What a UCC 128 (GS1-128) label is, the full GS1 specs, SSCC-18 barcode structure, and how AIMS360 prints one that matches your EDI 856 ASN.
UCC 128 and GS1-128 are two names for the same retail carton label. It carries an SSCC-18 barcode that has to match the EDI 856 ASN you transmit. This page covers the full GS1 specification, the label sizes, the application identifiers, and how AIMS360 prints one from the same pick and pack record that builds the ASN.
A UCC 128 label is the standardized shipping label that major retailers require on every carton or pallet sent to their distribution centers. It was renamed GS1-128 in 2005 when the Uniform Code Council became part of GS1, so UCC 128, GS1-128 and EAN-128 all describe the same barcode. Each label carries an SSCC-18, an 18-digit Serial Shipping Container Code held under Application Identifier (00), that uniquely identifies one carton.
The retailer scans that SSCC-18 at the dock and matches it against the EDI 856 Advance Ship Notice. If they agree, the carton receives automatically. If they do not, the shipment goes to an exceptions queue and a chargeback follows.
The barcode is the easy bit. The number inside it is where compliance is won or lost.
Every UCC 128 label carries a unique SSCC-18 (Serial Shipping Container Code). That 18-digit number is the fingerprint of one specific carton. Retailers scan it at the distribution center door and cross-reference it against the EDI 856 Advance Ship Notice you transmitted.
Label and barcode defects are usually billed per carton. Costco, Amazon Vendor Central and Home Depot all publish rates in the range of $5 to $10 per carton for unreadable or incorrect GS1-128 labels, and many other retailers sit around $2 to $5. Those numbers look small until you multiply them across a full truckload.
The expensive failures happen one level up, at the ASN. A missing EDI 856 runs to $1,000 per ASN at Home Depot, a late one $250. Other retailers assess $75 to $500 per incident for ASN accuracy failures, and several use percentage models instead: roughly 1% to 6% of invoice or cost of goods at Amazon, Walmart and Target. An SSCC-18 that does not match the ASN can trigger both the per-carton fee and the ASN-level penalty on the same shipment.
Exact fees, thresholds and dispute windows are set by each retailer and change without notice. Always work from the current vendor guide issued to your brand.
Routing guides, search engines and AI assistants use these interchangeably. They are not the same thing.
Simple rule: when a retailer says "UCC 128 label" they mean a shipping label with a GS1-128 barcode encoding an SSCC-18 carton ID. AIMS360 generates all three from the same shipment record. Authoritative reference: GS1 US and Wikipedia GS1-128.
Two standard sizes: 4 by 6 inch for cartons, 6 by 8 inch for pallets. AIMS360 prints both.
The 4 by 6 inch compact label is the standard for cartons shipped to retailer DCs. Holds the SSCC-18 and limited additional data. Required by Nordstrom, Macy's, Saks, DSW, Amazon, Walmart, Target and 350+ retailers. Prints directly to Zebra, SATO and Honeywell thermal printers.
The 6 by 8 inch large label is used on pallets and holds the SSCC-18 plus additional trade item data such as GTIN, quantity and expiration date. Used for pallet-level receiving at Costco, Walmart pallet DCs, and grocery and foodservice retailers.
Barcode dimensions inside both label sizes: 3.02 inches long by 1.25 inches high, 0.25 inch quiet zones each side, 20 mil narrowest bar (plus or minus 4 mil), 2 to 1 width-to-narrow ratio, ANSI grade A or B print quality.
The most expensive UCC 128 failures come from one root cause. The SSCC-18 on the printed label does not match the SSCC-18 in the EDI 856 ASN. AIMS360 solves that at the source, because the label and the ASN come from the same record.
The UCC 128 label and the EDI 856 ASN are generated from the same pick and pack record. They cannot disagree.
Every retailer has its own zone layout, font sizes and AI rules. AIMS360 ships pre-mapped label templates for 350+ retailers.
GS1-128 label printing is native. No barcode font, no separate label designer, no integration layer between the two.
EDI 850 in, GS1-128 carton labels and EDI 856 ASN out, from one system.
Authoritative reference: GS1 US and the Wikipedia GS1-128 entry.
Every GS1-128 label AIMS360 prints meets the specification used by US retail routing guides.
