Advanced Shipping Notice (ASN)

What Information Does an ASN Contain?

An ASN provides granular, shipment-level detail that allows the receiving party to plan labor, allocate dock doors, and prepare for put-away before the goods physically arrive. A well-formed ASN typically includes the following information:

• Shipment Identification: A unique shipment number or bill of lading number that identifies the physical movement of goods.
• PO References: The purchase order number(s) being fulfilled by this shipment, enabling the buyer to match incoming goods against open orders.
• Item Details: SKU or item numbers, quantities shipped, lot numbers, serial numbers, and units of measure for each product in the shipment.
• Packaging Hierarchy: How items are packed -- from individual units into cartons, cartons onto pallets, and pallets into containers. This hierarchy is critical for warehouse receiving and put-away operations.
• Weight and Dimensions: Gross weight, net weight, and physical dimensions of the shipment, used for freight planning and dock scheduling.
• Carrier and Routing: The carrier name, SCAC code, vessel or vehicle information, and the planned route from origin to destination.
• Ship Date and Expected Arrival: When the goods left the supplier's facility and when they are expected to arrive at the buyer's location.

EDI 856: The Standard ASN Transaction

In the ANSI X12 EDI standard, the ASN is defined as the 856 transaction set. It is one of the most widely used EDI documents in retail, manufacturing, and distribution. Major retailers like Walmart, Target, and Amazon require their suppliers to send EDI 856 ASNs for every shipment, and non-compliance often results in chargebacks.

The 856 transaction uses a hierarchical structure (HL segments) to represent the packaging levels of a shipment. A typical hierarchy flows from shipment level to order level to item level, with optional tare (pallet/container) and pack (carton) levels in between. This structure allows the receiver to understand exactly how the goods are packed and labeled.

For international ocean freight, the ASN may also reference the bill of lading number, container number, and seal number, connecting the electronic notification to the physical transport document.

Benefits of ASN-Driven Receiving

When a warehouse receives goods with a corresponding ASN already in the system, the receiving process becomes significantly faster and more accurate. Rather than manually identifying and counting every item, the receiving team can verify against the expected contents and flag exceptions.

• Faster Dock-to-Stock: Pre-built receipt expectations reduce the time spent identifying products and entering data during receiving. Teams can scan barcodes and confirm quantities rather than building receipt records from scratch.
• Improved Accuracy: Receiving against an ASN catches discrepancies -- shortages, overages, wrong items -- at the point of receipt rather than days or weeks later during inventory reconciliation.
• Labor Planning: Knowing what is arriving and when allows warehouse managers to schedule the right number of receiving associates and allocate dock doors before the truck or container arrives.
• Inventory Visibility: ASN data can update inventory systems with expected receipts, giving purchasing and sales teams visibility into incoming stock before it is physically on the shelf.

ASNs in International Inbound Logistics

For importers managing ocean freight, the ASN bridges the gap between a purchase order being shipped overseas and the goods arriving at a domestic warehouse weeks later. During the transit window, the ASN provides the data needed to coordinate customs clearance, drayage, and warehouse scheduling.

InboundShipments allows teams to capture ASN-level detail -- including container numbers, PO line item quantities, and expected arrival dates -- directly within the shipment record. This ensures that every stakeholder, from the logistics coordinator to the warehouse manager, has visibility into what is coming, when, and in what quantities.