License plate vs pallet ID: the two terms often mean the same barcode on a pallet. A license plate goes further, because it also identifies boxes and crates and records what is inside. In Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, License Plating is an app for Warehouse Insight. It installs as an extension and assigns license plate numbers (LPNs) to pallets and other containers.
Warehouse Insight is a Business Central app that helps you improve warehouse accuracy and boost efficiency with mobile device and barcode integration.
This article explains where the terms overlap, where they differ, and how each one fits a Business Central warehouse.
Why does one barcode have so many names?
Ask three people in a warehouse what to call the label on a pallet, and you may hear three answers. One says pallet ID, another says LPN, and a third says handling unit. In food and beverage, you may hear container instead.
The overlap is real. In practice, many label suppliers use LPN label and pallet ID label interchangeably. Likewise, GS1, the global standards organization, calls the same kind of thing a logistic unit.
The phrase license plate adds its own confusion. To someone new to warehousing, it sounds like something on a truck in the yard. The warehouse meaning borrows the vehicle idea. The number says little on its own, but it points to a complete record.
What is a license plate in a warehouse?
A license plate is a unique number, usually printed as a barcode, that identifies one unit of stock: a pallet, a box, a crate, or a tote. Food and beverage teams often call that unit a container. The number links to a record of what is inside.
That record lists the items, their lot or serial numbers, their quantities, and their location. As a result, a worker scans one barcode instead of many. Because the plate already knows what is inside, there is less chance of scanning the wrong thing.
Is a license plate the same as a pallet ID?
Often, yes. Many teams use the two terms for the same barcode on a pallet. The difference is scope.
A pallet ID identifies a pallet. A license plate, however, identifies any container and can hold mixed contents, such as different items with different lot or serial numbers. In Warehouse Insight with License Plating, plates can also nest. A pallet carries its own plate, and each box on it keeps another.
The table compares license plate vs pallet ID alongside the other common terms.
| Term | What it means | Where you will see it |
|---|---|---|
| License plate (LPN) | A number that identifies any container and links to what is inside | Warehouse systems, including Business Central with License Plating |
| Pallet ID | A number or label that identifies one pallet | Pallet labels and everyday warehouse talk |
| Handling unit or logistic unit | Any unit handled and stored as one | Standards documents and partner conversations |
| Serial Shipping Container Code (SSCC) | An 18-digit GS1 number that identifies a logistic unit across the supply chain | Shipping labels and shipping notices |
| Container | The everyday term, especially in food and beverage, for the unit that holds product, such as a tote, case, or pallet | Food and beverage warehouses and floor talk |
| Palletization | The work of stacking and securing goods on a pallet. It is not an identifier | Process descriptions and warehouse floor talk |
How does palletization relate to a license plate?
Palletization is the work. In practice, your team stacks and secures goods on a pallet so they move as one unit load. Some warehouses say palletizing, and others say pallet building.
A license plate, by contrast, is the record. It captures what went onto the pallet, so you can find, move, and ship the pallet without opening it. The two meet when you build the pallet. Then someone creates the plate, adds the items, and prints the label as the pallet takes shape.
How does a license plate relate to an SSCC?
The Serial Shipping Container Code (SSCC) is the outward-facing version of the same idea. GS1 UK notes that the SSCC is “sometimes known as ‘the license plate.'” It is an 18-digit number built from your company’s GS1 Company Prefix, so it stays unique outside your warehouse.
License Plating creates the internal license plate. It does not generate SSCC numbers, because only a company that holds a GS1 Company Prefix can create them. In most setups, your electronic data interchange (EDI) provider supplies the compliant label. It also sends the advance ship notice (ASN) that ties each SSCC to what is on the pallet.
For the handoff in detail, read License Plating in Business Central: One Scan Per Pallet.
How does License Plating track a license plate in Business Central?
License Plating is an add-on to Warehouse Insight. It requires Warehouse Insight, and it works with every current Warehouse Insight license.
Business Central tracks inventory by item, bin, and lot. License Plating therefore adds the license plate as one more thing a worker can scan. Here is how it works:
- Create a license plate for a location and, if you use bins, a bin.
- Add the items and quantities for the container, including mixed lot and serial numbers.
- Print the label from the handheld or from the license plate list.
- Scan the label to receive, move, pick, or ship everything on the plate.
The same plate follows the goods through receiving, movement, picking, production output, and shipping.
Frequently asked questions
Is License Plating an app or an extension?
Both words describe it. Microsoft Learn says, “These apps are also called extensions because they extend Business Central.” License Plating is an add-on to Warehouse Insight, and it is listed on Microsoft Marketplace.
Why does Microsoft Marketplace list License Plate Management?
License Plating is the official product name. License Plate Management is the name of the Business Central extension and its Microsoft Marketplace listing. Both names refer to the same product.
Do food and beverage teams call this a container?
Often, yes. In food and beverage, container is the everyday word for a unit that holds product, such as a tote, a case, or a pallet. A license plate identifies that container and lists the items, lots, and quantities inside it. Here, container means a unit of stock, not an ocean freight container.
Can one license plate hold different items and lots?
Yes. A single plate can hold mixed items, including different lot or serial numbers, so one scan covers all of them.
Can license plates nest inside each other?
Yes. A pallet plate can contain box plates, and each level has its own barcode.
See how this works with your own pallets
To see how license plates would work in your warehouse, contact your Microsoft Partner or visit the License Plating page.