The SSCC code is an international logistics standard that guarantees the unique identification of each parcel or pallet. Indispensable for logistics traceability and shipment tracking, it helps avoid errors and streamlines exchanges with carriers and partners. Find out how this code works, and how you can automate it simply with e-commerce solutions.

In modern logistics, every package, pallet or shipment needs to be uniquely and reliably identified . This is where the SSCC(Serial Shipping Container Code) comes in, an international standard developed by GS1. Used in transport, distribution and e-commerce, this code ensures complete logistical traceability, from warehouse to end customer.

For e-tailers and SMEs shipping hundreds of orders a day, understanding and automating the use of SSCC is essential for reducing errors, streamlining exchanges with carriers and boosting productivity.

What is an SSCC code?

Defining and using the SSCC code

The SSCC code is an international standard that uniquely identifies each parcel or pallet in the supply chain. Used by the transport, distribution and e-commerce industries, it plays a key role in logistics traceability and shipment tracking.

Simple definition

The SSCC (Serial Shipping Container Code) is a unique number assigned to each parcel, pallet or logistics unit. It acts as an identity card for the parcel, enabling it to be identified throughout its journey. This number is universal, recognized by GS1 standards, and integrated into the EDI standard for electronic exchanges between partners.

Unlike a simple internal barcode, the SSCC is understood by all players in the supply chain: suppliers, carriers, warehouses, distributors and customers.

Its role in logistics traceability

The role of the SSCC code is to guarantee logistical traceability. Thanks to its uniqueness, it makes it possible to associate a parcel with essential information: contents, sender, recipient, carrier.

For example, when a pallet of 200 products leaves the warehouse, it is assigned an SSCC shipping number. This code is then scanned by the carrier, integrated into its system, and tracked right through to final delivery. This avoids data entry errors and simplifies parcel logistics tracking.

What does an SSCC code consist of?

To be reliable and universal, the SSCC code follows a precise structure defined by GS1. Each part of the number has a specific meaning, helping to ensure the code’s uniqueness. Understanding this composition enables us to better grasp its role in logistics traceability and parcel identification.

Code structure

An SSCC code consists of 18 digits, organized into four blocks:

  • Extension (1 digit): used by the company to create more combinations if necessary.
  • GS1 company code (7 to 9 digits): assigned by GS1, it uniquely identifies the sender.
  • Serial number (7 to 9 digits): unique sequence chosen by the company to identify the package or pallet.
  • Control key (1 digit): automatically calculated, used to validate code integrity.

This structure ensures that two parcels, even if shipped by different companies, cannot have the same SSCC shipping number. This makes it an essential standard for logistics parcel tracking.

Example of a decrypted SSCC code

Take the following example: 3 1234567 000000123 5

  • 3 → company-defined extension.
  • 1234567 → unique company identifier assigned by GS1.
  • 000000123 → package or pallet serial number.
  • 5 → control key validating the entire code.

In practice, this number is integrated into an SSCC label, printed and scanned at each stage of the supply chain. The warehouse generates it via its logistics WMS, the carrier uses it to integrate it into its tracking system, and the customer can retrieve it via parcel tracking.

What is SSCC used for in logistics?

Beyond its structure, the SSCC code is an operational tool that simplifies the day-to-day management of logistics flows. Not only does it identify each parcel, it also facilitates exchanges between partners, and meets the growing demands of e-commerce.

Package and pallet identification

The primary use of the SSCC ispackage identification. Each box, pallet or logistics unit is given a unique number that distinguishes it from all others. At every stage, from preparation in the warehouse to final delivery, the package is unambiguously recognized. This uniqueness reduces labelling errors, minimizes losses and speeds up order processing, even in a daily flow of thousands of parcels.

Traceability and compliance (GS1, carriers, EDI)

The SSCC is an international GS1 standard, integrated into the EDI standard and used by all logistics players. Every time a parcel changes hands, the code is scanned and shared electronically, guaranteeing continuous traceability. For carriers, it ensures consistent tracking, and for companies, it becomes proof of compliance with regulatory and contractual requirements.

