2.41 2003-02-03 · Document used for this initial DHL Label specifications 3.03.0 2003-11-28 · IFTMIN Message added (Chapter 7 now)
· BGM-DOC section note 1004 modified: an..15 tot an..10· SG11-LOC note Europremium international shipments deleted· Lay-out label C3, 3.2.11 changed: optional -> mandatory and 3.2.14 changed: mandatory ->
optional.· Appendix B Hold at depot locations updated· Appendix C products DHL updated· Changes in chapter 11.2.2 PDF417 technical implementation
3.1 2005-01-31 · Changing from product Europremium to Europlus.· Appendix B Hold at depot locations updated· EAN routing barcode deleted.· Changes in chapter 7 Data element specifications
3.1.1 2006-10-31 · Changing maximum COD amounts· Appendix B Hold at depot locations updated· DHL logo to be put on the top right of all labels· Appendix A Country code table updated
Each version is valid until officially replaced by a successor.
Future releases of this document are planned to be split between a CAS version and a customerversion. Customers often have to consider many factors that we cannot override (company policy,hardware equipment, …). This is not the case for CAS systems developed by the DHL Network.As those CAS systems are widespread, more restricted specifications for CAS systems willincrease the operational quality of the network significantly.
Parts that are valid for CAS system only are marked with a CAS symbol as shown here.
Cross references are marked with this symbol. They are provided to indicate relatedchapters or to point to complementary information. Circular cross references areintended, to allow for references in either direction.
Important remarks are marked with a red/dark exclamation mark.
Product-specific information is marked with this symbol
2. Concepts ........................................................................................................................72.1 Principles......................................................................................................................................... 72.2 Transport units, single pieces and shipments ................................................................................... 72.3 Unique transport unit identifier.......................................................................................................... 72.4 The label is completed by the pick-up terminal ................................................................................. 7
3.1.1 Basic structure...........................................................................................................................................................................83.1.2 Survey of measures and sizes .................................................................................................................................................9
3.2 The fields in detail .......................................................................................................................... 103.2.1 DHL Logo ................................................................................................................................................................................103.2.2 Label version ...........................................................................................................................................................................103.2.3 Product ....................................................................................................................................................................................103.2.4 CMR logo.................................................................................................................................................................................113.2.5 GTB reference.........................................................................................................................................................................113.2.6 Ship from address ...................................................................................................................................................................113.2.7 Customer logo.........................................................................................................................................................................123.2.8 Ship to address .......................................................................................................................................................................123.2.9 Product features......................................................................................................................................................................133.2.10 Shipment information ..............................................................................................................................................................143.2.11 Structured data file (2D Barcode) ...........................................................................................................................................153.2.12 Product/region specific routing information............................................................................................................................153.2.13 Customer segment..................................................................................................................................................................163.2.14 Routing information.................................................................................................................................................................163.2.15 Unique piece identifier ............................................................................................................................................................16
3.4 Fonts and sizes.............................................................................................................................. 18
4. Product features ..........................................................................................................194.1 General considerations .................................................................................................................. 194.2 Label representations of product features....................................................................................... 19
4.2.1 Handling information ...............................................................................................................................................................194.2.2 Delivery date/time restrictions ................................................................................................................................................20
4.3 Product features that are not shown on the label ............................................................................ 20
5.1.1 Unit loads (pallets) ..................................................................................................................................................................215.1.2 Transport packages ................................................................................................................................................................21
5.2 Non-DHL barcodes on the piece .................................................................................................... 225.2.1 Linear barcodes ......................................................................................................................................................................225.2.2 2-dimensional barcodes..........................................................................................................................................................22
6. ISO License Plate specifications................................................................................236.1 EAN Code list ................................................................................................................................ 246.2 ANSI Code list ............................................................................................................................... 256.3 Barcode representation of the ISO License Plate............................................................................ 26
6.3.1 How to code a License Plate on the label ..............................................................................................................................266.3.2 Barcode length restriction .......................................................................................................................................................266.3.3 CCD based reading systems..................................................................................................................................................276.3.4 ISO License Plate examples ..................................................................................................................................................276.3.5 Error detection code................................................................................................................................................................296.3.6 Plausibility checks ...................................................................................................................................................................29
7. Content of PDF417 bar code.......................................................................................317.1 Normative references..................................................................................................................... 31
7.2 EDIFACT Definitions ...................................................................................................................... 317.2.1 Message..................................................................................................................................................................................317.2.2 Segment ..................................................................................................................................................................................317.2.3 Segment sequence .................................................................................................................................................................317.2.4 Maximum occurrences of segments.......................................................................................................................................327.2.5 Segment group........................................................................................................................................................................327.2.6 Data elements .........................................................................................................................................................................327.2.7 Composite data element.........................................................................................................................................................327.2.8 Component data element .......................................................................................................................................................327.2.9 Status of a record or data field ...............................................................................................................................................327.2.10 Qualifiers .................................................................................................................................................................................327.2.11 Notation of a data element......................................................................................................................................................327.2.12 Level A character set ..............................................................................................................................................................337.2.13 Conversion table not supported characters according to level A ..........................................................................................34
7.3 Decimal mark................................................................................................................................. 347.4 Triad separator............................................................................................................................... 347.5 Sign ............................................................................................................................................... 347.6 Branching diagram......................................................................................................................... 357.7 Declaration of data elements.......................................................................................................... 357.8 Data element specifications (hierarchical, sequential)..................................................................... 37
7.8.1 UNH, Message header ...........................................................................................................................................................377.8.2 BGM, Beginning of message..................................................................................................................................................377.8.3 DTM, Date/time/period............................................................................................................................................................377.8.4 TSR, Transport service requirements ....................................................................................................................................387.8.5 MOA, Monetary amounts........................................................................................................................................................387.8.6 FTX, Free text .........................................................................................................................................................................397.8.7 SG2 TOD, Terms of delivery ..................................................................................................................................................397.8.8 SG11 NAD, Name and address .............................................................................................................................................417.8.9 SG11 LOC, Place/location identification ................................................................................................................................427.8.10 SG12 CTA, Contact information.............................................................................................................................................427.8.11 SG12 COM, Communication contact .....................................................................................................................................427.8.12 SG18 GID, Goods piece details .............................................................................................................................................427.8.13 SG20 MEA, Measurements ....................................................................................................................................................437.8.14 SG23 PCI, Package identification ..........................................................................................................................................437.8.15 SG32 DGS, Dangerous Goods ..............................................................................................................................................447.8.16 SG34 MEA, Measurements ....................................................................................................................................................457.8.17 UNT Message trailer ...............................................................................................................................................................45
7.9 Examples of messages .................................................................................................................. 457.9.1 On piece level..........................................................................................................................................................................457.9.2 Shipment level (shipments contain 2 pieces).........................................................................................................................47
9. Encoding of ANSI/FACT routing barcode..................................................................539.1 General structure ........................................................................................................................... 539.2 Destination country and postcode................................................................................................... 539.3 Product coding for all DHL Express products.................................................................................. 549.4 Feature coding in general............................................................................................................... 549.5 Feature coding for road-based transport products .......................................................................... 54
9.5.1 Delivery Date Coding ..............................................................................................................................................................549.5.2 Delivery Time Coding..............................................................................................................................................................549.5.3 Product Feature Coding..........................................................................................................................................................559.5.4 Region specific routing information ........................................................................................................................................559.5.5 Summarising tables for road-based transport processes......................................................................................................569.5.6 Routing barcode examples for Europlus ................................................................................................................................56
10. Data representation.....................................................................................................5810.1 Data in human readable form ......................................................................................................... 58
10.2 Data in linear barcode symbols ...................................................................................................... 5810.3 Data in two-dimensional symbols ................................................................................................... 5810.4 Error detection / checksums........................................................................................................... 59
11. Technical barcode specifications ..............................................................................6111.1 Linear barcode............................................................................................................................... 61
11.1.1 Code 128 general information ................................................................................................................................................6111.1.2 Requirements ..........................................................................................................................................................................63
11.2 Two dimensional barcode .............................................................................................................. 6511.2.1 General information ................................................................................................................................................................6511.2.2 PDF417 technical information ................................................................................................................................................65
12. Normative references ..................................................................................................6912.1 ISO standards................................................................................................................................ 69
12.1.1 ISO 3166 .................................................................................................................................................................................6912.1.2 ISO 15394 ...............................................................................................................................................................................6912.1.3 ISO 15459-1 ............................................................................................................................................................................6912.1.4 ISO 15418 ...............................................................................................................................................................................6912.1.5 ISO 15434 ...............................................................................................................................................................................7012.1.6 ISO 15416 ...............................................................................................................................................................................70
12.2 CEN standards............................................................................................................................... 7012.2.1 EN 1573...................................................................................................................................................................................7012.2.2 EN 1635...................................................................................................................................................................................70
12.4 Industry standards ......................................................................................................................... 7112.4.1 MH10.8.2 .................................................................................................................................................................................7112.4.2 General EAN.UCC Specification, version 4.0........................................................................................................................71
Appendix A. ISO Country code 3166 and ISO Currency code 4217............................72Appendix B. Hold at Depot locations (Benelux)...........................................................73Appendix C. Products features DHL (former VGLEE)..................................................74Appendix D. Terms and definitions...............................................................................75
This document covers the specifications of the automated (non-pre-printed) version of theDeutsche Post World Net DHL Transport Label.
This transport label is to be used by all partners in the Deutsche Post World Net network, in alldomestic and international operations, as far as the respective Business Unit has been consideredby this document already.
For manually generated labels see the Manual Label Specifications.
The automated transport label is defined according to the world-wide standard ISO 15394 –Packaging - Bar code and two-dimensional symbols for shipping, transport and receiving labels.This standard is based on the standard ISO 15394 Packaging — Bar code and two-dimensionalsymbols for shipping, transport and receiving labels and its European predecessor, CEN EN1573Multi Industry Transport Label.
1.1 Content
This manual contains all information required to implement the DHL Transport Label. Regionalspecifications extending this document or putting parts of it in concrete terms are possible butmust by no means contradict this document.
The purpose of the DPWN DHL Transport Label is to facilitate the automatic exchange of dataamong all members within the channel of distribution: sender, Deutsche Post World Net partnersand receiver.
2.2 Transport units, single pieces and shipments
Within the networks of Deutsche Post World Net, a transport unit is the smallest identifiable unitsuitable for shipping, i.e. a pallet, carton, bag etc. A transport unit will be referred to as an piece inthis document.
A Shipment (or consignment) is an administrative concept that is used to designate
· one or more pieces that are
· to be transported at the same day, with the
· same product and features, from the
· same DHL terminal to the
· same delivery address.
A Unique shipment number, assigned by the responsible DHL unit identifies the shipment.
The referencing of the pieces to the shipment has to be given to the transport provider in form of adocument (waybill or manifest) or in electronic form. In case of a shipment from the Benelux, thePDF barcode is applicable.
2.3 Unique transport unit identifier
A unique transport unit identifier is assigned to each individual piece. The identifier or « LicensePlate » is the key providing access to information stored in computer files and which may betransmitted by EDI or PDF barcode. It enables the tracking and tracing of individual pieces. It mustbe guaranteed that only one such identifier exists in the whole world. It is not permitted in anysituation to have an piece labelled with two different License Plates.
The Data Identifier preceding the License Plate, such as “J” or “4J”, is not part of the License Plateitself. It does not have to be considered when determining the License Plate length. Two LicensePlates are identical if their only difference is a deviating data identifier (e.g. “J” versus “2J”).
See also chapter 6.2
A collection, consisting of pieces marked with License Plate identifiers, must not be marked with aLicense Plate identifier, unless the labels of the contained pieces are covered (e.g. by black shrinkfoil).
2.4 The label is completed by the pick-up terminal
It is assumed that the DHL Transport Label is usually printed and applied to the transport piece bythe DHL pick-up terminal or directly by the customer/sender. Responsibility for the correctness ofall the information on the label is assumed to be with the DHL branch that is responsible for thecustomer
The label consists of 8 mandatory sections and 6 optional sections. The sections of the label arearranged as shown below. The numbers refer to the following paragraphs where the sections aredescribed in detail.Horizontal lines to increase readability, however this is not mandatory, may separate sections.
3.2.4
CMR logo orAVC logo
3.2.2
Labelversion
(optional)
3.2.3
Product
3.2.1
DHL Logo
3.2.5
GTB reference (optional)
3.2.6
Ship from address
3.2.7
Customer logo(optional)
3.2.8
Ship to address
3.2.9
Product features
3.2.10
Shipment information
3.2.11
Structured data file (2D Barcode for road shipments)
alternatively text"CMR“ or “AVC”Min. 2 mm high,bold black font. Onlywhere applicable.
Label version(optional)
Version number ofLabel / printingsoftware; 1 mm min.high black font.
ProductProduct Name or Product Content Code
5 mm high bold black lettering.
GTB reference (optional)"We are working exclusively on basis of our current GTB in force and CMR"
1 mm min. high black font.
DHL LogoLogo: Minimum: 10 mm highand 30 mm wide.
alternatively printed in plaintext,min. 10 mm high, bold blackfont.
Plus sending DHL unit(optional)
Ship from address "FROM" – 2 mm high black font. Senders Information - Min. 2 mm high black lettering, ( 7 lines max.)
- Name of the sender / company name- Street and house number, house number extension, etc.- Postcode, town name ( maybe prefixed by ISO 3166 two-character country code )- Country name ( always mandatory for international pieces )
Customer logo(optional)
must not exceed 25 mm in height
Ship to address "TO" – 2 mm high black font. Delivery address - Min. 2,5 mm high black lettering,
must not exceed 30 mm in height- Name of the sender / company’s name- Street and house number, house number extension, etc.- Post code, Town ( maybe prefixed by ISO 3166 two-character country code ), 3 mm high bold lettering- Country name ( always mandatory for international pieces ), 3 mm high bold lettering ( 7 lines max. )
Product features6 mm min. high bold font, in white characters on a black background, must not exceed 20 mm in heightthe inverse block must be at least 10 mm wide,1 mm high black font "Day" and "Time" mandatory if feature used.1 mm high black font “Handling” (right above in the frame ), mandatory if a frame used instead of inverse printing
Shipment informationPiece Number and Number of Pieces – 4,5 mm high bold black font, must not exceed 20 mm in heightShipment information – 2 mm high black font ,The entries “customer number”, “sender’s reference” and “date” are optional
Structured data file (2D Barcode for road shipments)
Product/region specific routing (optional)Space for DHL internal routing information
Customer segment (optional)Space for sender information
DHL Routing information; (2L) or (403) (optional)Barcode symbology: Code 128 is mandatoryThe minimum size for the quiet zones left and right is 5 mm eachThe minimum height for the bar code is 25 mmThe barcode must not be longer than 91 mmThe minimum narrow element dimension (x-dimension) shall not be less than 0.33 mm and not exceed 0.51 mmQuality requirements of the linear bar code must, as a minimum, conform to ANSI “Grade B“Content of the Barcode printed in 2mm black plain text below the barcode
Unique piece identifier: License PlateBarcode symbology : Code 128 is mandatory for ANSI/FACT LP, EAN 128 is mandatory for EAN SSCCThe minimum size for the quiet zones left and right is 5 mm eachThe minimum height for the bar code is 25 mmThe barcode must not be longer than 91 mmThe minimum narrow element dimension (x-dimension) shall not be less than 0.33 mm and not exceed 0.51 mmQuality requirements of the linear bar code must, as a minimum, conform to ANSI “Grade B“Content of the Barcode must be printed in 2mm black plain text below the barcode
This section contains the carrier logo. Below the logo, information about the responsible DHLterminal or country organisation should be printed.
