SSCC label: what goes on it and how to print one

What an SSCC is

SSCC stands for Serial Shipping Container Code. GS1 defines a logistic unit as an item of any composition established for transport or storage that needs to be managed through the supply chain, and names the SSCC as the only GS1 key that shall be used to identify one (GS1 General Specifications, section 2.2). Every carton or pallet you ship gets its own number, and the same section describes its job: the SSCC links the physical unit to the information about it that trading partners exchange electronically.

The same section sets the reuse rule: an SSCC must not be reallocated within one year of the shipment date, and regulators or industry bodies may extend that period.

How the 18 digits are built

Section 3.3.1 of the General Specifications gives the structure. Using the example on this page, 006141410000000012:

Section 1.2.3.3 defines a GS1 Company Prefix as a string of four to twelve digits. The prefix and serial reference always fill 16 digits between them, so a longer prefix leaves fewer serial numbers:

The last digit is a GS1 mod 10 check digit. The SSCC check digit calculator works it out and shows each step.

What GS1 requires on the label

Less than most people expect. Section 6.6.3 says the SSCC is the single mandatory element for all GS1 Logistic Labels. Everything else, addresses, PO numbers, carrier details, is there because a trading partner asked for it. The rules GS1 does set are about how the SSCC appears:

• It is encoded in a GS1-128 barcode under application identifier (00), and that barcode is placed in the lowest portion of the label (section 6.6.4.1.1).
• The bars stand upright, in what GS1 calls picket fence orientation, relative to the base of the unit (section 6.6.4.1.1).
• A human readable interpretation is printed with the barcode, with the application identifier in parentheses: (00) 006141410000000012 (sections 6.6.4.1.2 and 4.14).
• The bars are at least 31.75 mm (1.25 inch) tall, with a module width from 0.495 mm to 0.940 mm and a quiet zone of ten modules on each side (section 5.12.3.5, table 5-51).

Section 6.6.3.1 describes the label as three building blocks: free-form text such as addresses at the top, text with data titles in the middle, and barcodes with their human readable interpretation at the bottom. Only the bottom block is mandatory. The label on this page follows that order.

Label size

GS1 leaves the physical size to whoever applies the label, and notes that most needs are met by A6 (105 x 148 mm) or 4 x 6 inch when the label carries the SSCC and limited extra data, or by A5 or 6 x 8 inch when it carries more (section 6.6.4.5). The generator on this site makes the 4 x 6 inch size.

How to print one

1. Get a GS1 Company Prefix from your GS1 member organisation if you do not have one. The SSCC is only unique worldwide because the prefix is.
2. Decide where your serial numbers start and keep a record of the last one used.
3. Open the label generator, enter the shipment and your prefix, and pick your printer's resolution.
4. Send the ZPL to the printer. The annotated ZPL example shows what each line does if you want to adapt it.

For where to stick the label, see the pallet label and carton label pages. For what goes wrong and what it costs, see retailer label chargebacks.