Warehouse Shipping Order
The X12 940 instructs a third-party warehouse to pick, pack, and ship a specific order on behalf of the merchandise owner.
In this guide
940 Warehouse Shipping Order moves from Merchandise Owner (Shipper) to Third-Party Warehouse / 3PL (Shipper → Warehouse) via AS2, SFTP. The interactive diagram below traces every business and technical step the message passes through — press Play Flow to watch it travel, or click any step for detail.
How it works
How 940 Warehouse Shipping Order Works
Sender
Merchandise Owner (Shipper)
Receiver
Third-Party Warehouse / 3PL
Direction
Shipper → Warehouse
Standard
ANSI ASC X12
Version
005010
Transport
AS2 / SFTP
Business Purpose
Logistics & Fulfillment
Sender — Merchandise Owner (Shipper)
EDI Transmission
940
Warehouse Shipping Order
ANSI ASC X12 004010 / 005010
Receiver — Third-Party Warehouse / 3PL
Related transaction flows
Need help understanding this EDI flow?
Ask EDI AI →940 Warehouse Shipping Order workflow. Steps: Fulfillment Release, Generate 940 EDI, Send to 3PL, Warehouse Receives Order, Pick & Pack Task, Confirm with 945. Transmitted from Merchandise Owner (Shipper) to Third-Party Warehouse / 3PL via AS2, SFTP, following ANSI ASC X12 004010 / 005010.
Overview
Lets a manufacturer or retailer using a 3PL-operated warehouse trigger fulfillment without manual order entry into the warehouse's WMS.
Sender
Merchandise Owner (Shipper)
Receiver
Third-Party Warehouse / 3PL
Direction
Shipper → Warehouse
Standard / Version
ANSI ASC X12 004010 / 005010
Segment structure
Key segments that make up this transaction set:
| Segment | Name | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| W05 | Shipping Order Identification | Order number and warehouse identification. |
| N1 | Party Identification | Ship-to and bill-to parties. |
| W01 | Line Item Detail | Item and quantity to be shipped. |
| W66 | Warehouse Carrier Information | Routing and carrier instructions. |
Interactive example
Click any segment below to see its business meaning.
ST
This is an envelope or control segment. Select a highlighted segment on the left (shown in green) for a full business explanation.
View raw EDI
ST*940*0001~
W05*N*WHO-33210*BuyerCorp DC4**20230920~
N1*ST*BuyerCorp Distribution Center 4~
W66***M*FEDEX FREIGHT~
LX*1~
W01*100*EA*SKU-10293*IN*44921~
W76*1~
SE*8*0001~Mapping example
A representative field-level mapping from a common source system into this transaction:
| Source | Source Field | Target Field |
|---|---|---|
| OMS Fulfillment Release | order.warehouse_order_id | W05*02 (Depositor Order Number) |
| OMS Fulfillment Release | line.qty_to_pick | W0101 (Quantity Ordered) |
Validation rules
- W0502 order number must be unique for the depositor/warehouse relationship.
- Each W01 item must exist in the warehouse's item master with the depositor's part number cross-referenced.
- Ship-to information in N1*ST must be complete enough for carrier routing.
Common errors & troubleshooting
Warehouse rejects order for unknown SKU
Cause: New item hasn't been set up in the warehouse's item master before the first 940 referencing it.
Fix: Send item master updates (or a 944-equivalent onboarding file) ahead of new-SKU shipping orders.
Duplicate fulfillment
Cause: 940 was retransmitted after a timeout without a duplicate-check on W0502.
Fix: Implement idempotency checks keyed on depositor order number at the WMS integration layer.
Frequently asked questions
Brands and retailers that outsource fulfillment to third-party logistics (3PL) providers, where the merchandise owner's system needs to instruct an external WMS.
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