As of 2003-04-01, the following logo shall be used: DHL.
This segment is placed in the upper left corner of the label. Due to legal restrictions, this section ismandatory.
If it is not possible to insert images into the label, the logo text has to be printed in plain textinstead. However, labels containing a pre-printed logo are the preferred solution in this case.
For transport labels, the black&white version of the logos is sufficient. When using labels with apre-printed logo, the official colour specifications have to be followed.
Any CAS system must print the logo as an image. Plain text is not allowed.
3.2.1.1 General DHL logo
3.2.2 Label version
This section depicts a version number for the label. It allows verification to what specifications thelabel is printed. This version information helps to update the label format and content. Arecommended layout is of the form "v3.1.1" for the document version 3.1.1.
The section is also intended to reflect the date of a destination routing table where applicable.
This section is not mandatory.
Font, Font Style, Font Size
Please refer to chapter 3.4 for font, font style, and font size to use
3.2.3 Product
This section contains the name of the service used e.g. « Europlus ».
Font, Font Style, Font Size
Please refer to chapter 3.4 for font, font style, and font size to use
This section contains the CMR logo. This section is mandatory for all international road-basedshipments, where the CMR law not only regulates the rights of the consignor (with whom thecarrier has a contract), but also the consignee, with whom the carrier does not have a contract inmost cases.
For domestic shipments inside the Netherlands, the CMR logo is not allowed, however it may notbe printed. In this CMR label section ‘AVC’ must be printed.
If the printer does not support graphics, it is sufficient to print the letters CMR or AVC.
3.2.4.1 CMR image
3.2.5 GTB reference
This section contains a reference to the general terms of business (GTB). The recommended textis "We are working exclusively on basis of our current GTB in force and CMR".
This section is not mandatory.
Font, Font Style, Font Size
Please refer to chapter 3.4 for font, font style, and font size to use
3.2.6 Ship from address
The “ship from” section refers to the address of the sender, for identification by the carrier as wellas the receiver.
Under certain conditions an address other than the pick-up address may be printed here. Such anaddress, however, has to be a real address of the customer as well. Furthermore, certaintransport products may require the correct pick-up address to appear here for customs reasons.
Layout
The word “From” is to be printed in the upper left corner of this section.
The height of the section should not exceed 2,5 cm.
Address
The position of the postcode should be consistent with the standard layout for postal addresses inthe country of the ship from address. Typically, it will be one of the following four possibilities:
(1) preceding the town name (e.g. France, Germany),
(2) on a separate line at the end of the address block (e.g. United Kingdom, Hungary),
(3) following the town name (e.g. USA, Malta),
(4) Non-existent (e.g. Ireland).
The address shall be structured in the following way:
· Name of the sender / company name
· Contact name, phone number
· Street and house number, house number extension, special instructions like floor, room etc
· Post code, town (according to local standards – see above, maybe prefixed by ISO 3166 two-character country code)
· County or State according to local standards
· Country name (optional for domestic shipments, mandatory for cross-border shipments if ISO3166 code is missing)
For domestic pieces the country name may be printed in local language. For all cross-borderpieces the country name has to be printed in English (may be followed by local translation).
The maximum number of lines is restricted by the corresponding DHL-internal data flow and themaximum height of the block. Each line contains a maximum of 35 characters.
Any CAS application has to offer at least 5 lines for the consignee address.
For locations abroad, the name of the country should be written in its own line, as long as there isenough space within the maximum length of the label. Optionally, the ISO 3166 two charactercountry code can be put before the postcode or the full country name could be added to the townline. In these cases a separate line containing the full country name is not required.
The word “From” may be written in a local language, however for international shipments theEnglish word “From” must appear as well. In this case only English, or both languages (Englishand local language) may be used, separated by a “/”.
This section is not mandatory, if the piece already has a label with the “ship from” address that iscompliant with the specifications mentioned above.
Font, Font Style, Font Size
Please refer to chapter 3.4 for font, font style, and font size to use
3.2.7 Customer logo
If the customer wants to put his logo onto the label, the logo has to be placed within this section.In this case the space the logo takes up will be taken out of the space for the from address. As thefrom address is printed in a smaller font than the to address, space should be sufficient.
This section is not mandatory.
3.2.8 Ship to address
This section is mandatory. If the piece already has a label with the “ship to” address that iscompliant with the specifications mentioned above, the sentence “please refer to separateaddress label on piece” can be printed here instead.
In the top left corner of this section the word “To” is printed. The ship to address has “hooks”, i.e.thicker corners to highlight it from the other information blocks. The recommended size of thehooks is 4 x 4 mm and the line thickness is > 0.5 mm.
The height of the section should not exceed 3 cm.
Address
Font, Font Style, Font Size
The ship to address is printed using a bigger font than the ship from address.
Please refer to chapter 3.4 for font size definitions.
The word “To” may be written in local language, however for export shipments the English word“To” must appear as well. Alternatively, both languages (English and domestic) may be used,separated with a “/”.
This section is not mandatory, if the piece already has a label with the “ship to” address that iscompliant with the specifications mentioned above.
The position of the postcode should be consistent with the standard layout for postal addresses inthe country of the ship to address. Typically, it will be one of the following four possibilities:
(1) preceding the town name (e.g. France, Germany),
(2) on a line by itself at the end of the address (e.g. United Kingdom, Hungary),
(3) following the town name (e.g. USA, Malta),
(4) not present (e.g. Ireland).
The address shall be structured in the following way:
· Name of the receiver / company name
· Contact name, phone number
· Street and house number, house number extension, special instructions like floor, room etc
· Post code, Town (according to local standards – see above, maybe prefixed by ISO 3166 two-character country code)
· County or State according to local standards
· Country name (optional for domestic shipments, mandatory for cross-border shipments even ifISO 3166 code is present)
3.2.9 Product features
In this section a list of certain product features is shown to support DHL internal procedures. Onlythe product features that affect the delivery- or the routing/sorting process are shown on the label.The remaining product features appear only on the accompanying documentation, such as theelectronic information (EDI), the pickup- and delivery lists or the PDF barcode.
Layout
The height of the section should not exceed 2 cm. This section is mandatory; it contains the twoparts described below.
For more information about the use of the product features please refer to chapter 4.
3.2.9.1 Carrier handling information
The carrier handling information is printed left aligned. The codes to be used depend on theproduct chosen. This section is shown in reverse video (if this is not supported by the printer, asurrounding rectangle can be used). To easily identify the product feature section, the inverseblock must be at least 1 cm wide, even if no relevant feature is selected.
3.2.9.2 Date- / time certain information as part of transport order
This information is mandatory for each DHL product where it is applicable. The information isprinted right aligned. The date and time header is optional unless a date- or time feature isselected, in which case it is mandatory.
3.2.10 Shipment information
See chapter 2.2 for a definition of a "shipment"
The shipment section contains the following information.
· The shipment number
This number is not mandatory for Europlus shipments: If this information cannot bespecified correctly for consolidated shipments, it must be left out. No dummyreplacements with incorrect information are allowed.
The number is mandatory for all other DHL Express products.
· The customer number.
This is a key to the database, referring to the party to be billed for the freight costs. Thecustomer number is mandatory.
· Sender’s reference.
This is a key to the sender’s database, and can be used by the sender to reference and trackpieces. The sender’s reference is optional and for the sender’s internal purposes only.
· Shipment date.
The dispatch date of the shipment / piece, represented in ISO format (YYYY-MM-DD). Thisdate is optional.
· Relative number and total number of pieces in shipment
The relative piece number of the piece within a shipment and the total number of pieces in theshipment, in the format
"1/23", "2/23", …
This information is mandatory, except for Europlus.
If this information cannot be specified reliably for consolidated Europlus shipments, itmust be left out. No incorrect information is allowed.
Layout:
The height of the section should not exceed 2 cm.
The names of the pieces are listed in the following order:Position No. Piece1 left Shipment no.:2 left Customer number:3 left Sender’s reference:
The relative piece number of the piece is separated with a slash « / » from the total number ofpieces.
Font, Font Style, Font Size:
Please refer to chapter 3.4 for font size definitions.
This section is mandatory.
The entries “customer number”, “sender’s reference” and “date” are optional. Each of them maybe defined mandatory by any DHL Business Unit / region for own customers.
The entries “shipment no.” and “Relative and total number of pieces” are principally mandatory.However, they have to be suppressed if their correctness cannot be guaranteed.Structured data file (2D Barcode for road shipments)
3.2.11 Structured data file (2D Barcode)
This section contains an EDIFACT message, represented as a two dimensional (PDF417)barcode. For the contents of the EDIFACT message see chapter 7. This section is mandatory forBenelux shipments (former VGL).
For domestic shipments, the 2D barcode does replace the routing information barcode(see section 3.2.14).
The content of the PDF417 barcode is referred to in section 7
A 2D barcode can be used only where supported by local pick-up and never for directinjections.
3.2.12 Product/region specific routing information
This section contains domestic routing information that is specific to certain products and/orregions. In contrary to the routing barcode, it can contain destination information (delivery depot,
tour, …) derived from destination postcode and product information. This information is used formanual sorting of pieces (operational in future).
This section is not mandatory. It must be omitted or left empty for pieces sent cross border unlessit is preceded by the consignee country's ISO 3166 country code.
3.2.13 Customer segment
This section can be used by the sender to describe the goods that are sent. There are norestrictions, as long as the information does not interfere with the other information on the label. Ifthis section contains barcodes, the DHL Transport Label restrictions for other barcodes on thepiece apply (see 5.2).
This section is not mandatory.
3.2.14 Routing information
For routing purposes, the country code, the international postcode (as used in UPU context),routing relevant product features and a customs clearance flag are represented in bar-coded form.
See section 9 for a list of product features and their encoding in the routing barcode.
The content of the routing barcode is shown in human readable form below the barcode.
The length of the barcode is restricted to 91 mm, according to the maximum label width.
The barcode type Code 128 is mandatory for the routing barcode.
This section is mandatory for all across border shipments outside the Benelux. It may be replacedby a 2-dimensional barcode for domestic shipments in some regions like the Benelux. Please referto region-specific descriptions.
See chapter 3.3 for maximum label width and chapter 11.2 for the 2-dimensional barcode.
3.2.15 Unique piece identifier
One unique piece identifier must be applied to each individual piece. This identifier (“LicensePlate”) must be chosen according to the ISO 15459-1 standard (Information Technology – Uniqueidentification of transport units).This unique piece identifier is represented in bar-coded form. Thelength of the barcode is restricted to 91 mm, according to the maximum label width.
See chapter 3.3 for maximum label width and chapter 6 for the unique identifier. Thebarcode specifications can be found in chapter 11.
Although, according to the official standard, only Code 128 is allowed to encode LicensePlate numbers, any barcode produced by a CAS system or any DHL internal software hasto use Code 128.
The unique piece identifier has to be shown in human readable form below the barcode as well.Following international habits, the Data / Application Identifier should be printed in round brackets.For readability reasons it is strongly recommended to group the code by blocks of four digits,beginning with the first character of the License Plate.
The label is to be printed preferably in a portrait format. A landscape format is only allowed as anexception, to be approved by the DHL Express Central Label Administration Office.
The label width must be within 95 and 105 mm.
The preferred label length is 148 mm, but it can be longer if necessary. A general maximum lengthis not defined. However, each customer must be given the possibility to print labels that are notlonger than 250 mm.
As an exception, the label can be divided over two smaller sized labels. In this case the label, thatdoes not contain the unique piece identifier in bar-coded form, must contain the unique pieceidentifier at least in human readable form (minimal font size 8 point).
For any CAS system, the portrait format is mandatory.
See chapter 8 for examples.
3.3.1 Deviating layouts
All deviating layouts have to be approved by the DHL Approval Office in charge.
The label example in chapter 8 is based on the Arial font, but other sans-serif fonts may beaccepted if they provide an equal legibility. However, Arial is recommended.
The following values specify minimum font sizes. However, the maximum height per block has tobe considered. Furthermore, the font size for the consignee address must be bigger than the fontsize for the sender address. For each address, the postcode and town font size must not besmaller than the size of the biggest font used in the respective address.
Section Element Font Sizein pt
Fontheight inmm
Size indots at200 dpi
FontStyle
Product Name of Product 18 6.35 50Ship from address “From” 8 2.82 22
Address 8 2.82 22Ship to address “To” 8 2.82 22
Address (name, street) 10 3.53 28Address (zip code, city, country) 11 3.88 31 BoldPhone number 10 3.53 28
Product features Codes 26 9.18 72 BoldHeaders 5 1.77 14
Shipment data Name of the pieces, data 8 2.82 22Relative and total number of pieces (e.g. 2/4) 20 7.06 56 Bold
DHL country specificrouting information
To be defined by DHL country organisation. For“normal text”, i.e. for text without special instructions,the font size should not be smaller than the sizeobtained using Arial 10. Form texts should not besmaller than Arial 8 points or the equivalent.
Routing information Routing information 8 2.82 22Unique piece identifier Unique piece identifier 8 2.82 22Version Label version (recommended size, no minimum) 5 1.77 14GTB GTB reference(recommended size, no minimum) 5 1.77 14
“Font height in mm” and “Size in dots at 200 dpi” are rounded values and for information purposeonly. They have been added to make programming easier.
DHL product portfolio consists of relatively few products each of which can be added by productfeatures according to the DHL product and feature table.
Only product features that may be relevant for routing and delivery processes are shown on thelabel. That means that the label does not necessarily reflect the whole order: It is neither a waybillnor intended to be a complete backup of the order data. The label’s primary purpose is to lead thepiece through the network without the need of the corresponding order data.
If a product feature is not chosen it is not shown on the label either. The product features areidentified in the product feature section of the label.
The product features are represented in human readable form, to support the manual sorting- anddelivery process. In addition, a bar-coded representation of the product features is also present onthe label.
Please refer to chapter 3.2.9 for more details about the layout of this section and chapter 9for the bar-coded representation of the product features.
4.2 Label representations of product features
Three types of information are printed In the product features section:
1. Sorting information, to support the sorting process.
2. Delivery information, to support the actual delivery process.
3. Delivery date/time.
The sorting- and delivery information are combined in one block called handling information.
4.2.1 Handling information
The following product features are shown in the handling information part.
Name Text code onlabel
Description
Cash on delivery CODCustoms goods C All pieces shipped from a European Union (EU) country to a non-EU
country, or vice versa, or shipped from a non-EU country to a non-EUcountry are customs clearance pieces. An piece shipped within the EUis not considered a customs clearance piece, even when the pieceshould transit through a country outside the EU. See Appendix A.