E-commerce specificities: massification, fast flows

In e-commerce, volumes explode rapidly during sales and holiday periods. The SSCC code makes it possible to massify shipments while retaining a unique identification for each parcel. A pallet containing several orders can thus be tracked globally, but each parcel retains its individual tracking. This flexibility is essential for managing fast, unpredictable flows, while maintaining reliable tracking and clear communication with customers.

How do you generate and manage your SSCC codes?

Implementing an SSCC code in your organization involves much more than simply assigning it once. You also need to know how to generate it correctly, associate it with each shipment and ensure that it is properly managed throughout the flow of goods. Depending on the method chosen, the level of reliability and productivity can vary considerably.

Limits of manual processing

Many SMEs start by managing their SSCC shipping numbers with Excel files or ad hoc tools. But as volumes increase, this method quickly becomes a source of errors. Duplicates and inconsistencies lead to delivery delays and complicate parcel tracking. During busy periods, these limitations translate into misidentified parcels and saturated customer service.

Integration into a logistics tool

To increase reliability, growing e-tailers are integrating the generation and tracking of SSCC codes directly into their logistics WMS. The number is automatically assigned to each parcel, theSSCC label is printed at the same time as the dispatch note, and all information is shared with carriers via EDI. This automation eliminates the risk of human error and ensures seamless traceability, while simplifying preparation and inbound logistics.

How Shippingbo automates SSCC code management

Setting up the SSCC code is essential, but automating it makes all the difference in an e-commerce environment where volumes fluctuate wildly. Shippingbo offers a solution that centralizes and simplifies the management of these identifiers, integrating them directly into the heart of logistics operations.

Automatic generation on shipment

With Shippingbo, the creation of the SSCC shipping number is fully automated. Each time a new order is prepared, the system assigns a unique code without manual intervention. TheSSCC label is generated and printed at the same time as the shipping documents, saving time and avoiding data entry errors. For warehouse teams, this automation means greater fluidity in daily work, and for the company, systematic and secure logistical traceability.

Integration with OMS, WMS, TMS

Shippingbo’s strength lies in its ability to integrate the SSCC into all flows, from order to delivery. TheOMS centralizes all orders, theWMS warehouse automatically generates the SSCC codes during preparation, and theTMStool then transmits this information to the carriers. This continuity guarantees that the number remains associated with the parcel throughout its journey, with no break in information.

For e-tailers, this means better control of inbound and outbound logistics, as well as parcel tracking perfectly aligned with the requirements of marketplaces and carriers.

Effortless carrier compliance and traceability

Thanks to its network of over 200 integrations, Shippingbo ensures that each SSCC label complies with the formats required by carriers and GS1 standards. This compatibility means that e-tailers don’t have to juggle between different systems, or waste time reconfiguring their shipments. Once the parcel has been scanned, the information is immediately shared with the carrier and communicated to the customer via parcel tracking. Traceability thus becomes a simple, automated process, which boosts customer satisfaction while freeing teams from time-consuming tasks.

Standardized, automated traceability made easy

The SSCC code is much more than a simple identifier. Today, it represents an essential standard for guaranteeing logistical traceability, facilitating communication between partners and offering customers reliable, transparent tracking. In a sector such as e-commerce, where every error in preparation or tracking can be costly, the SSCC becomes a real performance lever.

Automating management with a tool like Shippingbo is a decisive step forward. Assigning shipping numbers, printing SSCC labels, integrating them into the logistics WMS and transmitting them to carriers is effortless. Teams gain in efficiency, operational costs are reduced and customer satisfaction is enhanced thanks to accurate and instantaneous parcel tracking.

Shippingbo not only integrates the SSCC into your flows, it also simplifies your entire logistics process by centralizing your orders, inventories and shipments ona single platform. It is this global automation that enables you to absorb peaks in activity and remain competitive in the face of growing market demands.

Need to make your parcel traceability more reliable ? Ask for a Shippingbo demo and discover how our tools automatically generate your SSCC codes, for standardized, error-free shipping.

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