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Spotlight PEPPOL BIS Billing 3.0 The EU e-invoicing mandate is here — France Sept 2026, Belgium Jan 2026, Germany 2025.

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Foundations

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Standards

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Flagship messages

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Tools

X12 940 — Warehouse Shipping Order

The 940 is the shipping order from a client (shipper, owner of goods) to its 3PL warehouse: instructions to pick, pack and ship from third-party-managed inventory.

Purpose

The 940 documents the warehouse shipping instruction: client reference, parties (ship-from = warehouse, ship-to = consignee), lines to pick (SKU, quantity), transport instructions (chosen carrier, mode, accessorials), pickup date and window, special instructions (special handling, packaging, labeling).

It triggers picking, packing and tendering to the carrier. Acknowledged by 997, it is typically followed by a 945 (Warehouse Shipping Advice) once shipped, and a 947 (Warehouse Inventory Adjustment) for stock discrepancies.

Envelope structure

The 940 travels within the three X12 envelope levels (ISA/IEA, GS/GE with functional group OW, and ST/SE). Didactic example in release 004010:

x12 example-940.x12 
ISA*00*          *00*          *ZZ*ACMERETAIL    *ZZ*ACME3PL       *260514*0930*U*00401*000000940*0*P*>~
GS*OW*ACMERETAIL*ACME3PL*20260514*0930*1*X*004010~
ST*940*0001~
W05*N*SO-2026-77912*PO78901*REL-0001~
N1*ST*ACME EU GMBH*92*C-0042~
N3*45 RUE DE LA PAIX~
N4*PARIS**75002*FR~
N1*SF*ACME 3PL WAREHOUSE 12*92*WH-12~
N9*PO*PO78901~
G62*10*20260516~
W66*PP*M*ACMECARRIER**OF*FCA~
LX*1~
W01*30*CA*UP*012345678905*VN*SKU-12345~
G69*ELECTRONICS COMPONENTS~
W76*30*450*L*68*M3~
SE*12*0001~
GE*1*1~
IEA*1*000000940~

Common segments

  • Header — ST, W05 (Shipping Order Identification: type, SO #, reference PO #).
  • Parties — N1*ST (Ship To / Consignee), N1*SF (Ship From / Warehouse), N3/N4.
  • Client reference — N9*PO (originating PO), G62 (pickup date).
  • Transport — W66 (Warehouse Carrier Information: terms, carrier, accessorials).
  • Lines — LX loop with W01 (Line Item: qty, unit, identifiers), G69 (description).
  • Summary — W76 (Total Item Summary), SE.

Common pitfalls

  • Client reference vs warehouse SO: W05 must carry both the warehouse SO and the client reference (PO); otherwise the 940 → 945 → 856 → 810 reconciliation breaks.
  • Prepaid / collect transport: W66 must exactly match the commercial term — inconsistency with the retail contract = double billing or dispute.
  • Stock availability: the 940 assumes stock is available; on stockout, the warehouse must promptly issue a 947 or short-ship advice, otherwise the 945 will be incomplete without explanation.

Documentation

The code 940 and the name Warehouse Shipping Order are public and listed on x12.org/products/transaction-sets. The complete structure of loops, qualifiers and code lists is distributed by DISA via the proprietary Implementation Guides (TR3). ediverse.io covers only public concepts, the envelope and didactic examples.