Ex works EXW Consignee pays freight costsHold at Depot H Consignee picks up goods at depotDangerous Goods DG Dangerous Goods
· For customs clearance relevant pieces a “C” is shown. All pieces shipped across a customsboundary are considered customs relevant pieces. However, bonded goods do not need to bemarked with a "C".
Due to the importance of the handling information for the efficient routing of the pieces through thenetwork, this information must be printed in reverse video or – should the printing hardware notsupport reverse video – with a surrounding frame with the header “Handling” information printedleft aligned, to increase visibility. When more than one letter is shown, the letters are separated bya comma (“,”) or a minus sign (“-“). Example: “EXW, C” or “C.O.D.-EXW”.
When none of the above features is chosen, the left side of the product features section remainsempty; an inverse block (or empty frame) of at least 1 cm has to be printed in this case.
4.2.2 Delivery date/time restrictions
4.2.2.1 Delivery date
On the right side of the product features section, the delivery date or time features are shown.
The delivery date/time information has a header, consisting of the words “day” and “time”. Thewords “day” and “time” may be written in the local language, however for international shipmentsthe English words “day” and “time” must appear as well. In this case only English, or bothlanguages (English and domestic) may be used, separated with a “/”.
If a day certain feature is chosen, the specified day of the month is shown, in 2 digit numericformat with leading zeroes.
The month or the year is not shown although the day alone could be ambiguous. This isdue to the idea that the information on the label is only supportive and does not have tocontain the whole order.
This field may also contain non-numeric values, representing delivery instructions that cannot becombined with a certain delivery date.
The following product feature is shown in the day and time information part.Name Text code on
labelDescription
Saturday delivery S Delivered next Saturday (sending date is Friday)
4.2.2.2 Delivery time
If a time window is chosen, the code corresponding to the time window is shown. If a day certain-and a time window feature is chosen, the corresponding codes are separated by a minus sign (“-”). Example: “05-X”. The separator is not required, unless both features are chosen.
The delivery date/time information has a header, consisting of the words “day” and “time”. Thewords “day” and “time” may be written in local language, however for international shipments theEnglish words “day” and “time” must appear as well. In this case only English, or both languages(English and domestic) may be used, separated with a “/”.
If a time window is chosen, the code corresponding to the time window is shown in the dayinformation part.(see table below).
Time window CodesDelivery before 11:00 11
4.3 Product features that are not shown on the label
The product features not mentioned in chapter 4.2 are not shown on the label. These productfeatures appear only on the accompanying documentation, such as the electronic information(EDI), the pickup- and delivery lists, or the PDF barcode.
Labels should be fixed at a suitable location where there is a minimal risk of damage. The surfacewhere the label is placed on should be even and the label should stick on it durably.
5.1.1 Unit loads (pallets)
Labels should be placed on the side of the piece with the human readable information parallel tothe natural bottom of the piece. Each pallet must have exactly one Euro Express label. The labelshould be placed right of centre allowing a minimum of 5 cm from either edge. The label shouldnot be placed over a seam nor should sealing bands be placed over the label in a manner thatinterferes with the scanning of the label. The bottom edge of the label should be within the rangeof 40 cm to 80 cm from the bottom of the pallet. If the pallet is less than 50 cm in height, the labelshould be placed as high as possible on the pallet considering the minimum distance of 5 cm fromeither edge. See figure below.
40 - 80 cm
5 cm minimum5 cmminimum
5.1.2 Transport packages
Pieces up to 1 m in height require the placement of the label on top of the package. Theplacement on the side of the package should be avoided whenever possible; it must not be placedon the bottom at all. The edges of the label should be at least 2,5 cm away from the edges of thepackage.
Transport packages greater than 1 m in height should follow the recommendation of 5.1.1.
5.2 Non-DHL barcodes on the piece
The DHL Transport Label may require a number of barcodes needed by DHL, depending on thesituation:
· The piece identifier (see section 3.2.15). This linear barcode is mandatory on all pieces.
· The routing barcode (see section 3.2.14). This linear barcode is mandatory for all internationalshipments (see section 0).
· The 2D barcode (see section 0). This barcode is mandatory for shipments departing a Benluxcountry.
The customer can apply more barcodes to the piece, linear as well as 2-dimensional, for his ownpurposes. However, care must be taken that these other barcodes do not interfere with DHL internalprocesses. For this reason, the following restrictions apply to other barcodes on the piece:
5.2.1 Linear barcodes
The following restrictions for linear barcodes apply to linear barcodes other than the linearbarcodes on the DHL Transport Label:
· No linear barcode of any length, using barcode type CODE 128 and starting with the ANSIData Identifier J, 1J , 2J , 3J , 4J, 5J, 6J or 2L may appear on the piece.
· No linear barcode of any length, using barcode type EAN 128 (i.e. Code 128 starting with anFNC1 character) headed by an Application Identifier 00 or 403 may appear on the piece.
· No linear barcode with a fixed length of 12 characters, using barcode type I2of5 and startingwith the characters “07”.
See section 11.1.1 for Code 128 specifications
5.2.2 2-dimensional barcodes
The following restrictions for 2-dimensional barcodes apply to 2-dimensional barcodes other thanthe 2-dimensional barcode specified by DHL Express:
· No 2-dimensional barcode of any length, using barcode symbology PDF417 and usingstandard headers as used by DHL units (see section 7) may appear on the piece.
See section 11.2.1.1 for PDF417 specifications. The DHL Express standard headers andEDIFACT format will be described in section 7.
The user assigns a License Plate to an piece. Every License Plate user must be authorised by anIssuing Agency according to the rules that that agency has drawn up and are written in the ISOnorm 15459-1. Issuing agencies are authorised by and registered at the Registration Authority,according to ISO norm 15459-2.
A License Plate number:
· must begin with a combination of characters, the issuing agency code (IAC), which isassigned by the Registration Authority to the issuing agency. The EAN organisation issues aLicense Plate (called the Serial Shipping Container Code, SSCC), with numeric IssuingAgency code. Other issuing agency codes usually contain letters.
· must be constructed according to the specification of the issuing agency (see separatesection);
· must be unique so that no user can re-use a number within a sufficiently long time period sothat the first number has a unique meaning for every user of this standard. DHL Express hasdecided to set this period to 12 months; recommended for a longer time e.g. 3 years
· may only contain numbers or upper case letters (no lower case letters or other characters).This means only the characters "0".."9" and "A".."Z" are allowed; drawn from ISO/IEC 646
· may not contain more than 35 characters. Because no extra information other than the uniquenumber is expected in the barcode, in practice the barcode will not likely contain more than 20characters.
The ISO License Plate recognises two code lists. The first is according to the ANSI classification,the second according to the EAN classification. All Issuing Agencies with exception of EAN areobliged to make use of the ANSI classification.
An EAN-128 type barcode is always preceded with the code 128 character with value 102 (the so-called FNC1 symbol). This indicates to the barcode scanner that it is handling an EAN-128 code.The scanner passes this through as “]C1”.
Element DescriptionFF Application identifier. This has a fixed value of 00 to indicate that a SSCC follows, which is 18 characters long. The
Application identifier is not part of the EAN SSCC itselfP Extension digit. This used to be a packing indicator. Meanwhile it can officially be used to increase the sequence
number range. The value is usually 3.EEEE EAN/UCC number of the SSCC owner (‘client’ number at EAN). Called “company prefix”. Varying length of 7-9 numeric
charactersRRRR Sequence number, varying length of 7-9 charactersC Control number (check digit modulo 10)
The barcode is completely numeric and has a fixed length of 20 characters (including theApplication Identifier and the check digit).
The barcode part is always preceded by the FNC1 character. It is followed by the ApplicationIdentifier, the extension digit, the company prefix and the serial reference number. This uniquepart is determined by the sender and is unique for a period of at least 12 months. Recommendedfor a longer time e.g. 3 years.
Finally there is a control number calculated by the application. This is calculated following themodulus 10 method.
This is an example of check digit calculation which uses a weighted Modulo 10 scheme for theString 1234567:
The sum of the product of the characters values and their weight factors is:
3+2+9+4+15+6+21 = 60
remainder of 60/10 = 0
check digit = 10 - 0 = 0
bar-coded string = 12345670
This must by no means be confused with the Code 128 immanent check digit! That controlcharacter applies to all Code 128 barcodes; it is never part of the content (see section 11.1.1.2).
For a general overview of checksum principles see section 10.4
The total unique part is always completely numeric. In the readable text below the barcode theApplication Identifier is always put between parentheses. These parentheses are for clarity onlyand do not occur in the barcode.
The ISO License Plate according to the ANSI code list is built up as follows:
FF IAC KKKK
Element DescriptionFF ANSI data identifier for License Plate. Currently, valid data identifiers are: “J”, “1J”, “2J”, “3J”, ”4J”, ”5J” and “6J”.
Two License Plates are identical if their only difference is a deviating data identifier (e.g. “J” versus “2J”)IAC The Issuing Agency Code (For a complete list see chapter 6.3.6.1)KKKK Sequence number, alphanumeric. Other characters and spaces are not allowed. Variable length.
The ANSI code list starts with a data identifier to show that it concerns a License Plate code,followed by the IAC code and the sequence number. Typically, the sequence number contains aclient reference number (supplied by the issuing agency) followed by a sequence number,generated by the client. In this way uniqueness can be guaranteed, whilst allowing the client togenerate numbers within a number range.
The ANSI data identifier is NOT part of the License Plate! It does not have to be considered whendetermining the length of the License Plate. In the readable text below the barcode the DataIdentifier is always put between parentheses. These parentheses are for clarity only and do notoccur in the barcode. The maximum length of the License Plate is 35 characters.
Example (used by DHL Express in the Netherlands for Europlus shipments):
J = Data identifier (DI)
VGL = Issuing Agency Code (IAC)
04165817 = Client number at DHL (In the Benelux, fixed length of 8 digits)
6.3 Barcode representation of the ISO License Plate
6.3.1 How to code a License Plate on the label
A License Plate has to be printed on a label both as a barcode and in plain text.
The following image is intended to describe the relation between database storage, bar-codingand plain text print of License Plates:
6.3.2 Barcode length restriction
The unique identifier (ISO License Plate) applied to the piece is represented in bar-coded form onthe label. The bar-coded representation of the ISO License Plate must not exceed a length of 91mm.
Therefore, DHL Express accepts all License Plates issued by Issuing Agencies according to therules that that agency has drawn up and are written in the ISO norm 15459-1, and that can berepresented with a barcode that has a length shorter or equal to 91 mm (using thesespecifications).
The location of the License Plate barcode on the label is described in chapter 3.2.15. The DHLExpress barcode specifications can be found in chapter 11.
It is recommended (though not required) that a location pattern be printed not less than 2 mm, normore than 5 mm above the License Plate barcode. This pattern consists of an interruptedhorizontal line, equal in thickness to four times the narrow element dimension of the barcode, with:
· a first, printed, segment being 10+1 mm in length and starting between 6.4 and 10 mm fromthe left edge of the label, followed by
· a space of 10+1 mm, followed by
· a printed segment of length 20+1 mm, followed by
· a space of 10+1 mm, followed by
· a printed segment of length 30+1 mm.
The printing of a location pattern above the License Plate barcode will aid (future CCD-based)reading systems to locate the License Plate. The pattern specified also enables orientation to bedetermined.
This location pattern can be very helpful, when multiple barcodes appear on the piece.
6.3.4 ISO License Plate examples
The table below shows the length of the barcode representations of some examples of ISOLicense Plates. These barcode representations have the smallest width within these specifications(see11).
However, the most widely used thermal label printers have a resolution of 200 dots per inch. Thismeans that the smallest narrow bar width these printers can produce (within these specifications)is 0.381 mm. In this case 3 dots per bar are used. With laser printers, or other printing techniques,the bar-widths can usually be chosen more precisely. In this case, a smaller bar-width can bechosen to allow for longer License Plates. Please note that it is recommended to choose thelargest bar-width within these specifications (that still produces a barcode smaller than 91mm).This increases the readability of the barcode.
The maximum number of characters to be coded in a barcode of 91 mm or less can be calculatedaccording to the following formula:
( )11
35/91 -x (where x is the narrow bar width (or x-dimension)
Note that one data character can encode two numeric digits if character set C is used. Code setselection characters have to be considered as well.
The smallest possible x-dimension above 0.33 mm is 0.381 mm. The formula results in amaximum of 18,531 characters. That means, up to 18 characters can be coded withoutviolating the 91 mm limit.
An example for 18 characters is a combination of 2 alpha + 30 numeric:"JD" + [Code C] + 001234567890123456789012345678
Case 2: 1600 dpi laser printer:
If we take 0.33 as the smallest possible x-dimension, the formula results in a maximum of21.887 characters. If we take 0.34 instead, the calculation results in a maximum numberof 21.150 characters. In both cases, up to 21 characters can be coded without violatingthe 91 mm limit.
An example for 21 characters is the following combination of 4 alpha + 32 numeric(representing a License Plate with the maximum number of 35 digits):"JNDA" + [Code C] + 12345678901234567890123456789012
The following 3 examples of License Plate barcodes are compliant with the specifications:
4 x alpha + 28 x numeric (length 91 mm, x-dim=0.373 mm)
(J)IAC1234567890123456789012345678
19 x alpha (length 91 mm, x-dim=0.373 mm)
(J)IACDEFGHIJKLMNOPQR
4 x alpha + 32 x numeric (length 90,44 mm, x-dim=0,34 mm)
Error detection codes (also referred to as check digits) are available at two levels:
1. Barcode internal level (coded as a character in the barcode, before the stop sign, but notvisible in the human readable text.)
2. Identcode level (coded in the identcode, visible in human readable text.)
The check digit at barcode internal level is inherent to the code 128. The check digit at identcodelevel however, is not defined within the ISO License Plate standard. It can be defined by eachIssuing Agency or user.
Two examples are:
· EAN: The 18th digit of the LP is always the check digit. It is part of the License Plate.
· UPU: A check digit calculation is available but is not mandatory. It is not part of theLicense Plate, to be printed in plain text only, not in the barcode.
6.3.6 Plausibility checks
The following plausibility checks will be applied to the piece identification barcode (this means,DHL Express will not accept License Plates that do not meet the following requirements):
· On any piece, there is to be only one License Plate (see also section 5.2.1)
· For the time being, the License Plate may not be identical to a License Plate that has alreadybeen processed by DHL Express within one year.
6.3.6.1 ANSI code list
Any linear barcode using barcode symbology CODE 128 and starting with the ANSI Data IdentifierJ, 1J, 2J, 3J, 4J, 5J or 6J will be considered the (ANSI) License Plate of the piece. In this case thefollowing plausibility checks will be applied by DHL Express:
· The License Plate must not contain more than 35 characters
· The License Plate may only contain numeric and upper case alphabetic characters drawnfrom ISO/IEC 646 – they must not include any lower case character or punctuation mark.
