Get your first retail shipment labelled right
Your first purchase order from a retailer comes with a routing guide and a list of chargebacks. Carton Ready reads that guide, builds your GS1-128 SSCC carton and pallet label templates in ZPL and PDF, and sets up SSCC numbering that never repeats and matches what goes into your ASN.
Updated
- Templates built field by field from your retailer's or 3PL's own routing guide, on top of the GS1 Logistics Label Guideline
- SSCC numbering from your own GS1 Company Prefix with correct check digits, a sequence that is never reused, and a file of SSCCs per carton for your ASN
- Ready to print on 203 or 300 dpi thermal printers, or as PDF on A6 or A5 label stock
The GS1 Logistics Label Guideline (Release 1.1, August 2016) states that the SSCC is the single mandatory element on every logistics label, and describes A6 / 4x6 inch labels as suited to cartons and A5 / 6x8 inch labels as suited to cases where more data is needed, for example on pallets.
Source: ref.gs1.orgThe same guideline sets a target height of 400 to 800 mm (16 to 32 inches) from the pallet base for the bottom of the barcode, and recommends labelling two sides of a pallet with identical labels.
Source: ref.gs1.orgCleverence Label offers a free SSCC carton label template and paid label plans from $19 a month for 500 labels (checked 7 November 2026).
Source: cleverence.comA label that looks fine can still cost you a chargeback
Retailers and their distribution centres receive cartons and pallets by scanning one barcode: the 18-digit SSCC in a GS1-128 symbol. The scan is matched against the advance ship notice (EDI 856) you sent. If the number is missing, duplicated, wrongly encoded, placed over a seam or different from the ASN, the shipment cannot be received automatically, and the retailer bills you for the manual work.
Small suppliers usually meet this for the first time with a new purchase order and a long routing guide. Label software is built for people who design labels all day, and a spreadsheet plus a word processor tends to get the check digit or the barcode encoding wrong.
Carton Ready is a one-time setup: you send the routing guide and your GS1 Company Prefix, and you get templates, numbering and a checklist that you keep and run yourself.
Without it
- Cleverence Label: Self-serve label tool with a free SSCC carton template and SSCC numbering from your prefix; paid plans from $19 a…
- Your EDI provider: If you already pay for EDI, ask whether label printing is included; generating labels from the same data as the ASN…
- Desktop label design software: Professional label designers can build any GS1 label. They take time to learn, and you still read the routing guide…
With Carton Ready
- Templates built field by field from your retailer's or 3PL's own routing guide, on top of the GS1 Logistics Label Guideline
- SSCC numbering from your own GS1 Company Prefix with correct check digits, a sequence that is never reused, and a file of SSCCs per carton for your ASN
- Ready to print on 203 or 300 dpi thermal printers, or as PDF on A6 or A5 label stock
- Routing guide read-through
- Carton and pallet templates
How it works
- 1
Request service
Tell us the retailer or 3PL, what you ship (cartons, pallets or both) and your printer. Send the routing guide or label specification and your GS1 Company Prefix. Work starts within 2 business days.
- 2
We read the guide
We list every label requirement in it: label size, fields, Application Identifiers, placement, number of labels per carton and pallet, and anything that must match the ASN or bill of lading.
- 3
We build and check
You get carton and pallet templates in ZPL and PDF, an SSCC numbering sheet or script, and a placement diagram. You print a test label and send a photo; we check layout and content against the guide.
- 4
You ship
You fill the templates from your orders, keep the SSCC log, and send the same SSCCs in your ASN through your EDI provider. Questions within the support window are included.
Features
Routing guide read-through
A written list of every label rule in your retailer's or 3PL's guide, with the page it comes from, so you can show your team where each requirement is.
Carton and pallet templates
ZPL for 203 or 300 dpi thermal printers and PDF for A6 / 4x6 and A5 / 6x8 stock, with ship-from, ship-to, PO, carrier, carton count and the SSCC in GS1-128 with Application Identifier (00).
SSCC numbering that never repeats
A numbering sheet or small script built on your GS1 Company Prefix: extension digit, serial reference and GS1 check digit, with a log so no number is issued twice.
ASN match file
A CSV of SSCCs with their PO, carton contents and pallet, laid out so you or your EDI provider can enter the same numbers into the 856 ASN.
Placement diagram
A one-page picture for the packing team: which sides, how high on the pallet, away from edges and seams, and how many labels per unit.
Test label review
You print and photograph or scan a test label; we check layout, data and human-readable text against the guide. We do not grade barcodes with a verifier; we tell you when your retailer requires one.
Extra Application Identifiers
GTIN of contained items (02), count (37), batch or lot (10), best-before or expiry dates and PO number (400) where your guide asks for them.
A look inside
What you get: the working view and the delivery report.
Illustration of the layout, built from this page's own feature list. It shows no real results.
Who it's for
Brands with a first wholesale order
You got a PO from a national or regional retailer and a routing guide you have not seen before. You ship the first order with labels that follow it.
Manufacturers shipping pallets
Your customer's warehouse asked for GS1 pallet labels with SSCCs. You get pallet and carton templates and a numbering system your team can run.
3PLs onboarding a retail client
A client starts selling to a retailer with its own label rules. You get a template set your printers can print.
Suppliers fixing chargebacks
You are already paying label or ASN deductions. The label check shows what in your current label breaks the guide.