AIMS360 prints to the full GS1 General Specification and to each retailer's routing-guide overlay on top of it.
Standalone label software is capable, but it is a separate system you integrate, licence, train on and support. AIMS360 puts GS1-128 inside the same database that holds your POs, ASNs, invoices and inventory.
Each retailer overlays its own routing guide on the GS1 standard. AIMS360 ships pre-built label compliance for all of these, and the EDI implementation team adds new ones on request.
Apparel is one of ten industries AIMS360 supports. Whichever vertical you sell into, the workflow is the same: pick and pack, generate the SSCC-18, print the GS1-128 label, transmit the matching EDI 856 ASN.
Every transaction below connects to the same carton label data.
UCC 128, GS1-128, SSCC-18, Code 128 and EDI 856 ASN, answered.
A UCC 128 label (renamed GS1-128 in 2005) is the standardized shipping label major retailers require on every carton or pallet shipped to their distribution centers. It uses GS1-128 barcode symbology to encode an SSCC-18, an 18-digit Serial Shipping Container Code, plus PO number, mark-for store, and other shipping data. The SSCC-18 on the UCC 128 label must exactly match the SSCC-18 transmitted in the EDI 856 Advance Ship Notice so the retailer's DC can scan and receive automatically.
No. Code 128 is a general-purpose barcode symbology invented in 1981 that can encode any ASCII character. UCC 128, now called GS1-128, is a subset of Code 128 specifically designed for supply chain use. GS1-128 always begins with an FNC1 character and uses GS1 Application Identifiers to structure data such as SSCC, GTIN, quantity and dates. All GS1-128 barcodes are Code 128 barcodes, but not all Code 128 barcodes are GS1-128. Retailer routing guides require GS1-128, not plain Code 128.
Yes. Code 128 is one of the most widely used 1D barcode symbologies in the world, used for shipping labels, packaging, inventory, ID cards, and more. In retail supply chains it appears almost entirely as its GS1-128 subset (formerly UCC 128), which retailers like Nordstrom, Macy's, Walmart, Target, Amazon, DSW, and Famous Footwear require on every carton shipped through their EDI programs. AIMS360 prints Code 128 barcodes in GS1-128 subset C symbology per full GS1 specification.
Yes. Code 128 is a royalty-free, public-domain barcode symbology maintained by the international standard ISO/IEC 15417. Anyone can generate Code 128 or its GS1-128 subset without paying license fees. What is not free is the GS1 Company Prefix required inside the SSCC-18 that a GS1-128 label carries. GS1 Company Prefixes are issued by GS1 US with an annual fee. AIMS360 stores your GS1 Company Prefix once and uses it to generate every UCC 128 label.
GS1 defines two standard UCC 128 label sizes. The compact label is 4 inches by 6 inches, used on cartons, holds the SSCC-18 plus limited additional data. The large label is 6 inches by 8 inches, used on pallets, holds SSCC-18 plus additional trade item data. The GS1-128 barcode itself measures 3.02 inches long by 1.25 inches high with 0.25 inch quiet zones on each side. AIMS360 prints both sizes to Zebra, SATO, and Honeywell thermal printers.
GS1 Application Standard for SSCC-18 defines the UCC 128 label specifications. Label size 4 by 6 inches (compact) or 6 by 8 inches (pallet). Barcode dimensions 3.02 by 1.25 inches. Quiet zones 0.25 inch each side. Symbology GS1-128 or EAN-128 subset C. Narrowest bar 20 mil plus or minus 4 mil. Width-to-narrow ratio 2 to 1. Print grade ANSI A or B. Required Application Identifiers include (00) SSCC-18, (02) GTIN, (37) quantity, (420) ship-to postal code, and (91) retailer-specific data. Thermal transfer printing is preferred. Some retailers prohibit ink jet and laser. AIMS360 prints to all of these specs by default.
To generate a UCC 128 label you need four things: a GS1 Company Prefix from GS1 US, a system to build the SSCC-18 number, a UCC 128 barcode generator that outputs GS1-128 EAN-128 subset C symbology, and a thermal label printer. AIMS360 handles all four steps natively. Store your GS1 prefix once. AIMS360 auto-generates the next SSCC-18, calculates the Mod-10 check digit, generates the UCC 128 barcode in GS1-128 format, and prints the full label to your Zebra, SATO, or Honeywell thermal printer. The label is already linked to the matching EDI 856 ASN.