· The License Plate must start with a string of characters representing an issuing agencyassigned by ISO. This plausibility check is applied whenever access to a table of currentissuing agency codes is available (the list of Issuing Agency Codes is not subject to frequentchange). See the table below for the current issuing agency codes (IAC):
IAC Issuing Agency0 thru 9 GS1 – European Article Numbering AssociationD NATO AC/135J Universal Postal UnionKNO NorStellaLA JIPDEC/CII – Japan Information processing Development Corporation
/ Electronic Commerce Promotion CenterLB Telcordia Technologies, Inc.LE EDIFICE – Electronic Data Interchange for Companies with Interest in Computing and ElectronicsLF FIATA – International Federation of Freight Forwarders AssociationsLH EHIBCC – European Health Industry Business Communications CouncilND DHL Freight GmbHNL TPG POSTOD ODETTE EUROPEQC CEFIC – European Chemical Industry CouncilPA CEPI – Confederation of European Paper IndustriesQC CEFIC – European Chemical Industry CouncilRG Xifrat Daten A.G.SI SIEMENSST EUROFER – European Confederation of Iron and Steel IndustriesUN Dun & BradstreetUT (former) EuroExpress – Verein EuroExpressVEC ECRIVGL DHL (former Van Gend & Loos)VGT G.T.F. – Group of Terrestrial Freight ForwardersVIB IBM International Business MachinesVTD Teikoku Databank Ltd.
6.3.6.2 EAN code list
· Any linear barcode using barcode type EAN128 and starting with the special character FNC1 andEAN Application Identifier 00 will be considered the (EAN) License Plate (Serial ShippingContainer Code) of the piece. In this case the following plausibility checks will be applied by DHLExpress:
· The License Plate must contain 18 characters (not counting the “00” application identifier).
· The License Plate shall only contain numeric characters.
An EDIFACT message is included in the PDF code. The IFTMIN-message has been chosen since it isbased on the information that belongs to a single shipment.
7.1 Normative references
The message is based on Version D (Draft), release 96B of the ‘Instruction Message’ (IFTMIN). IFTMIN isa functional message of the EDIFACT standards from the United Nations.
The here after defined message specification is a subset, in which only the mandatory and necessarysegments, verified with the actual systems of DHL (former Van Gend & Loos), are included.
The following United Nations and International Standardisation Organisation (ISO) documents are used:
UN Trade Elements Directory (UNTED) ISO 7372;UN EDIFACT Syntax description ISO 9753;UN EDIFACT Standard Segments;UN EDIFACT International Code Sets;UN EDIFACT Guidelines;Uniform Rules of Conduct for Interchange of Data (UNCID).ISO 3166 codes for the representation of names of countries;ISO 4217 codes for the representation of currencies and funds;Recommendation number 20 (Codes for Units of Measurements used in International Trade)*Recommendation number 21 (Codes for types of Cargo, Packages and Packaging materials)*
* The recommendations are adopted by the Working Party on Facilitation of International TradeProcedures.
7.2 EDIFACT Definitions
7.2.1 Message
A set of segments in the order specified in a message starting with the message header segments (UNH)and ending with a message trailer segment (UNT).
7.2.2 Segment
A predefined and identified set of functionally related data elements that are identified by their sequentialpositions within the set. A segment starts with a segment tag and ends with a segment terminator. It canbe a service segment or a user data segment.
7.2.3 Segment sequence
Each segment has its specific position within the sequence of segments in a message. Segments appearin each of the following three sections of a message:
Begin section: Information relating to the whole messageDetail section: Data related to detail informationSummary section: Total of control information
The number of maximum occurrences is printed in the branching diagram (see section 7.6) as well as inthe status of a message (see section 7.8).
7.2.5 Segment group
A segment, which is directly related to another segment in an identified and structured group of segmentsthat, covers the needs for a special type of message.
7.2.6 Data elements
A unit of data for which the identification, description and value representation have been specified in theTDED (Trade Data Elements Directory)
7.2.7 Composite data element
A data element containing two or more component data elements.
7.2.8 Component data element
A simple data element that is a subordinate portion of a composite data element and in interchangedefined by its position within the composite data element.
7.2.9 Status of a record or data fieldAbbreviation Name DescriptionM Mandatory A statement in a segment or message directory which specifies that a segment, a data
element, a composite data element or a component data element must be usedR Required A statement in a segment or message directory which specifies that a segment, a data
element, a composite data element or a component data element is needed for correctprocessing or information
C Conditional A statement in a segment or message directory of a condition for the use of a segment, adata element, a composite data element or a component data element
O Optional A statement in a segment or message directory which specifies that a segment, a dataelement, a composite data element or a component data element may be used at thedesecration of the user.
X Not used A statement in a segment or message directory which specifies that a segment, a dataelement, a composite data element or a component data element may not be used
The abbreviation is always followed by a number. This number indicates the occurrences.
Example: M3 means that the group or record in mandatory and at is used least once and/or at most 3times.
Note: However all data elements in a segment could be conditional, it is not allowed to create a segmentwithout at least one data element.
7.2.10 Qualifiers
A data element whose value shall be expressed as code that gives specific meaning to the function ofanother data element or a segment.
7.2.11 Notation of a data element
In the detail information of the records the start position, length, type and status of each data-field isdescribed.
lengtha..6 up to 6 alphabetic charactersn..9 up to 9 numeric charactersan..35 up to 35 alphanumeric characters
Note that a mandatory component data element in a conditional composite data element must appearwhen the composite data element is used.
7.2.12 Level A character set
A finite set of different characters that is considered complete for a given purpose.
Within EDIFACT level A character set is used.
Content of level A character set:Letters, upper case A to ZNumerals 0 to 9Space characterFull stop .Comma ,Hyphen or minus sign -Opening parenthesis (Closing parenthesis )Oblique stroke (slash) /Equals sign =Exclamation mark !Quotation mark “Percentage sign %Asterisk *Ampersand &Semi-colon ;Less-then <Greater-then >Apostrophe ‘ Reserved for use as segment terminatorPlus sign + Reserved for use as segment tag and data element separatorColon : Reserved for use as component data element separatorQuestion mark ? Reserved for use as a release character. ? immediately preceding one of the
characters ‘ + : ? restores their normal meaning. For example, 10 ?+ 10 = 20 means 10+ 10 = 20. A question mark is represented by ??
Points of special interest for the use of level A character set:Extra spaces and leading zero’s are not allowedNot mentioned characters, like _, ½, é, ü etc. are not allowedIt is recommended to check the database with names and addresses on not allowed characters and, where necessary, definereplacement characters. Examples, ‘ü’ can be replaced by ‘ue’, an apostrophe can be preceded by a question mark.
After the last data the element has to be terminated with an apostrophe. It is not allowed to end a segmentwith a separator.
It may occur that, because of the length offields in the applications DHL uses, themaximum size of a field according toEdifact is limited. In that case it isindicated at that field. Example:
Segment XXX, data-element 9999. TheEdifact length is an..70. Theoretically thisfield can contain maximum 70 characters.In the explanation this is limited to an..18.This means that DHL can only processmaximum 18 characters.
7.2.13 Conversion table not supported characters according to level AOriginal Conversion Original Conversion Original ConversionÀ, Á,Â,Ã,Ä,Å A Ĵ J Ţ,Ť,Ŧ TÆ AE Ĺ,Ļ,Ľ,Ŀ,Ł L Ù,Ú,Û,Ũ,Ū,Ŭ,Ű,Ų UÇ,Ć,Ĉ,Ċ,Č C Ñ,Ń,Ņ,Ň N Ü UEĎ,Đ D Ò,Ó,Ô,Õ,Ø,Ō,Ŏ,Ő O Ŵ WÈ,É,Ê,Ë,Ē,Ĕ,Ė,Ę,Ě E Ö, Œ OE Ý,Ŷ,Ÿ YĜ,Ğ,Ġ,Ģ G Ŕ,Ŗ,Ř R Ź,Ż,Ž ZĤ,Ħ H Ś,Ŝ,Ş,Š S ß SSÌ,Í,Î,Ï,Ĩ,Ī,Ĭ,Į,İ I
7.3 Decimal mark
The ISO representation for decimal mark is the comma ( , ) but the dot ( . ) is allowed. See ISO 31/0-1981. Both these characters are part of the Level A character set and both alternatives are allowed.However, the comma is recommended.
The decimal mark shall not be counted as a character of the value when computing the maximum fieldlength of a data element. However, allowance has to be made for the character in transmission andreception.
When a decimal mark is transmitted, there shall be at least one digit before and after the decimal mark.For values represented by integers only, neither decimal mark nor decimal zeroes are used unless there isa need to indicate the degree of precision.
Preferred 0,5 and 2 and 2,0Allowed 0.5 and 2 and 2.0Not Allowed ,5 or .5 or 2, or 2.
7.4 Triad separator
Triad separators shall not be used in interchange:
Allowed 2500000Not allowed 2,500,000 or 2.500.000 or 2 500 000
7.5 Sign
Numeric data element values shall be regarded as positive. Although conceptually a deduction isnegative, it shall be represented by a positive value and such cases shall be indicated in the dataelements directory.
If a value is to be indicated to be negative, it shall in transmission be immediately preceded by a minussign e.g. -112
The minus sign shall not be counted as a character of the value when computing the maximum field lengthof a data element. However, allowance has to be made for the character in transmission and reception.
The structure of the by DHL (former Van Gend & Loos) defined subset is as follows:
7.7 Declaration of data elements
This section is related to the subset diagram and the segment table in section 7.8 that specifies themandatory and conditional requirements.
UNH, Message headerA service segment starting and uniquely identifying the message.
BGM, Beginning of messageA segment to indicate the beginning of the message and to transmit an identifying number (e.g. ordernumber), type, date and the function of the message.
DTM, Datum/time/periodA segment indicating creation date and time of the message.
MOA, Monetary amountsA segment to indicate a monetary value for entire consignment, e.g. cash on delivery or insurance.
TSR, Transport service requirementsA segment indicating product and way of payment for COD.
FTX, Free textA segment containing texts like remarks. These texts are shown on the hand terminal at delivery.
Segment Group 2: TODA group of segments to specify terms of delivery and product features.
TOD, Terms of deliveryA segment to specify the applicable terms of delivery like product features and transport charges.
Segment Group 11: NAD-LOC-SG12A group of segments to indicate addresses and contact persons.
UNH BGM DTM TSR MOA FTX TOD NAD GID UNTM1 M1 R1 R1 C2 C2 M1 M3 M1 M1
NAD, Name and addressA segment with names and addresses.
LOC, Place/location identificationA segment in which delivery locations can be recorded.
Segment group 12: CTA-COMA group of segments to indicate telephone number of the delivery party.
CTA, Contact informationA segment with indication of the use of the COM segment.
COM, Communication contactA segment with telephone number of the consignee.
Segment Group 18: GID-SG20-SG23-SG32A group of segments to describe the goods pieces for which transport is undertaken.
GID, Goods piece detailsA segment to identify a goods piece for which transport is undertaken.
Segment Group 20: MEAA group of segments to specify measurements applicable to a goods piece.
MEA, MeasurementsA segment to specify measurements, applicable to a goods piece.
Segment Group 23: PCIA group of segments with marks (like the unique bar code) of the shipped pieces.
PCI, Package identificationA segment containing the bar coded identification code (CEN License Plate).
Segment Group 32: DGS-SG34A group of segments to specify dangerous goods details related to the goods piece. One goodspiece may be in different dangerous goods classes.
DGS, Dangerous goodsA segment to indicate the class of dangerous goods, packing group, etc.
Segment Group 34: MEAA group of segments to specify measurements applicable to an piece with dangerous goods.
MEA, MeasurementsA segment to specify measurements, applicable to a dangerous goods piece.
UNT, Message trailerA service segment ending a message, giving the total number of segments in the message (incl. UNH enUNT) and the control reference number of the message in the preceding UNH segment.
7.8 Data element specifications (hierarchical, sequential)
7.8.1 UNH, Message headerUNH M 1 MESSAGE HEADERFunction: To head, identify and specify a messageElement Status Format Description Content0062
S009 0065 0052 0054 0051
0068
M
MMMMM
R
an..14
an..6an..3an..3an..2
an..35
MESSAGE REFERENCE NUMBER
MESSAGE IDENTIFIERMessage type identifierMessage type version numberMessage type release numberControlling agency
COMMON ACCES REFERENCE
Value
IFTMIND96BUN
See note
Note 0062: A by the application generated unique message reference number. This number must be unique for aperiod of 3 months.
Note 0068: A by DHL (former Van Gend & Loos) determined identification for recognising the version of the subsetand source (application) that created the message. The data is divided with a slash (‘/’). The version forthis issue of the document is DHL3.1.1. The source will be bilaterally agreed with the ICT consultant ofDHL (former Van Gend & Loos)
7.8.2 BGM, Beginning of messageBGM M 1 BEGINNING OF MESSAGEFunction: To indicate the type and function of a message and to transmit the identifying number.Element Status Format Description ContentC002 1001
Note 1004: Meant for the order- or shipment number with which a shipment can be identified. This number allowsdirect access to the Track & Trace database of DHL (former Van Gend & Loos). Format an..10. The order-or shipment number should also be printed in clear text on the label, see section 3.2.10
Example: BGM+787+18566014+9’
7.8.3 DTM, Date/time/periodDTM R 1 DATE/TIME/PERIODFunction: A segment to indicate date and timeElement Status Format Description ContentC507 2005 2380 2379
MMRR
an..3an..35an..3
DATE/TIME/PERIODDate/time/period qualifierDate/time/periodDate/time/period format qualifier
186 = Departure dateCCYYMMDD102
Note 2380: The date the shipment is actually departs. This date can be ‘today’ or in the future, but never in the past.The indicated format (CCYYMMDD) is mandatory.
7.8.4 TSR, Transport service requirementsTSR R 1 TRANSPORT SERVICE REQUIREMENTSFunction: To specify contract and carriage conditions and method of payment of cash on deliveryElement Status Format Description ContentC536 4065 1131
C233 7273
C537 4219
CMC
CR
RM
an..3an..3
an..3
an..3
CONTRACT AND CARRIAGE CONDITIONContract and carriage conditions, codedCode list indicator
SERVICEService requirements, coded
TRANSPORT PRODUCTTransport product, coded
ZCD = COD153 = Method of payment
Z01 = CashZ02 = ChequeZ03 = Bill of exchange
See Appendix C
Note C536/4065: This element is mandatory for COD shipments. All pieces (boxes) belonging to the same shipment shouldget the value ZCD.
Note C536/1131: The use of this element is optional. If not used, element C233/7273 is not used either. The COD will becashed in money.