Works with
- GS1-128 barcodes with Application Identifiers (00), (02), (10), (37), (400)
- ZPL II for Zebra and compatible thermal printers at 203 or 300 dpi
- PDF for A6 / 4x6 and A5 / 6x8 label stock
- CSV and Excel numbering sheets
- Google Sheets
- EDI 856 ASN data, entered through your EDI provider
- Retailer and 3PL routing guides and vendor compliance manuals
Pricing
One-time prices, paid once after we confirm the scope. You need your own GS1 Company Prefix, which you get from your GS1 member organisation; we do not sell barcodes or prefixes. We work from the routing guide you send; your retailer's decision on what is compliant is final. Founding customer pricing applies to early-access orders.
Orders are subject to the Carton Ready terms.
Label check
$19 one-time
You already print SSCC labels and want to know what is wrong
- Review of up to 2 existing labels (carton or pallet)
- Checked against the GS1 guideline and your routing guide
- SSCC structure and check digit check
- Written list of fixes
- Delivered within 2 business days
One retailer
$190 one-time
Full label setup for one retailer or 3PL
- Routing guide read-through
- Carton and pallet templates in ZPL and PDF
- SSCC numbering sheet or script with log
- ASN match file layout
- Placement diagram and test label review
- Email help for 30 days
Up to 4 retailers
$490 one-time
Brands and 3PLs shipping to several retailers
- Everything in One retailer, for up to 4 routing guides
- Shared SSCC numbering across all retailers
- Templates for up to 2 printer models
- First retailer within 2 business days, the rest within 5
- Email help for 60 days
Compared with the alternatives
- Cleverence Label
- Self-serve label tool with a free SSCC carton template and SSCC numbering from your prefix; paid plans from $19 a month for 500 labels, with printing to Zebra printers through its PrintHub on the $39 plan. A good fit if you want to build the label yourself in a browser.
- Your EDI provider
- If you already pay for EDI, ask whether label printing is included; generating labels from the same data as the ASN avoids mismatches. Carton Ready suits suppliers who do not have that, or who want templates they own.
- Desktop label design software
- Professional label designers can build any GS1 label. They take time to learn, and you still read the routing guide yourself.
- Building it in a spreadsheet
- Possible with a barcode font, but GS1-128 needs the FNC1 start character and a correct check digit; both are easy to get wrong without a scanner to test.
What changed
- The GS1 Logistics Label Guideline (Release 1.1, August 2016) states that the SSCC is the single mandatory element on every logistics label, and describes A6 / 4x6 inch labels as suited to cartons and A5 / 6x8 inch labels as suited to cases where more data is needed, for example on pallets. Source: ref.gs1.org
- The same guideline sets a target height of 400 to 800 mm (16 to 32 inches) from the pallet base for the bottom of the barcode, and recommends labelling two sides of a pallet with identical labels. Source: ref.gs1.org
- SPS Commerce (updated 5 August 2026) says the SSCC on the label must exactly match the SSCC in the 856 ASN, and says C&S Wholesale Grocers may charge $50 or more for missing or illegible labels and $150 per instance for an incorrect PO number on the label. Source: spscommerce.com
- Cleverence Label offers a free SSCC carton label template and paid label plans from $19 a month for 500 labels (checked 7 November 2026). Source: cleverence.com
Your first week
Send the routing guide and your company prefix, and the work starts. A single-retailer setup is planned for three business days, including the test-label review; each extra retailer on the multi-retailer plan follows within five.
- Day 1: you send the request, the routing guide and your GS1 Company Prefix.
- Day 1–2: we list the label rules and build the carton and pallet templates and numbering.
- Day 2: you print a test label and send us a photo or scan.
- Day 3: we confirm or fix the layout; you are ready to ship.
Security and data
- Routing guides, POs and prefixes you send are used only to build your templates and are not shared.
- Files are exchanged over HTTPS and stored only for the support window of your plan.
- You receive all templates, scripts and numbering sheets as files you own; nothing runs on our servers afterwards.
- Everything you sent us is deleted when the support window ends, or sooner on request.
Questions
Do I need my own GS1 Company Prefix?
Yes. The SSCC must be built from the company prefix of the company that creates the carton or pallet, according to the GS1 guideline. Your GS1 member organisation issues it; we do not sell prefixes or barcodes.
Is the label the same for every retailer?
The SSCC barcode is standard, but the other fields, label size and placement differ by retailer and sometimes by distribution centre. That is why we work from your routing guide.
Do you send the ASN for me?
No. We give you the SSCC file laid out for the ASN; you or your EDI provider send the 856. The SSCC on the label must match the one in the ASN exactly.
Will this guarantee no chargebacks?
No one can promise that: chargebacks also come from late ASNs, wrong quantities and routing. We make the labels follow the guide you give us and tell you which other items in it to watch.
Which printers work?
Any ZPL thermal printer at 203 or 300 dpi, or any printer that prints PDF on A6 or A5 label stock. GS1 sets the SSCC barcode's narrow bar at 0.495 to 0.94 mm and its height at 31.75 mm or more; we size the barcode in whole printer dots so it meets both on your printer.
Is this compliance advice?
It is a technical setup service based on the GS1 guideline and the routing guide you provide. Your retailer's interpretation of its own guide is final; confirm open questions with your buyer or their compliance team.
Ship the first order with labels that follow the guide
Send your routing guide and company prefix; get carton and pallet templates, numbering and a placement diagram. Label check from $19, full setup $190, paid once.
Request service