INSDES — EDIFACT Instruction to Despatch Message (D.18B)
The INSDES message is the despatch instruction sent to a warehouse or logistics site by a principal: it indicates what to pick, pack and ship, to which destination, with which carrier, and under which logistics terms. This page summarises the segment structure as published by UN/CEFACT for directory D.18B.
Purpose
The INSDES message is the despatch instruction sent to a warehouse or logistics site by a principal: it indicates what to pick, pack and ship, to which destination, with which carrier, and under which logistics terms.
This page focuses on the structure published by UN/CEFACT for directory D.18B. The segments listed, their status (M / C), position and repetition factor are extracted from the official file insdes_c.htm hosted on service.unece.org.
Segment structure
The INSDES D.18B message has 34 header entries, 28 detail entries and 4 summary entries (segments and groups combined). Groups are shown in bold and their members are indented by actual nesting depth.
Header
| Pos. | Tag | Name | S | Rep. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
00010 | UNH | Message header | M | 1 |
00020 | BGM | Beginning of message | M | 1 |
00030 | DTM | Date/time/period | M | ×9 |
00040 | INP | Parties and instruction | C | ×99 |
00050 | FTX | Free text | C | ×9 |
00060 | SG1 | Group (×9) | C | ×9 |
00070 | RFF | Reference | M | 1 |
00080 | DTM | Date/time/period | C | ×9 |
00090 | SG2 | Group (×9) | C | ×9 |
00100 | NAD | Name and address | M | 1 |
00110 | LOC | Place/location identification | C | ×9 |
00120 | SG3 | Group (×9) | C | ×9 |
00130 | RFF | Reference | M | 1 |
00140 | DTM | Date/time/period | C | ×9 |
00150 | SG4 | Group (×9) | C | ×9 |
00160 | CTA | Contact information | M | 1 |
00170 | COM | Communication contact | C | ×9 |
00180 | SG5 | Group (×9) | C | ×9 |
00190 | TOD | Terms of delivery or transport | M | 1 |
00200 | LOC | Place/location identification | C | ×9 |
00210 | FTX | Free text | C | ×9 |
00220 | SG6 | Group (×9) | C | ×9 |
00230 | TDT | Transport information | M | 1 |
00240 | PCD | Percentage details | C | 1 |
00250 | SG7 | Group (×9) | C | ×9 |
00260 | LOC | Place/location identification | M | 1 |
00270 | DTM | Date/time/period | C | ×9 |
00280 | SG8 | Group (×9) | C | ×9 |
00290 | EQD | Equipment details | M | 1 |
00300 | MEA | Measurements | C | ×9 |
00310 | EQA | Attached equipment | C | ×9 |
00320 | SG9 | Group (×9) | C | ×9 |
00330 | HAN | Handling instructions | M | 1 |
00340 | FTX | Free text | C | ×9 |
Detail
| Pos. | Tag | Name | S | Rep. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
00350 | SG10 | Group (×9999) | C | ×9999 |
00360 | LIN | Line item | M | 1 |
00370 | PIA | Additional product id | C | ×9 |
00380 | IMD | Item description | C | ×99 |
00390 | QTY | Quantity | C | ×9 |
00400 | GIN | Goods identity number | C | ×99 |
00410 | INP | Parties and instruction | C | ×99 |
00420 | DTM | Date/time/period | C | ×9 |
00430 | FTX | Free text | C | ×9 |
00440 | MOA | Monetary amount | C | ×99 |
00450 | ALI | Additional information | C | ×99 |
00460 | SG11 | Group (×9) | C | ×9 |
00470 | RFF | Reference | M | 1 |
00480 | DTM | Date/time/period | C | 1 |
00490 | SG12 | Group (×99) | C | ×99 |
00500 | NAD | Name and address | M | 1 |
00510 | QTY | Quantity | C | 1 |
00520 | DTM | Date/time/period | C | 1 |
00530 | LOC | Place/location identification | C | ×99 |
00540 | SG13 | Group (×9999) | C | ×9999 |
00550 | PCI | Package identification | M | 1 |
00560 | GIN | Goods identity number | C | ×9 |
00570 | SG14 | Group (×99) | C | ×99 |
00580 | DGS | Dangerous goods | M | 1 |
00590 | FTX | Free text | C | ×9 |
00600 | SG15 | Group (×9) | C | ×9 |
00610 | CTA | Contact information | M | 1 |
00620 | COM | Communication contact | C | ×9 |
Summary
| Pos. | Tag | Name | S | Rep. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
00630 | UNS | Section control | M | 1 |
00640 | MOA | Monetary amount | C | ×99 |
00650 | CNT | Control total | C | ×9 |
00660 | UNT | Message trailer | M | 1 |
Changes vs D.96A
The INSDES message is not published in directory D.96A. No "D.96A → D.18B" comparison line can therefore be produced — see the block below for details.
This message is not published in directory D.96A: it was introduced into the standard after that release and therefore has no historical baseline for comparison. The first directory indexed on ediverse.io sets the reference; later changes are then documented from one release to the next in subsequent directories.
Structural example
Minimal example of an INSDES D.18B message with mandatory segments only. The goal is to show the exact version declared in UNH (INSDES:D:18B:UN) — not to replicate a full business case.
UNB+UNOC:3+5410000000123:14+5410000000456:14+260514:1430+CTRL018001'
UNH+1+INSDES:D:18B:UN'
BGM+271+INSDES-2026-0408+9'
DTM+137:20260514:102'
DTM+2:20260517:102'
NAD+OB+5410000000123::9'
NAD+SH+5410000000456::9'
NAD+CN+5410000000789::9'
LIN+1++3520000001234:EN'
QTY+21:10'
UNT+10+1'
UNZ+1+CTRL018001'Common errors
- Misaligned UNH tokens — The
UNH+...+INSDES:D:18B:UNtoken must reflect exactly the directory in use — a mismatch between the UNH release and the release agreed with the partner is rejected by every strict validator. - Wrong UNT segment count — The value after
UNT+must include UNH and UNT themselves. By far the most common sender-side error, regardless of the directory in use. - Stale code lists — Between D.96A and D.18B, several code lists received new qualifiers (DTM status, RFF qualifier, NAD codes…). Reusing an older directory’s code tables triggers warnings or even rejections depending on the partner’s strict-conformance mode.
Related messages
Other versions of this message available on ediverse.io: INSDES D.01B, INSDES D.10A, INSDES D.16B, INSDES D.21B, INSDES D.24A, INSDES D.99B, INSDES D.00B, INSDES D.02B, INSDES D.05A, INSDES D.08A, INSDES D.13B, INSDES D.20B.
X12 functional equivalent: X12 940.