Note C233/7273: In this element the way of cashing COD can be indicated. If the country of destination is the Netherlands,only option ‘Cash’ can be used. If the country of destination is Belgium or Luxembourg, also the options‘Cheque’ or ‘Bill of exchange’ can be used. If no code is indicated DHL (former Van Gend & Loos) willdetermine the way of cashing the COD’s. (=cash for the Netherlands and cash or cheque for the BeLux)
Examples: Shipment with COD; to be paid with cheque TSR+ZCD:153+Z02+01’Shipment with COD; without determination of method of payment: TSR+ZCD++01’Shipment without COD: TSR+++01’
7.8.5 MOA, Monetary amountsMOA C 2 MONETARY AMOUNTFunction: To specify monetary amountsElement Status Format Description ContentC516 5025
5004
6345
MM
R
R
an..3
n..18
an..3
MONETARY AMOUNTMonetary amount type qualifier
Monetary amount
Currency, coded
22 = COD157 = InsuranceAmount with decimal sign
ISO 4217, see Appendix A
Note When in segment TOD (section 7.8.7) is indicated that information is provided on piece level (value Z01 inelement 4055), the following is valid:According to the consolidation rules (see segment TOD, 7.8.7) pieces with COD will not be consolidatedwith pieces without COD. It may occur that a COD amount does not apply for all pieces within an order, orthat the amount is not known per individual piece.To enable consolidation to one shipment anyway, all pieces must contain a COD amount. This amountmust be 0 for all non-COD pieces. The currency should be the equal to the COD pieces. Example: The 1st
piece MOA+22:135,50:EUR’ , the 2nd piece MOA+22:0,00:EUR’. The shipment will be consolidated to 2pieces with a total COD of € 135,50.
Note 5004: Format n..10. All amounts including 2 decimals, regardless currency. Decimal comma is preferred. Notriad separator allowed
Maximum amounts Europlus Benelux Europlus Int EuroconnectCOD € 1.500 (cash)
(Amounts >€ 1.500 :For BeLux cheque orBill of Exchange. ForThe Netherlands onlypaid in advance byphone)
7.8.6 FTX, Free textFTX C 2 FREE TEXTFunction: Specify of free form text informationElement Status Format Description Content4451
4453
C107
C108 4440
M
X
X
RM
an..3
an..70
TEXT SUBJECT QUALIFIER
TEXT FUNCTION, CODED
TEXT REFERENTIE
TEXTFree text
DIN = Delivery instructionsICN = Consignee information
Not used
Not used
Value
Note: This segment can be used twice. The first occurrence with ‘DIN’ in element 4451 is for delivery instructions.The second occurrence with ‘ICN’ in element 4451 is providing information for the consignee. This informationis stored in the handterminal of the delivery driver and shown at delivery of the shipment. There is, however, alimit: Free text data can only be handled on shipment level, thus, identical information for all pieces belongingto the same shipment.
Example: FTX+DIN+++FRAGILE, HANDLE WITH CARE’FTX+ICN+++INVOICE IN MARKED PARCEL’
7.8.7 SG2 TOD, Terms of deliveryGROUP 2 R 1 TODFunction: A group of segments to specify the applicable terms of delivery
TOD M 1 TERMS OF DELIVERY Group 2Function: A segment to specify the applicable terms of deliveryElement Status Format Description Content4055
4215
C100 4053 1131 3055 4052 4052
R
X
RRXXCC
an..3
an..3
an..3an..3
an..70an..70
TERMS OF DELIVERY, CODED
TRANSPORT CHARGES METHOD OF PAY-MENT, CODED
TERMS OF DELIVERYTransport charges payment, codedCode list qualifierCode list responsable agent, codedProduct featuresProduct features
See note
Not used
ValueNot usedNot usedSee Appendix CRecap
Note 4055: In segment MOA and segment group 20 (MEA) the COD- en insurance amounts respective weights areindicated. This can be either on piece level (carton or pallet) or order level. Element 4055 contains valueZ01 in case of unit related data and value Z02 in case of order related data.DHL (former Van Gend & Loos) consolidates automatically the shipment units within an order (seesegment BGM) to shipments. This is performed under certain selection criteria. The following data mustbe equal to each other:Segment BGM, order number (C002/1001)Segment TSR, indication COD (C536/4065) and product (C537/4219)Segment MOA, currency (C516/6345). Pieces with COD will not be consolidated with pieces without CODSegment TOD, product features (4055) en transport charges (C100/4053)Segment NAD, client number (3035 with ‘OS’), consignee (C080) or on-behalf-off (3035 with ‘OF’). Seealso explanation at the NAD segment.
Note 4053:Transport charges payment instructions Europlus Europlus int EuroconnectEXW - Ex works X X X***CPT - Freight, carriage paid to destination X X* X***DDU - Delivered duty unpaid X**DDP - Delivered duty paid (excl. taxes) X**DDC - Delivered duty paid X**DDX - Delivered duty paid (excl duty and taxes) X***Only applicable for shipments within the EU** only applicable for shipments outside the EU*** For non EU countries only allowed after bilateral agreement with DHL. (former Van Gend & Loos)(due to customs handling)
Note 4052 (1) See Appendix C for allowed product features. Format an..18Note 4052 (2) The second 4052 element contains the recap code: 1 for seal, 2 for signature and 3 for stamp. Format
an..1Examples: Piece information, Expresser, CPT with recap (seal) TOD+Z01++CPT:::01:1’
Shipment information, Hold at Depot TOD+Z02++CPT:::21’
7.8.8 SG11 NAD, Name and addressGROUP 11 R 1 NAD-LOC-SG12-SG13Function: Used to identify different parties
NAD M 3 NAME AND ADDRESS Group 11Function: Specify consignor, consignee and client.Element Status Format Description Content3035
C082 3039
C058
C080 3036 3036 3036
C059 3042 3042 3042
3164
3229
3251
3207
M
CM
X
CRCO
CRCC
C
X
C
C
an..3
an..17
an..35an..35an..35
an..35an..35an..35
an..35
an..9
an..9
an..3
PARTY QUALIFIER
PARTY IDENTIFICATION DETAILSParty identification
NAME AND ADDRESS
PARTY NAMEParty nameParty nameParty name
STREETStreet and numberStreet and numberStreet and number
CITY NAME
COUNTRY SUB-ENTITY IDENTIFICATION
POSTCODE IDENTIFICATION
COUNTRY, CODED
OS = Consignor (client)CN = ConsigneeOF = On-behalf-of
See note
Not used
See note
See noteStreetHouse number (n..5)House number extension (an..4)
See note
Not used
Value
ISO 3166 a2 code, see Appendix A
Note: This segment occurs twice mandatory.The first time with OS in element 3035 to identify the original consignor (client of DHL (former Van Gend &Loos)). Use the client number that DHL (former Van Gend & Loos) assigned to you in element 3039. Theother elements in this segment are not used.The second time with ‘CN’ in element 3035. This identifies the consignee. Use elements C080, C059, 3164,3251 and 3207.The third time is optional. Recorded is the data of the on-behalf-of party for whom the consignor (who is theclient of DHL (former Van Gend & Loos)) issues the shipment. Use elements C080, C059, 3164, 3251 and3207. Element 3035 contains value ‘OF’. If the consignee is not allowed to know the actual consignor use‘SSN’ (Suppress Shipper Name) in element 3039. On the hand terminal of the delivery driver only the on-behalf-of name and address is showed.
NoteC080-3207: Use of these elements is only allowed in combination with ‘CN’ in element 3035. Possibilities:
- Element 3035 contains value ‘OF’ and element 3039 is not used.- Element 3035 contains value ‘OF’ and element 3039 contains value ‘SSN’.Use element 3042 once with the full address: street, house number en house number extension, or preferablyuse element 3042 three times as follows: The first time with street, the second time with the house number(n..5) and the third time with house number extension (an..4). Use in element 3207 the ISO 3166 code (twocharacters) of the country of destination, see Appendix A
Note 3036 Twice allowed for name and additional name. For international shipments (outside Benelux) a third time isallowed.
7.8.9 SG11 LOC, Place/location identificationLOC C 1 PLACE/LOCATION IDENTIFICATION Group 11Function: To specify Hold at DepotElement Status Format Description Content3227
C517 3225
M
RR
an..3
an..25
PLACE/LOCATION IDENTIFIER
LOCATION IDENTIFIERPlace/location identification
7 = Hold at Depot location
DHL depot abbreviation
Note: Europlus Benelux shipments: Used if the consignee collects the shipment at a DHL (former Van Gend & Loos)depot. See Appendix B for a table of depot locations (not allowed outside the Benelux)EuroConnect shipments: No hold at depot allowed.
Example: LOC+7+NL/VGL/AMS’
7.8.10 SG12 CTA, Contact informationGROUP 12 C 1 CTA-COMFunction: Name of contact for hold at depot shipments / pre notification COD’s
CTA M 1 CONTACT INFORMATION Group 12Function: Identification of a contactElement Status Format Description Content3139 R an..3 CONTACT FUNCTION, CODED GR = Contact for receipt of goods
Note: This segment group (SG12, CTA and COM) is used to indicate the phone number of the consignee. Thisis used to notify the receiving of the hold at depot shipment and/or a COD shipment.
Note 3139: Fixed value GRExample: CTA+GR’
7.8.11 SG12 COM, Communication contactCOM C 1 COMMUNICATION CONTACT Group 12Function: To Identify the telephone number of the consignee.Element Status Format Description ContentC076 3148 3155
MMM
an..25an..3
COMMUNICATION CONTACTCommunication numberCommunication qualifier
Telephone numberTE = telephone
Note: See the note in the preceding CTA segment.Note 3148: Format an..16Example: COM+033-2577777:TE'
7.8.12 SG18 GID, Goods piece detailsGROUP 18 R 1 GID-SG20-SG23-SG32Function: Number of pieces and measurements
GID M 1 GOODS PIECE DETAILS Group 18Function: Identification of numbers of piecesElement Status Format Description Content1496
C213 7224
M
MM
n..5
n..8
GOODS PIECE NUMBER
NUMBER AND TYPE OF PACKAGESNumber of packages
0
1
Note 1496: Fixed value 0Note 7224: Fixed value 1Example: GID+0+1’
Note: In the first place this segment is used to record the unique number of the CEN License Plate respectivelythe EAN128 SSCC. See chapter 6Attention: The identifier ‘00’ for EAN SSCC is not part of the unique number. The identifier ‘J’ forthe CEN License Plate is also not part of the unique number, but needed in the DHL processes.Therefore the ‘J’ should be included and the ‘00’ should NOT be included in the PCI segment.The PCI segment is also used for the shipment of separate documents. This is a service of DHL (formerVan Gend & Loos) to make it possible to send documents separately from the goods. When delivered atthe consignee the goods and documents are always consolidated. A separate document is thereforealways part of a shipment, which consists of at least one other sort of shipping unit, like a box or pallet.This option is only available for shipments with a Benelux destination. A separate document gets, just likeany other shipping unit, a transport label with PDF and unique bar code.
7.8.15 SG32 DGS, Dangerous GoodsGROUP 32 C 9 DGSFunction: A group of segments to specify dangerous goods details related to the goods piece. One goods piece may be indifferent dangerous goods classes
DGS M 1 DANGEROUS GOODS Group 32Function: : A segment to indicate the class of dangerous goodsElement Status Format Description Content8273
C205 8351 8078
C234 7124
R
RMC
CR
an..3
an..7an..7
n..4
DANGEROUS GOODS REGULATIONS, CODED
HAZARD CODEHazard code identificationHazard substance/piece/page number
UNDG INFORMATIONUNDG number
ADR = European agreementregarding the total carriage ofdangerous goods
See noteFor instance II
See note
Note: This segment is only used when the piece or order contains dangerous goods; recording of data in thisgroup is on order- or piece level (See segment TOD op page 39). For shipping of goods applying underthe dangerous goods regulation a ‘Dangerous goods card’ in mandatory. This card must be provided witha PDF label. If data is recorded on piece level this PDF should not contain the segments groups SG32and SG34. If data is recorded on order level, these segment groups are used for all pieces incl. dedangerous goods card. The card itself will be handled as a separate document. (see section 7.8.14).- On piece level record only the dangerous goods from the relevant box. Because no dangerous goodsinformation is needed for a box without dangerous goods, this group (SG32) may not occur in the IFTMINmessage.- On order level all dangerous goods of all pieces in a shipment/order are recorded in each IFTMINmessage on all pieces.The group (SG32) can occur maximum 9x for different dangerous goods within one order or piece.Example: An order contains three pieces, of which one with dangerous goods. All three pieces contain deinformation of this group.
Note 8351: Ask for the possible classes your local depotNote 7124: The UNDG (United Nations Dangerous Goods) number always consists of 4 numbers. The number refers
to a certain substance covered by the Dangerous Goods Act. Under this number all characteristics of thesubstance are known, like dangerous class, chemical parts and ignition temperature. In 2001 legal ruleswill be empowered which set use of this number mandatory. To prohibit adjustments to the messagewithin the PDF on short notice it is advised to use this number as from now.If one piece (Z01 in the TOD segment)or one shipment (Z02 in TOD segment) contains more than 9different dangerous goods it is not useful to use this element.
Examples: One order contains 2 pieces with dangerous goods. The first piece contains goods with UNDG number9873 and UNDG number 9276, the second piece contains goods with UNDG number 2748.
Recording on order level (value ‘Z01’ in segment TOD/4055):Piece 1: DGS+ADR+3:II+9873’ MEA+WT++KGM:2’ (see description in next segment SG34MEA) DGS+ADR+3:II+9276’ MEA+WT++KGM:3’ (see description in next segment SG34MEA)Piece 2: DGS+ADR+3:II+9873’ MEA+WT++KGM:2’ (see description in next segment SG34MEA DGS+ADR+3:II+2748’ MEA+WT++KGM:5’ (see description in next segment SG34MEA)
The same example but recorded on piece level (value ‘Z02’ in segment TOD/4055):Both pieces: DGS+ADR+3:II+9873’ MEA+WT++KGM:4’ (see description in next segment SG34MEA) DGS+ADR+3:II+9276’ MEA+WT++KGM:3’ (see description in next segment SG34MEA) DGS+ADR+3:II+2748’ MEA+WT++KGM:5’ (see description in next segment SG34MEA)
7.8.16 SG34 MEA, MeasurementsGROUP 34 R 1 MEAFunction: Number of pieces and measurements
MEA M 1 MEASUREMENTS Group 34Function: To specify weights from dangerous goodsElement Status Format Description Content6311
C502
C174 6411 6314
M
X
RMR
an..3
an..3
an..3n..18
MEASUREMENT APPLICATION QUALIFIER
MEASUREMENT DETAILS
VALUE/RANGEMeasure unit qualifierMeasurement value
WT = weight
Not used
KGM = kilogram
Note: The data in this segment concerns the gross weight of the dangerous goods in the piece or shipmentExample: A box weights 15 kg, but the dangerous goods in the box only weigh 5 kg. In this case in theMEA segment 5 kg is recorded.
