GS1-128 labels help retailers and other trading partners identify cartons and pallets quickly during receiving. In Descartes Pacejet™, the most important requirement is that the serialized shipping container code, or SSCC, is generated correctly, encoded correctly in the barcode and returned consistently in downstream shipment data.
For background, see Amazon Inbound GS1-128 and SSCC, GS1-128 and SSCC for Inbound Shipments Across Retailers, GS1 Label Templates and Barcode Data and Barcodes in Self-Service Shipping Paperwork. Those articles explain the standard, the role of SSCC values and how barcode data works in more detail.
Retailers are becoming more strict about compliance. In particular, some retailers now verify that SSCC values are actually encoded as GS1-128 data and not just printed in a barcode that uses the GS-128 symbology. This article explains how to set up Pacejet to generate GS1-128 encoded labels with both SSRS-based labels and self-service shipping paperwork labels.
Configure System-Level SSCC Settings
Start with the application settings that control SSCC generation across your environment. These settings define the company-specific values Pacejet uses when it builds SSCC numbers for cartons and other shipping units.
Review these settings in your application configuration:
SSCC Company Prefix: Enter the GS1 company prefix assigned to your organization.
SSCC Extension Digit: Enter the extension digit your company uses for SSCC generation.
SSCC Application Identifier: Being retired for label-specific encoding values. DO NOT USE.
Do not configure the SSCC application identifier at the global level. That value is label specific and should be encoded in the label field that represents the barcode data. For example, the application identifier for an SSCC barcode is 00, and that value belongs in the GS1-128 barcode content for the SSCC field on the label.
Note: The SSCC itself is always 18 characters. The application identifier is part of the GS1-128 barcode data format, not part of the stored SSCC value.
Set Up Label Templates and Printing
After the system-level SSCC settings are in place, configure the templates you need for each retailer or compliance workflow. Some templates are retailer specific because they include customer-specific text, layout rules or additional fields. Other templates can be shared across multiple trading partners when the label requirements are similar.
Set up and validate template printing in this order:
Create or select the label template that will carry the GS1-128 barcode and human-readable SSCC value.
Manually test the template to confirm the output looks correct.
Set up automatic printing for the retailers and workflows that need the label.
Use the template on the Shipment Confirmation page for quick verification after shipping.
If you use SSRS-based labels, confirm that the barcode field is built with GS1-128 data rules, including the correct application identifier for the SSCC field. If you use self-service shipping paperwork labels, confirm that the template uses the correct calculated barcode field and that the visible text on the label matches the carton-level data you expect.
Test a Multi-Box Shipment
Before moving to a live retailer workflow, test a shipment with more than one box. This helps you confirm that Pacejet creates one label per carton and that carton-specific values are generated separately for each package.
During this test, verify that:
multiple labels are produced for the shipment
each carton receives a unique SSCC value
the carton-specific values are stored and available for later review
This step matters because a single-box test can hide issues that only appear when Pacejet has to generate and persist multiple carton identities in the same shipment.
Complete a Sample Shipping Transaction
Next, process a sample order all the way through shipping with several boxes. When the shipment finishes, review the results on the Shipment Confirmation page. This is where you can connect the shipping transaction, the carton count and the generated labels.
On the confirmation page, note these values for your test shipment:
confirmation number
number of packages
purchase order
sales order
delivery order
Then open a sample GS1-128 label from the confirmation page so you can compare the printed output against the shipment data that was just created.
Review the Generated Labels
Review the sample labels carefully. In this example, there should be two labels, one for each box. Focus on both the barcode content and the human-readable text printed on the label.
On each label, look at the encoded barcode value and the SSCC text shown near the bottom of the label. This value must be scannable on the GS1 label and it must also be transmitted to retailers through EDI so the receiving system can match the physical carton to the advance ship notice.
When you review the label, confirm these points:
the SSCC value is 18 characters long
each box has a different SSCC value
the GS1-128 barcode for the SSCC includes application identifier
00the human-readable value aligns with the carton-specific shipment data
Warning: A barcode can look correct and still fail compliance if it does not encode the SSCC using GS1-128 rules. The barcode needs the correct GS1 data structure, not just a visually similar barcode symbol.
Verify Label Compliance With AI or Other Tools
It can also help to run a compliance check outside Pacejet. One practical option is to paste a sample label into Claude AI or another analysis tool and ask it to decode the barcode and confirm whether the label appears compliant.
This kind of review can help you confirm that the SSCC barcode contains the expected GS1-128 structure and that the human-readable value matches what the barcode scanner should return. It is especially useful during setup and retailer onboarding, when you want a second validation step before moving to production.
Confirm SSCC Values in the API Response
The last verification step is to confirm the SSCC and related shipment data returned to your ERP and other connected systems through the ShipmentConfirms API endpoint. This is the best way to make sure the same carton identity used on the label is also available in downstream integrations.
Use the samples page in Pacejet to retrieve the ShipmentConfirms response for your test shipment. Scroll through the response and locate the SSCC value for each carton. For all retail trading partners, this value should be the 18-character SSCC only.
If the returned value includes the application identifier or any extra formatting, review your label and integration mapping separately. The barcode may need the application identifier for encoding, but the stored and returned SSCC value should remain the 18-character carton identifier.
Summary
To set up GS1-128 compliant labels in Pacejet, start by configuring the correct SSCC company prefix and extension digit. Then build or select the right label templates, test automatic printing and run a multi-box shipment so you can confirm that each carton receives a unique SSCC.
After shipping a sample order, review the labels closely. Confirm that each SSCC is 18 characters, that the GS1-128 barcode encodes application identifier 00 for the SSCC field and that the same carton value is returned in the ShipmentConfirms API response. When the label data, the barcode encoding and the downstream shipment data all match, you have the foundation needed for retailer compliance.