight License Plating tables | On the GS1-128 label and in the 856 pack loop |
| What it knows | Items, lots, serials, quantities, location, and the boxes inside it on a multi-level plate | Nothing by itself; the ASN resolves it to contents |
| Who reads it | Your own scanners | Your customer’s receiving dock |
| Required for | Moving and shipping a pallet with one scan | Retailer compliance and EDI ASN |
Which Insight Works apps are involved, and what does each one do?
Three apps touch this workflow; none replaces the GS1 prefix or the EDI provider.
License Plating creates the internal plate on the handheld during receiving, picking or production output, including multi-level plates for cartons on a pallet, and prints the plate label. It requires Warehouse Insight.
Dynamic Ship generates the SSCC from your GS1 Company Prefix and stores it on the license plate, keeps package-level detail, and supplies the data and sample reports behind GS1-128 and SSCC shipping labels for Business Central; your Microsoft partner builds the finished label. Dynamic Ship has its own license plate handling built in and does not require the License Plating app; the two exist side by side, and a warehouse can run either or both.
Barcode Generator PowerTool supplies barcode generation, including GS1-128, to any Business Central report through AL functions, which is one way a partner builds the compliance label report. This is a completely free app from Insight Works for Business Central. It is a developer tool; a report layout still has to be written. The sample UCC128 label report shows the alternative: the barcode fonts built into Business Central online, which on-premises deployments must install and license separately. On Business Central online, the finished label reaches the thermal printer through PrintNode Connector PowerTool, since handhelds and Business Central do not print directly to a local printer. This is a completely free app from Insight Works for Business Central.
A first-hand detail for whoever builds the label: set the barcode image to Original Size in the report layout, not Fit to Size, or the GS1-128 bars will be stretched and the retailer’s scanner will reject a label that looks fine on screen. Also confirm that FNC1 characters separate variable-length fields such as lot (10) when more than one AI is concatenated; that is a GS1 symbology requirement, not a Business Central one.
The older post on GS1-128 barcodes in Dynamics NAV and Business Central covers the inbound side, where reading a vendor’s GS1-128 label fills item and lot in one scan.
What should I have in place before promising a customer SSCC labels?
- A GS1 Company Prefix licensed to your company, and a number series in Business Central for the serial reference.
- Warehouse Insight with License Plating, or Dynamic Ship’s built-in package handling, so that a pallet is a record and not a pile.
- The customer’s vendor compliance guide, which dictates label layout, placement and which AIs must appear.
- An EDI provider or integration that can build the 856 pack hierarchy from posted shipment data.
- A label report built for GS1-128, tested with the customer’s test scanner or a GS1 verifier before the first live shipment.
- A thermal printer reachable from Business Central; on Business Central online that means a cloud print service, as described above.
Frequently asked questions
To send an ASN with SSCC, do we only need License Plating? No. License Plating creates the internal pallet identity and requires Warehouse Insight. You also need a GS1 Company Prefix to mint the SSCC, a label report, and an EDI provider or integration to build and transmit the 856.
Are GS1-128 shipping labels possible from Business Central? Yes. Dynamic Ship generates the SSCC and holds the package-level detail, Barcode Generator PowerTool or the built-in Business Central barcode fonts render the GS1-128 symbol, and Insight Works ships sample SSCC label reports as developer starting points for your partner to finish.
Do we need SSCCs as well as GTINs? Usually both. The GTIN identifies the product; the SSCC identifies the specific pallet or case. Most retailer compliance guides require the SSCC under AI (00) and the GTIN under AI (01) or (02) on the same label.
Can Business Central generate the SSCC number? Standard Business Central holds and increments the serial reference through a number series. Dynamic Ship generates the full 18-digit SSCC from that reference, your extension digit and your licensed GS1 Company Prefix; without the prefix, no software can produce a valid one.
Does Dynamic Ship require the License Plating app for SSCC work? No. Dynamic Ship’s license plate handling is built in. License Plating is the Warehouse Insight add-on for building and moving plates on the handheld.
Is UCC-128 the same as GS1-128? Yes. UCC-128 and EAN-128 are the retired names for the same symbology. Use GS1-128 unless you are quoting a retailer’s document that still uses the old term.