Note 6311: Fixed value: WT (Weight)Note 6314 The gross weight of the dangerous goods in whole kilograms without decimals. Format n..4Example: MEA+WT++KGM:3’
7.8.17 UNT Message trailerUNT M 1 MESSAGE TRAILERFunction: To end and check the completeness of a messageElement Status Format Description Content0074
0062
M
M
n..6
an..14
NUMBER OF SEGMENTS IN A MESSAGE
MESSAGE REFERENCE NUMBER
Note 0074: Number of segments in the message (UNH to UNT)Note 0062: Message reference number, same as in preceding UNH segment.Example: UNT+22+123'
7.9 Examples of messages
7.9.1 On piece levelStandard services NetherlandsUNH+01231519+IFTMIN:D:96B:UN+DHL3.1.1/OPSETE32'BGM+787+289006+9'DTM+186:20010123:102'TSR+++01'TOD+Z01++CPT'NAD+OS+08927437'NAD+CN+++MARANS SYSTEMVIEW BV+NACHTEGAAL:9+DEVENTER++7423DR+NL'GID+0+1'MEA+WT++KGM:6'PCI+ZZ1+JVGL08927437154711'UNT+11+01231519'
Standard services Netherlands with COD (2 pieces, of which one with COD)UNH+01231520+IFTMIN:D:96B:UN+DHL3.1.1/OPSETE32'BGM+787+289016+9'DTM+186:20010123:102'TSR+ZCD++01'MOA+22:485,90:EUR'TOD+Z01++CPT'NAD+OS+08927437'NAD+CN+++MARANS SYSTEMVIEW BV+NACHTEGAAL:9+DEVENTER++7423DR+NL'GID+0+1'MEA+WT++KGM:6'PCI+ZZ1+JVGL08927437154712'UNT+12+01231520'2nd pieceUNH+01231990+IFTMIN:D:96B:UN+DHL3.1.1/OPSETE32'BGM+787+289016+9'DTM+186:20010123:102'
Express services Netherlands with dangerous goodsUNH+01231521+IFTMIN:D:96B:UN+DHL3.1.1/OPSETE32'BGM+787+289127+9'DTM+186:20010123:102'TSR+++01'TOD+Z01++CPT:::01'NAD+OS+08927437'NAD+CN+++MARANS SYSTEMVIEW BV+NACHTEGAAL:9+DEVENTER++7423DR+NL'GID+0+1'MEA+WT++KGM:6'PCI+ZZ1+JVGL08927437154713'DGS+ADR+3:II+9873'MEA+WT++KGM:1'UNT+13+01231521'
Express services Netherlands with ‘Hold at Depot’, location Zwolle, ex worksUNH+01231531+IFTMIN:D:96B:UN+DHL3.1.1/OPSETE32'BGM+787+289128+9'DTM+186:20010123:102'TSR+++01'TOD+Z01++EXW:::0121'NAD+OS+08927437'NAD+CN+++MARANS SYSTEMVIEW BV:DHR. HAMA+NACHTEGAAL:9+DEVENTER++7423DR+NL'LOC+7+NL/VGL/ZWO'CTA+GR'COM+06-52-313664:TE'GID+0+1'MEA+WT++KGM:6'PCI+ZZ1+JVGL08927437154714'UNT+14+01231531'
Standard services Belgium with COD and recapUNH+01231533+IFTMIN:D:96B:UN+DHL3.1.1/OPSETE32'BGM+787+289155+9'DTM+186:20010123:102'TSR+ZCD++01'MOA+22:5000,00:EUR'TOD+Z01++CPT::::1'NAD+OS+08927437'NAD+CN+++SA MARANS SYSTEMVIEW NV+ESSENESTR:26+TERNAT++1740+BE'GID+0+1'MEA+WT++KGM:6'PCI+ZZ1+JVGL08927437154715'UNT+12+01231533'
Europlus int with CODUNH+01231540+IFTMIN:D:96B:UN+DHL3.1.1/OPSETE32'BGM+787+289272+9'DTM+186:20010123:102'TSR+ZCD:153+Z01+02'MOA+22:1260.25:EUR'TOD+Z01++CPT'NAD+OS+08927437'NAD+CN+++MARANS SYSTEMVIEW AG+BUNDESKANZLERPLATZ:2:-10+BONN++53113+DE'
Standard services Netherlands with COD1st pieceUNH+67231525+IFTMIN:D:96B:UN+DHL3.1.1/HMSV2.0'BGM+787+A900615+9'DTM+186:20010123:102'TSR+ZCD++01'MOA+22:485,90:EUR'TOD+Z02++CPT'NAD+OS+08927437'NAD+CN+++MARANS SYSTEMVIEW BV+NACHTEGAAL:9+DEVENTER++7423DR+NL'GID+0+1'MEA+WT++KGM:16'PCI+ZZ1+JVGL08927437154810'UNT+12+67231525'
Express Netherlands with ‘Hold at Depot’ location Zwolle, ex worksUNH+67231531+IFTMIN:D:96B:UN+DHL3.1.1/HMSV2.0'BGM+787+A912841+9'DTM+186:20010123:102'TSR+++01'TOD+Z02++EXW:::0121'NAD+OS+08927437'NAD+CN+++MARANS SYSTEMVIEW BV:DHR. HAMA+NACHTEGAAL:9+DEVENTER++7423DR+NL'LOC+7+NL/VGL/ZWO'CTA+GR'COM+06-52-313664:TE'GID+0+1'MEA+WT++KGM:18'PCI+ZZ1+JVGL08927437154836'UNT+14+67231531'
Standard services Belgium with recap1st pieceUNH+67231533+IFTMIN:D:96B:UN+DHL3.1.1/HMSV2.0'BGM+787+A915556+9'DTM+186:20010123:102'TSR+++01'TOD+Z02++CPT::::1'NAD+OS+08927437'NAD+CN+++SA MARANS SYSTEMVIEW NV+ESSENESTR:26+TERNAT++1740+BE'GID+0+1'MEA+WT++KGM:9'PCI+ZZ1+JVGL08927437154848'UNT+11+67231533'
Europlus int with COD1st pieceUNH+67231540+IFTMIN:D:96B:UN+DHL3.1.1/OPSETE32'BGM+787+A9272109+9'DTM+186:20010123:102'TSR+ZCD:153+Z01+02'MOA+22:1960.00:EUR'TOD+Z01++CPT'NAD+OS+08927437'NAD+CN+++MARANS SYSTEMVIEW AG+BUNDESKANZLERPLATZ:2:-10+BONN++53113+DE'GID+0+1'MEA+WT++KGM:45'PCI+ZZ1+JVGL08927437009141'UNT+12+67231540'
A routing barcode contains destination country, destination postcode, DHL Express transportproduct and corresponding product features.
International ISO standards support two different ways of coding information in barcodes: TheANSI/FACT standard and the EAN.UCC standard. Both standards are complementary and canco-exist without restriction. However, as customers may wish to restrict to one of both standards,DHL Express decided to offer the own routing barcode in an ANSI/FACT version and in anEAN.UCC version. These versions do not differ in content but in their technical structure.
· The ANSI/FACT routing barcode starts with the ANSI/FACT Data Identifier "2L" and is codedin Code 128.
The routing barcode must not exceed a length of 91 mm in any of the cases.
9.2 Destination country and postcode
The Data/Application Identifier is followed by the destination country code and postcode.
Destination country is coded using ISO 3166 two-digit alphabetical codes for the ANSI/FACTrouting barcode and ISO 3166 three-digit numeric codes for EAN routing barcode.
The postcode structures have to be converted, to produce postcodes without blanks, dashes orother symbols, to use in the routing barcode.
Example:
Country Structure ConversionNL 9999 XX 9999XXPL 99-999 99999GB XXX 9XX XXX9XXSE 999 99 99999
As the postcode length may be variable even within a country, this part of the routing barcode hasto be terminated by a "+" (plus) sign.
Where no postcode system is in place, the postcode part has to be omitted.
Each DHL Express product is allocated a two-digit product code. This code has to follow the "+"sign.
The following structure of product codes is available in a standard DHL Express product code fileProduct codes CodeEUROPLUS 04DHL EUROPACK 03EUROCONNECT 11
9.4 Feature coding in general
Due to the different character of the various DHL products, they have different features and thusrequire different feature coding, as described below.
9.5 Feature coding for road-based transport products
This group includes products such as Europlus
9.5.1 Delivery Date Coding
Delivery Date features still have to be defined for Europlus. The barcode structure allows for 99different delivery date codes per product. Date codes can have different meanings for differentproducts. The delivery date part of the routing barcode consists of two numeric digits always.
Example:Delivery date codes Product Value Human readable CodeNo fixed date delivery All 00 (none)Fixed day delivery(day of the month)
… 01-31 01-31
Delivery on appointment … 32 ASaturday delivery only … 50 SHold at depot (no delivery) … 52 H(reserved for future product features) ... ... ...
9.5.2 Delivery Time Coding
The barcode structure allows for 9 different time codes per product. I.e., time code 1 could have adifferent meaning for different products. The delivery time part of the routing barcode consists ofone numeric digit.
Example: Time codes Value Human readable CodeNo fixed time delivery 0 (none)
The following codes are the standard product feature codes for Europlus, to be used in the routingbarcode. Due to barcode length limitations, they have to be combinable without increasing thebarcode length.
Example:Product feature codes Value Human readable CodeNo Product Feature 000 (none)Customs clearance 001 CCash on delivery 002 C.O.D.Ex-works 004 ExWReturn piece 008 RETURN… 016 Not defined… 032 Not defined… 064 Not defined… 128 Not defined… 256 Not defined
For a description of handling information see section 4.2.1.
The product feature part of the routing barcode is always a three digit numeric number. Thevalues of the chosen product features are added up (with leading zeroes). This allows for anextraction of information like
IF (value AND 008) THEN [product feature 008 is set]or
IF (value AND 072) THEN [both features 008 and 064 are set]/* notice 72=8+64 */
This can be used to check for features set or to check for combination of features that are notallowed.
9.5.4 Region specific routing information
This section can be skipped in regions without specific domestic routing information.
The following codes are used locally in some regions, like the Benelux.
The region specific routing information may only be used domestically, or on internationalshipments where it is filled with the routing information required by the destination region, asbilaterally agreed before. For other shipments it may not be used.
· Using the ANSI/FACT routing barcode, this segment has to be separated from the standardrouting code content by an FNC1 character, available in all three Code 128 specific code sets.The scanner passes this through as “]C1”.
The structure of this part is region-specific, a general structure cannot be described here.
9.5.5 Summarising tables for road-based transport processes
ANSI/FACT Routing:Section Content LengthANSI Data Identifier “2L” A2ISO country code Two alpha country code of receiver address (see ISO 3166) A2Postcode Postcode of receiver address. Variable length, max. 9 characters; empty in case
of country with no postcode system. The postcode may never contain spaces orsymbols. See chapter 9.2.
Max. A9
Field separator “+“ character A1product codes See chapter 9.3 N2delivery date See table 9.5.1 N2delivery time window See table 9.5.2 N1product feature codes Sum of values of chosen product features (see table 9.5.3) N3Field separator FNC1 (Special Code 128 character, available in all three code sets.)
To be used only if DP EE partner specific routing digits follow and theproduct/feature block consists of all 8 digits.
N1
Region specific routing codes Optional, see table 9.5.4 max. N6 orA2
9.5.6 Routing barcode examples for Europlus
The following tables contain examples of the ANSI/FACT routing barcode:
1. Europlus piece, without any features but with region specific routing information:DI Country Postcode Product Date Time Features Domestic routing
code2L DE 81541 + 04 00 0 000 FNC1 556677
Germany Europlus No fixeddate
No fixed time No features Separator Street and housenumber
2. Europlus shipment, to be held at depot, with customs clearance:DI Country Postcode Product Date Time Features2L CH 3000 + 04 52 0 001
Switzerland Europlus Hold at depot No fixed time Customs Clearance
3. (Future features) a Europlus shipment, to be delivered on the 10th, in time code 1, withcustoms clearance and the future product features with codes 008 and 064:
DI Country Postcode Product Date Time Features2L NL 1023FG + 04 10 0 073
TheNetherlands
Europlus Delivery at 10thof month
No fixed time 73=1+8+64
4. Europlus piece, without postcode (only for countries with no postcode system) andwithout any features:
DI Country Product Date Time Features2L IE + 04 00 0 000
The following plausibility checks will be applied to the routing information barcode (this means,DHL Express will not accept routing information barcodes that do not meet the followingrequirements):
Any of the following linear barcodes will be considered the routing information barcode of thepiece:
· Symbology Code 128 and starting with the ANSI/FACT Data Identifier 2L
In this case the following plausibility checks will be applied by DHL Express:
· The routing barcode shall only contain numeric and upper case alphabetic characters andseparating plus (“+”) characters.
· The two characters following the “2L” in the ANSI/FACT routing barcode must equal a twoalpha ISO country code according to ISO/IEC 3166.
· The character string immediately following the plus “+” sign must contain up to 8 numeric onlycharacters (depending on product; 8 characters for Europlus).
· This code may, but does not have to be followed by a separator and up to 6 numericcharacters or up to 2 alphabetic characters, for domestic use only.
No piece may carry two or more different routing barcodes.
9.7 Label certification
Please take into account, that any label has to be checked and approved by the DHL LabelApproved Office
Ideally, the label could only consist of only the piece identifier in bar-coded form. This would allowthe identification of the package by scanning of this code. All other relevant data (ship to addressetc.) could then be retrieved from databases.
To ensure an error free handling, to reduce the dependency on readability of barcodes andinformation stored in computer files and to simplify operations, additional information in bar-coded-and human readable form is added to the label as well.
Some information is only presented in human readable form. All linear bar-coded information isrepresented in human readable form as well.
10.2 Data in linear barcode symbols
Printed linear barcodes are widely used for the encoding and capture of data: they are easy andeconomic to apply and can be read, with a high degree of accuracy, using relatively low costreaders.
A barcode is a symbol that comprises a series of parallel stripes and open spaces of differingwidth. Defined patterns of lines and spaces are used to represent the symbol (a symbol is acombination of a number of narrow and wider black and white stripes).
To read the information that is in a barcode a scanning apparatus, like a reading pen, is movedover the symbol. This scan-apparatus analyses the content of the symbol by ‘reading’ the linepattern and the original data can be displayed. The technology of the read apparatus is constantlybeing developed for use in all sorts of situations and circumstances.
The barcode is an automatic identification technology. By that it is possible to collect existing dataquickly and without error. However, barcodes themselves do not solve any problems. Thecombination of barcodes with good computer hardware and software applications creates thepossibility to improve the quality of the work, the productivity and eventually the profitability.
There are different types of barcode symbologies. For technical specifications see 11.
The label can contain two linear barcodes. The data in the linear barcodes is preceded by ANSIdata identifiers, to identify the data in the barcodes. In this way the scanning software candistinguish between the different barcodes on the label. This technique also allows putting morethan one piece of information into one linear barcode. The different pieces of information are inthis case separated by a blank (“ “), the standard ANSI field separator. For this reason, the data inthe barcode itself may never contain a blank.
10.3 Data in two-dimensional symbols
Two dimensional barcode symbologies are increasingly used for applications in which the volumeof data to be encoded exceeds that which can be conveniently represented in linear barcode form.They provide increased data density at the cost of requiring a greater degree of control over theprinting process and the use of more sophisticated, and thus more costly, reading equipment.
