An SSCC label is the license plate on a pallet or a case: one 18 digit number, in a GS1-128 barcode, that belongs to that one shipping unit and to no other. The receiver scans it at the dock to pull up the advance ship notice that says what is on the load.
Most SSCC guides stop at the number. This one also covers printing a different SSCC on every pallet at line rate and placing it where the scanner expects it. Marapack Services is the Pacific Northwest distributor for Altech labeling systems and supplies, installs and services that equipment. We do not sell EDI, WMS or label design software, and we do not issue SSCCs.
Being asked for SSCC labels and not sure what your line needs? Book an equipment audit and we will look at where your pallets are finished and where the label data comes from.
What is an SSCC label?
An SSCC label is a shipping label that carries a Serial Shipping Container Code, the GS1 identifier for one logistic unit such as a pallet or a case, encoded after Application Identifier (00) in a GS1-128 barcode. Under GS1's logistic label rules the SSCC is the only element the label must carry; everything else is optional.
The point is the lookup: one scan at a receiving bay links to the advance ship notice (ASN) the shipper sent ahead, so the receiver knows what is on the load without breaking it down (GS1 US, An Introduction to the SSCC, Release 3.0). That is why retailers ask for it: Walmart's food traceability requirements state that "Pallets containing food must be labeled with an SSCC-18 barcode that is linked to the corresponding ASN."
For the barcode itself (the FNC1 character, Application Identifiers and the 48 character limit), see our GS1-128 barcode guide.
What is an SSCC number, and how are its 18 digits built?
An SSCC number is 18 digits: an extension digit from 0 to 9, your GS1 Company Prefix, a serial reference you assign, and a modulo 10 check digit. The extension digit, prefix and serial reference always total 17 digits, so a longer company prefix leaves fewer digits for serial numbers. It is sometimes written SSCC-18.
| Part | Digits | Who sets it |
|---|---|---|
| Application Identifier (00) | 2, barcode only | fixed; tells the scanner an SSCC follows |
| Extension digit | 1 | your company; no defined meaning |
| GS1 Company Prefix | 4 to 12 | issued by GS1 US or another GS1 member organization |
| Serial reference | the remainder | your company, one per logistic unit |
| Check digit | 1 | calculated from the other 17 |
GS1 US's example with a 7 digit prefix reads (00) 0 0801234 999999999 7, and it puts capacity at 10 billion SSCCs for a 7 digit prefix and 100 million for a 9 digit one. Three rules matter more than the arithmetic:
- Assign serial references sequentially, with no meaning built in (GS1 US's advice).
- Never reuse a number within a year of the shipment date, longer where regulatory or industry requirements say so: GS1 General Specifications section 4.4.1.1, quoted in GS1's finding Unique GS1 Identification.
- A rebuilt pallet is a new unit. A unit broken down and repacked gets a new SSCC.
How do you get an SSCC number?
You build SSCC numbers yourself from your own GS1 Company Prefix, which in the United States is issued by GS1 US. A company that already has a prefix for its UPC barcodes uses that same prefix; GS1 US says no second prefix is needed. Your warehouse or ERP system then assigns the serial references.
GS1 US's Serialized Shipping Container Codes page says the same, and a U.P.C. Company Prefix is converted by adding a zero to the front. The GS1 Logistic Label Guideline (Release 1.3) says the company creating the logistic unit assigns the SSCC from its own prefix, generated from the WMS or ERP; if a unit arrives without one, the next party, a logistics provider or the customer, may allocate it.
Can I generate an SSCC number online?
Partly. GS1 US's Check Digit Calculator handles the SSCC check digit, and other tools will draw a barcode of a number you type. None of them can give you a valid SSCC unless the number starts with your own company prefix. When a cloud label service generates SSCCs from the provider's prefix, the GS1 guideline calls it weaker traceability and an incorrect use of the standards.
Already building SSCCs and labeling pallets by hand? Talk to us about printing and applying them automatically.
What is the difference between a GTIN and an SSCC?
A GTIN identifies a product, so every case of the same item carries the same GTIN. An SSCC identifies one physical shipping unit, so no two pallets ever share one. The SSCC does not contain the GTIN: the products on the load travel in the advance ship notice, which the SSCC unlocks when it is scanned.
GS1 US adds that the SSCC is never used at the point of sale. A carton can carry both labels, the logistic label to the left of the carton label per the GS1 guideline.
What does an SSCC label look like, and where does the SSCC barcode go?
An SSCC label is built in three blocks: free text or a logo at the top, human readable data with uppercase data titles in the middle, and GS1-128 barcodes at the bottom. The SSCC barcode always sits lowest on the label. A 4 x 6 inch label suits the SSCC alone; a larger label suits pallets that carry product data too.
From the GS1 Logistic Label Guideline:
- Only the bottom block is mandatory.
- Segments stack by when the data is known: generally carrier, customer, then supplier, with the SSCC segment at the bottom. A carrier may replace its segment in transit; an SSCC already on the unit is never replaced.
- Two standard sizes. A6 (105 x 148 mm) or 4 x 6 inch for the SSCC alone or with limited data; A5 (148 x 210 mm) or 6 x 8 inch where trade item data is needed, as on pallet labels.
- The SSCC stands alone on small labels. It is not combined with other data in one barcode on cartons, outer cases or 4 x 6 inch labels.
- Bar width and stock. The narrowest bar must be 0.495 to 0.94 mm (0.0195 to 0.0370 in), black on white, on a stock that heat and sun will not discolor.
Produce pallets often use a layout with one barcode per case composition above the SSCC: the PTI hybrid pallet label. The equipment for that is on our page on produce case and pallet labeling.
Where does the SSCC label go on a pallet or a case?
