Shipping unit

3. February 2025
|By Christina Thomes

A shipping unit is the smallest unit that is sent to the customer. It can be identified by means of a so-called SSCC (shipping unit number). The SSCC is generated using a GLN (global location number), which contains information about the location to which a shipping unit is to be sent.

A shipping unit refers to a quantity of goods that is not firmly attached to other goods. It is treated as a closed unit on its way from the sender to the recipient. The sender determines the exact definition depending on the transportation requirements, the goods handling and the type of packaging.

For more information on the business process Sorter (Packing), see the article (Sorter) Packing – Basics.

For relationships between the terms “material flow” and “retail,” see retail management.

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