A two dimensional symbol can be used on the label to represent some of the shipping data. Forthis purpose the PDF417 symbology is used. The content of the message is an EDI IFTMINmessage.
The PDF417 symbology is described in chapter 11.2. A description of the content can be found inchapter 7.
10.4 Error detection / checksums
The printing and reading of barcodes and 2D symbols is a form of data communications in whichone party, the printer, “sends” data to one or more others, who “receive” the transmission byreading the printed code. As with any data communications application, physical disturbances andnoise may intervene, resulting in a difference between what was (intended to be) printed or sentand what is actually captured by the reader or receiver. In the environment considered, suchdisturbances may include imperfections in the printing, physical damage to the supporting materialor printed mark, interference between the ink and the substrate to which it is applied and physicallimitations of the reader. Such errors are generally referred to as data capture or read errors, eventhough they may actually result from imperfections in the printing.
Capturing data from its human readable interpretation, by humans or through OCR, is a processmore intrinsically prone to error than scanning barcodes. An example is a sender reading thehuman readable interpretation of a License Plate over telephone to the carrier's customer service,to inquire about the status of an piece.
To protect against the occurrence of data capture errors, the data which are encoded and readneed to include a sufficient degree of redundancy to allow the reader to detect, and if possible,correct any data capture errors which occur. This redundancy is usually coded in the form of acheck-digit. Basically, there are three levels of error-detection:
1. Redundancy inherent in the encoded data itself. An example is the check-digit at the end ofthe EAN SSCC License Plate (see 6.1). The check-digit has to be calculated by the user (thesender of the data) and incorporated into the data. This check-digit is part of the data and willbe stored with the data. This way of error-detection can be used both with bar-coded- as wellas human readable representations of the data.
2. Redundancy inherent in the barcode symbology. Examples for this are the check-digit in theCode 128 linear barcode symbology (see 11.1.1.2), or the error-correction possibilities of thePDF417 two-dimensional barcode symbology (see 11.2.2.3, the PDF417 symbology evenallows for partial correction of errors). This way of error-detection is not part of the encodeddata itself. It is usually automatically generated at the time of creation of the barcode (withoutthe sender’s interference), and is automatically decoded and verified by the scanninghardware when capturing the data. As a result of this, the capture of data from linear as wellas two-dimensional barcodes is highly reliable. This way of error-detection can only be usedwith bar-coded representations of the data.
3. Redundancy added to the human readable interpretation of the data. Example for this is theerror detection code (check-digit) presented in the UPU standard S26 “License Plates forparcels” (see 6.3.5). This way of error-detection is not part of the encoded data itself. Thecheck-digit has to be calculated by the user (the sender of the data), and added to the humanreadable representation only (the bar-coded representation does not change). It can only beused with the human readable representation of the data.
DHL Express does not support error detection of the first kind throughout its data capturingprocesses. In the bar-coded data generated by DHL Express units such error detection will not bepresent. In externally generated data it may sometimes be present. However, even if such errordetection, e.g. in the form of a check-digit, is present, its underlying mechanism may not be knownto any DHL Express unit and is therefore useless.Adding an error detection mechanism of the first kind adds complexity when creating the codeddata (e.g. creating a License Plate from a number range) and adds to the length of the encodeddata.
Only in some special cases (such as the well known EAN SSCC), DHL Express could interpret thecheck-digit coded into the data and verify the validity of the data according to the check digit.
For all other bar-coded data, DHL Express relies on the error detection of the second kind.Practice has shown that present day barcode scanning technology provides sufficient reliability.
The error detection of the third kind is not mandatory but is allowed for the human readablerepresentation of the License Plate (see 6.3.5).
DHL Express uses Code 128 as standard barcode symbology. For bar-coded information definedunder EAN-standards (such as the EAN SSCC) the EAN 128 barcode symbology will be used.
11.1.1 Code 128 general information
Code 128 was introduced in 1981 as an alphanumeric symbology with a very high density.
Every code 128 symbol comprises:
1. preliminary quiet zone (white space before the beginning of the barcode)2. start character3. data character(s)4. control character5. stop character6. terminating quiet zone (white space after the end of the barcode)
11.1.1.1 Encoding Characters
The characters are encoded by a continuous code with a variable length that comprises stripesand spaces of differing widths.
Every code 128 character has 11 modules, each of which can be black or white. Every characterhas 3 stripes and 3 spaces; code 128 is therefore a (11,3) code.
The following figure shows a code 128 character:
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |10 |11 |
Code 128 character. Code 128 is a continuoussymbology. Every character contains 3 stripes and 3spaces in a total length of 11 modules.
Code 128 has 106 different characters. Every character can have three different meanings,depending on which of the three different character sets A, B or C is chosen. Three different startcharacters indicate which of the character sets has been chosen and three switch codes (shiftcharacters) make it possible to change the character set within a barcode.
Character set C comprises 100 two-digit pairs 00 to 99. This makes it possible to double theeffective density of code 128 when only numeric data is printed.
Code 128 decoding of the data “CODE 128”.Every code 128 symbol is a file containing the data,surrounded by a start symbol, a control number anda stop symbol. The data part can be of variablelength. The start character indicates which characterset - in this case A – is used. The control number iscalculated according to the method described in thetext.
Using character set A, the figure above shows the data “CODE 128” in barcode. As a mixture ofalphanumeric characters is used here, character set A is used. Note the addition of a two-modulewide end stripe to the stop character (terminator bar) to make this 13 modules long. Every code128 barcode has a control character which is the modulus 103 sum of the value of each characteris multiplied by a weighting factor.
Code 128 decoding of the data “1234abcd”. Theshift code of code 128 makes it possible to switchbetween the three character sets A, B and C.Scanning from left to right, the information starts incharacter set C with the start character. In characterset C, the codes ‘12’ and ‘34’ are followed by acharacter which means that a switch to characterset B is taking place. The rest of the message is incharacter set B. The message ends with the controlnumber and the stop character.
A second 128 barcode, above, shows the use of double density in the numeric mode. The contentis "1234abcd". The symbol begins with use of character set C and will therefore translate thenumbers 1234 in just two data characters. A switch character then indicates to the barcodescanner that a switch to character set B is taking place, which is then used for the rest of thebarcode. As alternative the whole barcode could be coded in character set B, but the total lengthof the barcode would then be one character longer.
By using a function character, code 128 has the possibility to couple two or more messages whichcan be decoded and sent as one message.
11.1.1.2 Code 128 Control character
The control character (check digit) follows the data and directly before stop character. The controlcharacter is the character that is equal to the modulus 103 sum of the value of the start characterand the weight factor of the characters that follow the start character. The weight factor increasesin order 1,2,3,4,.., starting with the first character that comes after the start character. As anexample, the control character of a symbol with content “VGL128” is calculated as follows:
Characters Start B V G L 1 2 8Value 104 54 39 44 17 18 24Weight factor 1 1 2 3 4 5 6Product 104 54 78 132 68 90 144
The sum of the product of the character values and the weight factor is:
104+54+78+132+68+90+144 = 670
Dividing 670 by 103 gives 6, with remainder 52. The control character is T, which has the value52.
11.1.1.3 EAN 128 / Function characters
EAN 128 is a variation of code 128. EAN 128 uses an additional function character.
The function characters FNC1, FNC3 and FNC4 are only used in scan specific definitions. FNC2is used with combining. If a FNC1 character is used directly after the start symbol then thisindicates that the following data must be translated as defined by the Uniform Code Council(UCC) and the European Article Numbering Association (EAN). It is used for all EAN applicationidentifiers, such as the SSCC or the routing information.
The following requirements are imposed on the one-dimensional barcodes on the DHL Expresslabel. The use of the minimum values of the specifications is recommended.
Symbol height
The minimum height for the barcode is 25 mm. However, a barcode height of at least 28millimetres is recommended.
Narrow element dimension
The minimum narrow element dimension (x-dimension) shall not be less than 0,33 mm. The x-dimension shall not exceed 0,51 mm.
Recommended is 0,50 mm.
Conversion table of x-dimension measure units (rounded)
13 mil = 330 µm = 0,330 mm14 mil = 350 µm = 0,350 mm15 mil = 375 µm = 0,375 mm16 mil = 400 µm = 0,400 mm20 mil = 500 µm = 0,500 mm
It is recommended to use the biggest x-width within the possibilities of the printing device used.
Quiet zones
Linear barcode symbols must be printed with leading and trailing quiet zones not less than 5mm. Quiet zones are not part of the barcode itself, i.e. a barcode of 91 mm needs at least 101mm space on the label.
Quality
The linear barcode quality must, as a minimum, conform to “Grade B”, tested according to EN1635, Test Specifications for Bar Code Symbols.
Orientation
The code must be of the fence type (standing).
Translation of the Code Content
To facilitate a backup routine, if the barcode is not readable, the data content in the barcodesymbol must be written in plain text immediately below the symbol.
Barcode width
The width of a barcode depends on the following parameters:
- The x-dimension
- The total number of characters that needs to be represented.
- The proportion of alphanumerical characters that needs to be represented. Since Code128supports three character sets (A, B and C) it is possible, using character set C, to represent 2numerical digits with one single barcode symbol. Strings containing mainly numerical digitswill therefore be shorter than strings containing mainly alphanumerical characters.
- The distribution of the alphanumerical characters in the string of characters. Within thebarcode, it is possible to switch from one character set to another, using a switch symbol.However, this switch symbol is also a barcode symbol in itself that uses up space. Thereforethe string “ABCDEF123456” for example would be shorter to represent than“AB12CD23EF56”.
The shipment data that belong to the associated shipping unit are recorded in a two-dimensionalbarcode. These shipping data are placed in the barcode according to a certain layout. A twodimensional barcode is constructed from diverse rows while the one-dimensional barcode isconstructed from a row of stripes.
There are different barcode symbologies (‘languages’) for the production of the two dimensionalbarcode. DHL Express uses the PDF417 code.
In this chapter the following subjects are handled:
· The technical specifications of the PDF417 barcode used on a dispatch label
· The layout and contents of the EDI message in the PDF417 barcode
· The layout and contents of the unique barcode
· The recommendation for the use of the PDF417 barcode
11.2.1.1 The PDF417
A PDF417 is a two-dimensional barcode, accepted by both ANSI and CEN as ‘open systemtechnology’ standard. There are three sorts of PDF417 codes: the Micro PDF, the Macro PDF andthe Standard PDF. The difference is in the quantity of data that can be stored. DHL EXPRESSsupports the standard PDF. The Micro PDF is not suitable because the storage capacity is toosmall. On the other hand, the Macro PDF is so large that processing the data costs too much time.In a standard PDF417 code up to a maximum of 1800 characters can be stored, depending on theerror correction level.
ISO has defined PDF as a standard.
11.2.2 PDF417 technical information
11.2.2.1 General
The shipment data that belong to the associated shipping unit are recorded in a two-dimensionalbarcode. That data has to be coded into the barcode according to a certain layout.
A two dimensional barcode is constructed from diverse rows while the one-dimensional barcode isconstructed from a row of stripes.
There are different barcode symbologies (‘languages’) for the production of the two dimensionalbarcode. DHL Express uses the PDF417 code.
The following sections give an explanation of the construction of a PDF barcode.
11.2.2.2 Dimensions
Naturally the quantity of information determines the size of the barcode. A number of issues needto be considered:
A quiet zone is the area on all four sides of the code, which must be empty. The size of this isminimal 2 times the X-dimension (see below).
Quality
The PDF417 code quality must, as a minimum, conform to “Grade B”, tested according to EN1635, Test Specifications for Bar Code Symbols.
Row and column height
A PDF417 code is made up of rows and columns. An individual row is 3 times the x-dimension.The number of rows and columns can vary. To provide a fast scan processing 30 to 40 rows arenecessary.
The number of columns has a direct relationship with the number of rows. After all, the more rowsthat are used, the fewer columns are necessary to contain the same information.
In practice the number of rows can vary between 30 and 40, while the number of columns variesbetween 7 and 18, excluding row indications. (see the following page)
X Dimension
The stripes of the barcode have certain properties. Each bar's width must also be a multiple of thesmallest bar width. For instance, if the narrowest bar is 10 mil, then possible bar widths can be 10mil, 20 mil, 30 mil, 40 mil, etc. The maximum will be between 10 and 15 mill, 15 mill is preferred.
The width of the smallest bar is defined as a barcode's 'X'dimension. Each ‘X' dimension is sometimes referred to as amodule. In the following picture, you can easily pick out thesmallest or narrowest bar.
By measuring this bar, we can determine the barcodes 'X' dimension. You can also see that all ofthe other bar widths are multiples of the smallest bar or 'X' dimension. Each bar's width is oftenexpressed relative to the 'X' dimension, for instance, 3X refers to a bar that is 3times as wide asthe narrowest bar. DHL (former VGL) employs a ‘X’ dimension between 10 mil and 15 mil. Theminimum narrow element dimension (X-dimension) shall not be less than 0,1mm.
The relationship between height and width of a single stripe or white space is called the ‘aspectratio’. For the PDF417 a standard value of 1:3 is used. This means that the height is three timesthe width.
Dimensions
The PDF barcode contains the earlier described IFTMIN message. Because of the possibility toscan there is a maximum of 850 bytes allowed. For the same reason maximum dimensions aredetermined at 95 mm wide and 35 mm high, of course depending on the size of the label.
The dimensions of a PDF barcode depend on the content. The more bytes, the larger thebarcode. When working with fixed dimensions a barcode with a lot of ‘air’ is formed. Thismeans a worse scan quality and effectively a lower security level, as the calculation ofcode-words includes the ‘air’.
The following picture is a PDF417 barcode that looks like it is printed on graph paper. This imagemakes it easier to count the number of 'X' dimensions, or modules in each bar. If we look closely,we will see that each and every bar is an exact multiple of the minimum bar width. The first bar is
8X wide, the following space 1X wide, etc... In a validly printed code, without ink spread, youshould never see a bar that is 1.5X, 4.2X, or not a whole multiple of X. In a PDF417 symbol, youwill always see 1X, 2X, 3X, 4X, 5X, 6X, 7X or 8X bars
11.2.2.3 Structure
Like other barcodes, PDF417 has a well defined physical structure. This section describes each ofthese structural components.
Start / Stop pattern
Every barcode has a start pattern on the left, and a stoppattern on the right. These patterns are unique for eachtype of barcode. PDF417's unique start and stop patternsare:
Code words
In a PDF417 barcode, each bar and space does not storedata. Data is actually stored in code words. A code word isa consecutive sequence of 4 bars and 4 spaces totalling17X wide. The 417 in PDF417 refers to this code wordstructure.
Code words reside between the start pattern on the left,and the stop pattern on the right. This region containsseveral types of code words including data code words,control code words, and row indicator code words. Each ofthese code words abides by the rules described above. Thepicture to the right points out a single PDF417 code word:
Row Indicators Codewords
Adjacent to the start and stop patterns, are PDF's right andleft row indicators. These indicators are code words that areused to store information required to decode the PDF417symbol. This includes the row number, number or rows,number of columns, and the error correction level used.