On a pallet, the SSCC barcode sits between 16 and 32 inches (400 to 800 mm) from the base and at least 2 inches (50 mm) from any vertical edge, with an identical label recommended on an adjacent side. On a carton, the bottom of the barcode targets 1.25 inches (32 mm) above the natural base.
- Short pallets: under 16 inches tall, as high as possible while still protecting the barcode.
- Cartons: at least 0.75 inch (19 mm) from any vertical edge.
- Which side: GS1 US recommends the upper right half, with a second barcode on the adjacent side so the pallet reads however it sits in the truck or the rack.
- Stacked pallets: each pallet keeps its own SSCC. A stack wrapped or strapped and shipped as one unit gets an additional SSCC on a master label outside the wrap.
Heights, edges and stacking are from section 8 of the GS1 guideline. Placement is where hand labeling drifts between shifts; a fixed applicator does not.
Want the label landing in the same place on every load? Have the pallet end of your line measured before anything is quoted.
How do you print a unique SSCC label for every pallet on a moving line?
Your WMS or ERP assigns the next SSCC when the pallet is finished and sends the label content to a print and apply labeler over its data interface. The machine prints that label and applies it to the load before it moves on, and the pallet is scanned so its SSCC is tied to its contents in the ASN.
The GS1 guideline names three ways to do it: a production label printed and applied when the pallet is built; a picked pallet label printed and applied when the pallet is picked for a customer; or a preprinted SSCC-only label, which it calls a good option when there is no print and apply capability, applied and then scanned and associated with the pallet's contents. The preprinted roll avoids a data connection at the labeler, but every pallet then depends on the association scan, and the label tells nobody on the dock what is on the load.
What goes wrong is rarely the barcode:
- Two printers, one counter. Two stations keeping their own serial count will eventually put one SSCC on two pallets. The number has to come from one place.
- A spoiled label. The replacement carries the same SSCC, because the number belongs to that unit for its life; a spoiled number is never handed to the next pallet.
- Printing ahead. A batch printed in advance is how a label lands on the wrong load; where labels are not applied automatically, the guideline recommends printing them one at a time.
- An early ASN. The guideline says to scan only loaded pallets and send the ASN at staging or loading.
Altech print and apply heads take label data over Ethernet, serial, USB or wireless LAN. We commission the machine against the data your system sends; we do not write or sell the software on the other end. Our page on 3PL and warehouse labeling covers that handoff.
What equipment prints and applies SSCC labels?
An SSCC label printer on a line is a thermal transfer print engine inside a print and apply head, paired with an applicator that reaches the pallet face or the case side. For pallets that means a dedicated pallet labeler or a robotic arm; for cases, a print and apply head beside the conveyor.
- Dedicated pallet labeler. Altech's ALcode P pallet labeler applies A5 labels as standard to two adjacent faces in one pallet stop, at up to 180 pallets an hour on one face or 120 on two, depending on label size and applicator configuration, with SATO S84-86 or Zebra ZE500 engines at 203 or 305 dpi.
- Large format applicator. Large format tamp applicators at 500, 750 and 1000 mm pair with the ALcode industrial head; whether one reaches your label position is a site measurement.
- Robotic arm. The AC25 ALrobot arm, a four axis arm working within an 1100 mm radius, reaches more than one face of a pallet that does not move.
- Case level labels. The ALcode industrial head is published at up to 100 labels a minute and the ALcode LT at up to 40, both depending on label size and applicator configuration.
- Camera option. An Altech smart camera that reads the code after printing, quoted with the machine.
At low volume, a desktop thermal printer and a person is a legitimate answer; we do not sell desktop printers. Our pallet labeler range and print and apply machines pages compare the automatic options.
Frequently asked questions
Is an SSCC-18 label the same as an SSCC label? Yes. SSCC-18 refers to the 18 digits in the number, and Walmart's requirements use that name.
How do I create an SSCC barcode? Build the 18 digit number from your extension digit, company prefix and next serial reference, calculate the check digit, and encode it after Application Identifier (00) in a GS1-128 barcode. Label software or the printer does the encoding, with the narrowest bar inside GS1's 0.495 to 0.94 mm range.
Do we need an SSCC on every case? Only on cases that ship as their own logistic unit, or where your customer's labeling specification asks for it. Walmart's food requirement is stated at the pallet level.
A 3PL ships for us. Whose SSCC goes on the pallet? GS1 says the company creating the logistic unit assigns the SSCC from its own prefix, and responsibility for the label usually rests with the shipper. Agree in writing who builds the pallet and assigns the number.
How much does an SSCC pallet labeling system cost? The price is set by the configuration (dedicated pallet labeler, large format applicator or robotic arm), the print engine, the data interface, any camera and the pallet handling. We quote after measuring the pallet area, because a price without a specification behind it misleads both ways.
Do you generate SSCCs or send our ASNs? No. SSCCs come from your own prefix and system, and the ASN from your EDI provider or ERP. We supply and service the equipment that prints and applies the label, and our labeler service covers Altech, Label-Aire 3100 applicators and 5100 systems, PackLeader, CTM and Tach-It equipment.
Get the pallet end of the line specified
The number is usually the easy part. The hard part is a different label on every pallet, in the right place, from the right data, at line rate.
Call 253-709-5566 or request an equipment audit and we will specify the labeler against your loads and your data.
Sources
- GS1 US, An Introduction to the Serial Shipping Container Code (SSCC), Release 3.0, February 2019
- GS1, GS1 Logistic Label Guideline, Release 1.3, July 2019
- GS1, Unique GS1 Identification, architecture finding quoting GS1 General Specifications section 4.4.1.1
- GS1 US, Serialized Shipping Container Codes
- GS1 US, Check Digit Calculator
- Walmart, Food Traceability supplier requirements