A UCC 128 barcode is generated by encoding the SSCC-18 (Serial Shipping Container Code) and other data fields in GS1-128 symbology. AIMS360 builds the UCC 128 barcode on demand. It pulls your GS1 Company Prefix, increments the serial reference, calculates the Modulo 10 check digit, and renders the GS1-128 EAN-128 subset C barcode at exact GS1 specifications: 3.02 inches by 1.25 inches, 20 mil narrowest bar, 0.25 inch quiet zones. You do not need a UCC 128 barcode font or a separate UCC 128 barcode generator.
GS1 US publishes the official UCC 128 (GS1-128) label template in the GS1 General Specifications at gs1us.org. Each major retailer also publishes its own UCC 128 label template overlay in its supplier compliance manual. Macy's at macysnet.com, Nordstrom in its Supplier Compliance Manual, Walmart at retaillink.walmart.com, Target through Partners Online, JCPenney at vendor.jcpenney.com, Kohl's at kohlspartners.com, DSW through its vendor portal. AIMS360 includes pre-built UCC 128 label templates for 350+ retailers, so you never need to download a template PDF and format it yourself.
SSCC-18 (Serial Shipping Container Code) is the 18-digit unique identifier encoded in your UCC 128 GS1-128 barcode. Structure: 1 extension digit plus 7 to 10 digit GS1 Company Prefix plus 6 to 9 digit serial reference plus 1 check digit (Modulo 10). AIMS360 stores your GS1 Company Prefix once, auto-assigns the next sequential serial reference, calculates the check digit, and never reuses a number. This meets the GS1 minimum 12-month no-reuse rule. Hibbett recommends never reusing SSCCs and Bed Bath Beyond requires 24 months minimum.
A UCC 128 prefix is the GS1 Company Prefix, a 7 to 10 digit number issued by GS1 US that uniquely identifies your company within every SSCC-18 barcode you generate. It sits inside the 18-digit SSCC: 1 extension digit plus GS1 Company Prefix plus serial reference plus Mod-10 check digit. The same GS1 Company Prefix is used to build UPC and GTIN codes for retail price tickets. AIMS360 stores your GS1 Company Prefix once and uses it to auto-generate every SSCC-18 carton label.
AIMS360 serves ten industries with built-in UCC 128 label printing: Fashion and Apparel, Footwear, Jewelry Bags and Accessories, Cosmetics Beauty and Personal Care, Outdoor and Sporting Goods, Wellness and Supplements, Home Furniture and Lifestyle, Household and Home Care, Baby and Children's, and Pet Products. Whether you are a footwear brand shipping to DSW and Famous Footwear, an apparel brand shipping to Nordstrom and Macy's, a beauty brand shipping to Sephora and Ulta, or a pet products brand shipping to PetSmart, AIMS360 generates the UCC 128 label and matching EDI 856 ASN from the same record.
No. UCC 128 GS1-128 label printing is built natively into AIMS360. You do not need Loftware, NiceLabel, BarTender (Seagull), TEKLYNX or any other standalone UCC 128 barcode generator or label software. AIMS360 generates GS1-compliant UCC 128 labels directly from pick and pack data, including the SSCC-18 carton ID, PO number, mark-for store, ship-to address, SCAC, and Application Identifiers. The same shipment data drives both the printed UCC 128 label and the EDI 856 ASN.
Virtually every major U.S. retailer that uses EDI requires UCC 128 GS1-128 shipping labels on every carton. AIMS360 customers ship UCC 128 labels to Nordstrom, Nordstrom Rack, Macy's, Bloomingdale's, Saks Fifth Avenue, Saks Off 5th, Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman, Dillard's, Belk, Von Maur, Walmart, Target, Amazon, Costco, TJ Maxx, Marshalls, HomeGoods, Ross, Burlington, Kohl's, JCPenney, DSW, Famous Footwear, Journeys, Dick's Sporting Goods, REI, Tilly's, Anthropologie, Urban Outfitters, Free People, Zappos, Revolve, QVC, HSN, Sephora, Ulta, PetSmart, and 300+ more. Browse the full retailer list.