Data Code word Region
User data is first encoded into code word values. Thesecode word values are then converted into physical codewords represented by bars and spaces as described above.Data code words are physically located between the leftand right row indicator code words. To the right, you cansee the data code word region:
If you look closely at a PDF417 symbol, you will notice thatit appears to be made of many "1D-like" barcodes. Inreality, it is made up of multiple rows. A PDF417 barcodecan have anywhere from 3 to 90 rows. This allows aPDF417 symbol to be reshaped by adjusting the number ofrows. The following PDF417 symbol has 5 rows:
Columns
A PDF417 symbol is made up of multiple data columns,which are sometimes referred to as the data column area.The number of data columns can vary from 3 to 30, toaccommodate user's real estate requirements. Thesecolumns contain encoded data, as well as error correctioninformation. Within the data column area, a single PDF417can contain no more than 928 code words. An example of a3 column PDF417 symbol appears to the right
Error correction
The PDF417 symbology has error correction capability. This capability enables scanners to read the barcode even if it hasbeen torn, written on, or damaged in other ways. How much damage a symbol can withstand depends on the amount oferror correction in each PDF417 symbol. The user has the ability to select 1 of 9 error correction levels for each symbolprinted. Error correction is specified by selecting a level from 0 to 8. At level 0, a damaged PDF417 cannot be read, but thedamage can be detected. At levels 1 through 8, a PDF417 symbol can still be read, even when damaged. As the errorcorrection level increases, more damage can occur to the symbol and still be read. Consequently, the higher the errorcorrection level, the larger the symbol becomes, while the data capacity goes down. The following table illustrates thesefacts:
PDF417 symbols can be damaged and still decoded. The amount of damage that a symbol canwithstand is its error correction capacity. For example, at level 5 error correction, 64 code words oferror correction are used. At this level, 31 code words can have errors, while still being readcorrectly. If more than 31 errors exist, the symbol is unreadable. DHL Express uses level 5.
In this document, references are made to the following international standards defined by the ISOorganization (International Organization for Standardization):
ISO 3166 Country codes
ISO 15394 Packaging - Bar code and two-dimensional symbols for shipping, transport andreceiving labels.
ISO 15459-1 Information Technology – Unique identification of transport units
ISO 15418 Information Technology – EAN/UCC Application identifiers and ANSI DataIdentifiers and Maintenance
12.1.1 ISO 3166
This standard
· describes unique codes to identify countries, in numeric and character based coding.
12.1.2 ISO 15394
This standard
· specifies the minimum requirements for the design of labels containing linear barcode andtwo-dimensional symbols on transport units to convey data between trading partners,
· provides for traceability of transported units via a unique transport unit identifier (LicensePlate),
· provides guidance for the formatting on the label of data presented in linear barcode, two-dimensional symbols or human readable form. It describes the linear symbologies Code 39,Code 128 and EAN128. MaxiCode and PDF417 are the specified 2-dimensional codes.
· provides specific recommendations regarding the choice of barcode symbologies, specifiesquality requirements, classes of barcode density,
· makes recommendations as to label placement, size and the inclusion of free text and anyappropriate graphics,
· provides guidance in the selection of label material.
12.1.3 ISO 15459-1
This standard
· specifies a unique, non-significant, number for transport units, represented in a barcode labelor other ADC media attached to the transport unit to meet these needs, and known as theLicense Plate number.
12.1.4 ISO 15418
This standard
· specifies sets of data and application identifiers for the purpose of identifying encoded data,
· identifies the organisations responsible for their maintenance.
· describes how to code different data structures into high capacity ADC media, e.g. PDF417codes,
· is referred to as “Transfer Syntax standard”.
12.1.6 ISO 15416
This standard
· specifies quality requirements for linear barcodes,
· describes quality measurement methods.
12.2 CEN standards
In this document, references are made to the following international standards defined by the CENorganisation (Comité Européen de Normalisation):
EN 1573, Barcoding – Multi Industry Transport Label
EN 1635, Barcoding - Test Specifications for Bar Code Symbols.
12.2.1 EN 1573
This standard
· describes the definition and the usage of the Multi Industry Transport label, including LicensePlate usage. This standard provides basic layout standards as it is meant to be a "framework".2-dimensional barcodes have not yet been considered in this standard.
12.2.2 EN 1635
This standard:
· Specifies quality levels for printed one dimensional barcodes.
12.3 UPU standards
In this document, references are made to the following international standards defined by the UPUorganisation (Universal Postal Union):
UPU S26-4 – License Plates for parcels
12.3.1 S26-4
This standard:
· defines the UPU implementation of ISO/IEC 15459 and an associated label for theidentification of parcels
In this document, references are made to the following international standards defined by theANSI organisation (American National Standards Institute):
MH10.8.2 – Data Identifier and Application Identifier standard
12.4.1 MH10.8.2
This standard:
· Has been defined by the ANSI organisation (American National Standards Institute)
· is the "Mother of modern label layout standards". International labelling standards such asCEN 1573 or ISO 15394 base on the ideas of this standard. However, barcode symbologieshad been restricted to EAN128.
· provides a comprehensive dictionary of MH 10/SC 8 Data Identifiers and EAN.UCCApplication Identifiers. It provides for the assignment of new Data Identifiers, as required, andprovides a document detailing the correlation, or mapping, of Data Identifiers to ApplicationIdentifiers, where a correlation exists.
12.4.2 General EAN.UCC Specification, version 4.0
This standard:
· Describes the system of EAN Application Identifiers (to complement ISO 15418)
· Describes usage and structure of EAN SSCC in digital form and in barcoded form
· Describes further UCC/EAN standards, such as the Global Location Numbers (GLNs)
· Describes format and usage guidelines for UCC/EAN Logistics Label
Appendix A. ISO Country code 3166 and ISO Currency code 4217
The following table shows European countries where shipments can be delivered.
Allowed forCountry A2 Number Cur. Code Currency PostcodeFormat
EuroplusInternational
EuroConnect
ANDORRA AD 020 EUR Euro (none) XAUSTRIA *) AT 040 EUR Euro n4 X XBELGIUM *) BE 056 EUR Euro n4BOSNIE HERZEGOVINA BA 070 BAM Marka n5 XBULGARIA **) BG 100 BGN Lev n4 XCROATIA HR 191 HRK Kuna n5 XCYPRUS *) CY 196 CYP Pound a4CZECH REPUBLIC *) CZ 203 CZK Crown n5 X XDENMARK *) DK 208 DKK Crown n4 X XESTINIA *) EE 233 EEK Kroon N5 XFINLAND *) FI 246 EUR Euro n5 X XFRANCE *) FR 250 EUR Euro n5 X XGERMANY *) DE 276 EUR Euro n5 X XGIBRALTAR GI 292 EUR Euro an7 X XGREAT BRITAIN *) GB 826 GBP Pound an7 X XGREECE *) GR 300 EUR Euro n5 XHUNGARY *) HU 348 HUF Forint n4 X xIRELAND *) IE 372 EUR Euro (none) X XITALY *) IT 380 EUR Euro n5 X XLITHUANIA *) LT 440 LTL Litai n4 XLATVIA *) LV 428 LVL Lats n4 XLIECHTENSTEIN LI 438 CHF Frank n4 X XLUXEMBOURG *) LU 442 EUR Euro n4MACEDONIA MK 807 MKD Dinar n5 XMALTA *) MT 470 MTL Lira a3n2/a3n3 XMONACO MC 492 EUR Euro n5 X XNETHERLANDS *) NL 528 EUR Euro n4a2NORWAY NO 578 NOK Crown n4 X XPOLAND *) PL 616 PLZ/PLN Zloty n5 X XPORTUGAL *) PT 620 EUR Euro N7 X XROMANIA **) RO 642 ROL Leu N6 XSAN MARINO SM 674 EUR Euro N5 X XSLOVAKIA *) SK 703 SKK Crown N5 XSLOVENIA *) SI 705 SIT Tolar N4 XSPAIN *) ES 724 EUR Euro n5 X XSWEDEN *) SE 752 SEK Crown n5 X XSWITZERLAND CH 756 CHF Frank n4 X XTURKEY TR 792 TRL Lira n5 X
De following table shows all Depot locations and sub locations per 01-10-2003. Inquire for actualinformation at your DHL (former VGL) depot.Depot code Depot address Postcode CityNetherlandsNL/VGL/ALKNL/VGL/AME**NL/VGL/AMSNL/VGL/ARN**NL/VGL/BEENL/VGL/EINNL/VGL/GRANL/VGL/GRO**NL/VGL/HENNL/VGL/HERNL/VGL/LEE**NL/VGL/MIDNL/VGL/ROONL/VGL/ROTNL/VGL/TERNL/VGL/UTRNL/VGL/ZWO**BelgiumBE/VGL/ANT*BE/VGL/FAI*BE/VGL/CHA*BE/VGL/IEP*BE/VGL/OPG*BE/VGL/TER*BE/VGL/GRI*LuxembourgLU/VGL/LUX
Berenkoog 48Basicweg 1-3Hornweg 64Hazenkamp 40Horsterweg 26Achtseweg Noord 20Laan van Waalhaven 10Bornholmstraat 21-25Opaalstraat 2Zilverenberg 5Apolloweg 2(Peter van Soest) Kuipersweg 5Borchwerf 23Kiotoweg 5(fa Herrebout) Mr. F.J. Haarmanweg 14Rutherfordweg 1Lingenstraat 3
Merantistraat 1Av. du Parc Industriel (site Colgate)Z.I. Rue du Marquis 1Zwaanhofweg 3Weg Naar Meeuwen 24Essenestraat 26Eppegemsesteenweg 31-33
Note: Due to the fact that VGL, currently as only DPEE partner, implemented the PDF417 bar code, theproduct and product features codes are not harmonised with DPEE. Therefore, the use of the tables in thissection is restricted to the IFTMIN message in the PDF417 bar code only. In segment TSR, C537/4219,Transport product.Products Menu
CodeDescription
Europlus 01 Standard freight, Pallet freight and Express within the BeneluxEuroplus International 02 International Express. Only allowed in mutual agreement with DHL in Utrecht or Ternat (shipments
departing from respective the Netherlands or Belgium/Luxembourg). For adequate operating of thisservice all shipments should be pre-notified to the related VGLEE depot on a daily basis becausecollection is executed by a separate network.
EuroConnect 03 Groupage shipments throughout Europe. Only allowed after consulting your DHL depot.
Direct deliveries and Selektvracht are not supported via a product and PDF bar code label.
Validfor(1)
Productfeatures
Code Product Description
Men
u 01
Men
u 02
Men
u 03
Deliveryoptions
21
2223
Hold at Depot
Locker pointDelivery strictly limited toreceiver
EP Benelux (see appendix B)
Delivery only allowed to named person. (information on label and inPDF code. The combination of maximum 3 lines in element C080 isleading)
U
KX
X
XK
X
XX
Timedeliveries
011524-27(a)(d)
Delivery before 11:00 hrsSaturday delivery(Green)box, rental/logisticsDangerous goodsRecap (seal, signature,stamp)
(Current Expresser product)Delivery < 14:00 hrs (currently only in NL)20, 25, 40 50 liter
Restricted for destinations in BE
UUKUU
XXXUX
XXXXX
Financialservices
(b)
(c)(b)
COD
Ex WorksInsurance
EP Benelux / EuroCargo: maximum EUR 1500,-. Europlus int:maximum EUR 5000,-Consignee pays freight costsValue indication on separate document
U
KU
U
UU
U
UU
Handlingoptions
(e)50
Separate documentsEuroplus int One-Stop
For EuroConnect only in case of dangerous goodsOnly for Europlus international, pick up on a non gateway depot
UX
UU
XX
(1) For all products it is indicated whether the product features are universal (U), customer related (K)of invalid (X). Customer related means there is a bilateral agreement between customer and DHLregarding operating and tariffs.
The next listed product features are not indicated by a code in the PDF code:
a) The existence of a DGS segment is sufficient (see 7.8.15)
b) Amount, currency and indication of COD and/or Insurance in the MOA segment is sufficient (see7.8.5)
c) Transport charges in TOD segment is sufficient (see 7.8.7)
d) Indicated type of Recap in TOD segment is sufficient (see 7.8.7)
e) Separate documents are processed as shipment piece and therefore should carry complete PDFlabel
Attention: product feature Locker point (22) can not be used at the same time with Hold at Depot(21), Delivery limited to receiver (23), COD and Recap.
The following terms and definitions are used within this document:Term Definition2D Barcode Machine readable code, capable of storing large amounts of data, which must be examined both vertically and
horizontally to read the entire message. Two dimensional symbols are one of two types of machine readablesymbols: matrix symbols and multi-row symbols. 2D symbols have error detection and may include errorcorrection.
ADC Automatic Data CaptureANSI American National Standards InstituteApplication Identifier A UCC/EAN specified character (or string of characters) that defines the general category or intended use of the
data that followsAspect ratio Ratio between height and lengthCCD Charge Coupled Device; Technique for scanning of barcodesCEN Comité Européen de Normalisation; European Standards InstituteCheck digit Digit added to a barcode for verification purposes. The check digit is usually calculated from the barcode content
using a modulo algorithm. A check digit can be added to the content of a barcode, and/or it can be part of thebarcode symbology (in the latter case its value is not transferred by the scanning device).
Code 128 Code 128 is an alphanumeric barcode symbology with high density. It is a continuous code with a variable lengththat comprises elements of differing widths. It contains a check digit.
Data Identifier A specified character (or string of characters) that defines the general category or intended use of the data thatfollows
EAN European Article Numbering organisationEAN128 EAN 128 is a barcode symbology defined by the EAN organisation, similar to Code 128fence orientation When a barcode is printed in portrait orientation, this is called fence orientation, as the bars are standing like a
garden fence. For thermal printer this is always the preferred method.IAC Issuing Agency CodeISO International Organisation for StandardisationLadder orientation When a barcode is printed in landscape orientation, this is called ladder orientation, as the bars form a kind of a
ladder. For thermal printer this method is never recommended.License Plate A code assigned to a transport unit by its issuer, in accordance with ISO/IEC 15459-1:1999, Technical Standard
for unique identification of transport unitsLinear barcode One dimensional barcode.Manifest Pick-up list provided by customer. It contains all necessary order data for DP EE, especially the License Plate of
each piece to be shipped. In Germany referred to as “Einlieferungsliste”OCR Optical Character Recognition; Machine interpretation of human readable informationPDF417 A PDF417 is a two-dimensional barcode, accepted by both ANSI and CEN as ‘open system technology’ standard.SSCC Serial Shipping Container Code, License Plate issued by the EAN organisationSymbology A set of rules defining the way information is presented in a barcode. Examples are Code 128 and EAN128UCC “Uniform Code Council”; the American counterpart of the EANUPU “Universal Postal Union”
Department of the United Nations, co-ordinating world-wide postal services.Waybill A waybill contains order data, billing data and the transportation data (routing data and special handling
instructions) on one label. A waybill accompanies the shipment from sender to receiver.x-Dimension The width of the smallest bar in a one-dimensional barcode
