The Walmart 856, segment by segment
It is also the document suppliers most often build last, which is why it is the one that fails.
Get a fixed quote Decode an 824
The hierarchy is the document
An 856 is a set of HL loops, not a flat list. The order matters, and Walmart expects the levels it asks for in your vendor guide.
- Shipment — the top HL, one per truck or per shipment.
- Order — one per purchase order, carrying PRF with the PO number.
- Pack — the pallet or carton, carrying the SSCC-18 in MAN.
- Item — LIN and SN1, the SKU and the quantity in that pack.
What the DC compares
Four values decide whether the receipt matches:
- PRF01 must equal the PO on the 850, character for character.
- SN102 must equal what is physically in the pack, not what was ordered.
- MAN02 must be the SSCC printed on that pallet or carton, check digit included.
- Ship-to must be the DC on the PO, including split shipments.
SSCC per what?
Both, when the guide asks for carton labelling: one number per pallet and one per carton, each unique, each printed as a GS1-128 barcode. Reusing a serial from a previous shipment is the failure that looks like a software bug and is actually a printer reprint.
The four rejections that repeat
These account for most 856 failures at Walmart, and none of them is a syntax problem:
- Quantity mismatch — the SN1 says twelve, the pallet carried ten.
- Missing pack level — item HL loops with no pack above them, so the DC cannot match labels to lines.
- Duplicate SSCC — a reprint, or a serial sequence that wrapped.
- PRF not the PO — a trailing space, a leading zero, or the buyer's internal reference instead of the PO number.
Test with the shipment you dread
A single-SKU, single-pallet test proves almost nothing. Test a mixed pallet with a partial line, because that is where the hierarchy and the quantities stop agreeing.
Questions
Does Walmart require carton-level SSCCs?
For many categories, yes. The vendor guide for your supplier number states it, and the guide overrides any general advice including this page.
Can the 856 be sent after the truck leaves?
It has to precede receipt, and earlier is safer. The requirement is in the supplier agreement, and the ASN timestamp is one of the first things examined in a dispute.