Yes. AIMS360 is a leading footwear ERP with built-in UCC 128 label printing for DSW, Famous Footwear, Journeys, Zappos, Foot Locker, Shoe Carnival, and every major footwear retailer. Because footwear SKU matrices are complex across style, color, width and size, the AIMS360 WMS handles the full size run natively and generates carton labels with correct GTIN content and quantities. The same SSCC-18 flows into the EDI 856 ASN with no re-keying.
Technically both Code 128 and Code 39 are barcode symbologies that can encode similar data, but no, you should not. Retailer routing guides explicitly require GS1-128 EAN-128 subset C symbology for UCC 128 shipping labels. Code 39 lacks GS1 Application Identifier support and is rejected at retailer DCs as non-compliant. AIMS360 always generates UCC 128 barcodes in correct GS1-128 EAN-128 subset C symbology. No conversion needed, no compliance risk.
Chargebacks for UCC 128 violations trace to four root causes: the SSCC-18 on the label does not match the SSCC-18 in the EDI 856 ASN, reused or duplicate SSCC numbers, ANSI print grade below C, or missing Application Identifiers and wrong zone layout. AIMS360 addresses all four. Label and ASN are generated from the same pick and pack record so they cannot mismatch. SSCCs are auto-incremented and tracked so they are never reused. Thermal-printed output meets ANSI A or B. Zone layouts are maintained per retailer routing guide. See the EDI chargeback system.
Yes. AIMS360 handles single-SKU cartons, mixed-SKU pick-and-pack cartons, and masterpack inner-carton scenarios required by retailers like Nordstrom and Bed Bath Beyond. For masterpacks, the outer carton gets a single GS1-128 label and the inner cartons each get their own unique SSCC-18 labels marked with M. Multi-carton selling units such as 1 of 3 and 2 of 3 are supported with the correct AI structure. AIMS360 also auto-flags internal 20-digit barcodes that conflict with the official GS1-128 label per Nordstrom and Dick's requirements.
AIMS360 supports all major thermal label printers used in consumer brands warehousing: Zebra (ZT411, ZT231, ZD621, ZD420, ZT230, GK420d, GX430t and the full ZPL and ZPL II family), SATO (CL4NX, CL6NX), Honeywell and Datamax (M-Class Mark III, I-Class, H-Class), TSC (TTP series), Printronix (T8000), and Toshiba (B-EX series). 4 by 6 inch thermal transfer is recommended for retailer compliance. Ribbon-based thermal transfer produces durable, smudge-proof output that meets the strictest retailer specs.
Yes, both. For B2B bulk EDI shipments to retailer DCs, AIMS360 generates the UCC 128 GS1-128 carton labels and matching EDI 856 ASN. For dropship programs such as Macys.com, Nordstrom Direct, Saks.com, Bloomingdales.com, Amazon Vendor Direct, QVC dropship, Wayfair, Sephora dropship and Ulta dropship, AIMS360 generates the small-parcel shipping label, the retailer-branded packing slip, and the EDI 856 ASN with carton identifiers. Both bulk and dropship are native, with no middleware and no third-party label engines.
Loftware, NiceLabel, BarTender (Seagull) and TEKLYNX are dedicated label-design platforms. They are powerful but they sit outside your ERP and require integration to pull shipment data. That integration layer is where label versus ASN mismatches and chargebacks originate. AIMS360 includes UCC 128 GS1-128 label printing natively in the same database that holds your POs, pick and pack records, EDI 856 ASN, EDI 810 invoice, inventory, and PLM. One source of truth means no integration drift, no separate license, and one support team.
JCPenney's UCC 128 label guideline is published in their Supplier Compliance Manual at vendor.jcpenney.com. JCP requires GS1-128 carton labels with SSCC-18, full ASN match via the EDI 856, specific zone layouts, and applies chargebacks for non-compliant labels. AIMS360 ships pre-built JCPenney compliance: UCC 128 label template, EDI 850 to 856 to 810 transaction set, and routing-guide enforcement. AIMS360 customers selling to JCP go live without building label templates from scratch.
UCC 128 label printing, EDI 850, 855, 856, 810 and 997, WMS pick and pack, and 350+ retailer routing guides in one consumer brands ERP. No middleware, no separate label licence, no mismatch between what you print and what you transmit.
