CEN/TS 17073:2017

SLOVENSKI STANDARD
01-september-2017
3RãWQHVWRULWYH9PHVQLNL]DSDNHWHYþH]PHMQHPSURPHWX
Postal services - Interfaces for cross border parcels
Postalische Dienstleistungen - Schnittstellen für grenzüberschreitende Pakete
Services postaux - Interfaces pour les colis transfrontaliers
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: CEN/TS 17073:2017
ICS:
03.240 Poštne storitve Postal services
35.040.50 Tehnike za samodejno Automatic identification and
razpoznavanje in zajem data capture techniques
podatkov
35.240.69 Uporabniške rešitve IT pri IT applications in postal
poštnih storitvah services
2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.

CEN/TS 17073
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION
SPÉCIFICATION TECHNIQUE
June 2017
TECHNISCHE SPEZIFIKATION
ICS 03.240; 35.040.50; 35.240.69; 55.020
English Version
Postal services - Interfaces for cross border parcels
Services postaux - Interfaces pour les colis Postalische Dienstleistungen - Schnittstellen für
transfrontaliers grenzüberschreitende Pakete
This Technical Specification (CEN/TS) was approved by CEN on 11 May 2017 for provisional application.

The period of validity of this CEN/TS is limited initially to three years. After two years the members of CEN will be requested to
submit their comments, particularly on the question whether the CEN/TS can be converted into a European Standard.

CEN members are required to announce the existence of this CEN/TS in the same way as for an EN and to make the CEN/TS
available promptly at national level in an appropriate form. It is permissible to keep conflicting national standards in force (in
parallel to the CEN/TS) until the final decision about the possible conversion of the CEN/TS into an EN is reached.

CEN members are the national standards bodies of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia,
Finland, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania,
Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland,
Turkey and United Kingdom.
EUROPEAN COMMITTEE FOR STANDARDIZATION
COMITÉ EUROPÉEN DE NORMALISATION

EUROPÄISCHES KOMITEE FÜR NORMUNG

CEN-CENELEC Management Centre: Avenue Marnix 17, B-1000 Brussels
© 2017 CEN All rights of exploitation in any form and by any means reserved Ref. No. CEN/TS 17073:2017 E
worldwide for CEN national Members.

Contents Page
European foreword . 3
Introduction . 4
1 Scope . 5
2 Normative references . 6
3 Terms and definitions . 6
4 Symbols and abbreviations . 6
5 The physical postal item label . 7
5.1 Contents in the label. 7
5.2 Size . 9
5.3 General display rules . 9
5.4 Header zone . 12
5.5 Sender zone . 13
5.6 Addressee zone . 15
5.7 Instruction zone . 16
5.8 Item-identifier zone – Zone E . 17
5.9 Example label . 20
5.10 Address printed quality . 23
5.11 Icons . 23
6 Electronic exchange connected to the parcel and the label . 23
Annex A (informative) Adresses . 25
A.1 Requirements for address data elements . 25
A.2 Rendering parameters . 27
Annex B (informative) Description of the data to be transmitted to the logistic operator
(case with S10 identifier) . 28
Annex C (informative) Instruction symbols . 30
Annex D (informative) Guideline for the Utilization of GS1 Standards in the CEP industry . 32
D.1 General . 32
D.2 SSCC Allocation of Number Ranges . 32
D.3 Structure of the SSCC . 33
D.4 SSCC Data Carriers . 34
D.5 Recommendation for the Positioning of the SSCC Barcode on the Transport Label. 35
D.6 Electronic Data Exchange / EDI . 35
Annex E (informative) Data capture at source (EDI) currently used by members of the IPC
Interconnect program . 36
Annex F (informative) IFTMIN - The necessary specification . 55
Bibliography . 56
European foreword
This document (CEN/TS 17073:2017) has been prepared by Technical Committee CEN/TC 331 “Postal
services”, the secretariat of which is held by NEN.
According to the CEN/CENELEC Internal Regulations, the national standards organisations of the
following countries are bound to announce this Technical Specification: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria,
Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia,
France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta,
Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland,
Turkey and the United Kingdom.
Introduction
Using new communication and information technologies, postal operators move beyond what is
traditionally regarded their core postal business. They are meeting higher customer expectations,
expanding the range of products and value-added services and use electronic advanced data for
interconnecting global networks.
Standardized processes in operations and communication are the foundation for effective postal
operations. The Technical Committee CEN/TC331 “Postal Services” maintains and develops a growing
number of standards to improve the exchange of Postal item related information between postal
operators. One of the leading aims is to promote the compatibility of CEN/TC331 standardization
efforts with those of the Universal Postal Union and its international initiatives and standardization
undertaken by the wider postal service stakeholders.
The European Commission has identified the completion of the Digital Single Market (DSM) as one of its
10 political priorities, which was adopted on the 6 May 2015, with 16 initiatives to be delivered by the
end of 2016.
The Digital Single Market Strategy is built on three pillars which the first goal is to improve the access
for consumers and businesses to digital goods and services across Europe, including e-commerce selling
channel. E-commerce has significant potential for contributing to economic growth and employment.
Through this Roadmap, the Commission aimed to ensure quick improvements in parcel delivery.
The Commission's Communication on ecommerce and online services identifies the delivery of goods
purchased online as one of the top five priorities to boost e-commerce and its importance has been
reiterated by the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament. Delivery is indeed
critical as it has a substantial impact on facilitating e-commerce trade and is a key element for building
trust between sellers and buyers.
Under the framework of the Union Work program for European standardization for 2015, requesting
for a focus on the cross border parcel services to emphasize the development of this market with a
specific focus on the small and medium size e-merchants by easing the use of cross border shipments by
simplifying the initial interface, improving the track and trace event management if different logistics
operators involved in the delivery chain, improving the integration with software solutions commonly
used by e-merchant.
In response to the ever-growing need for more effective and integrated cross-border ecommerce
solutions, designated Postal Operators in Europe have developed “E-Commerce Interconnect” using
proprietary specifications and standards, such as a UPU Standard, adopted in February 2016 on “Postal-
item label”.
E-commerce associations, courier-, express- and postal services in Europe came together to bridge
between proprietary specifications and non-for-profit solutions, already used by the wider European e-
commerce community for supply chain management, to standardize delivery chain management, so
that all (including the designated operators represented by the UPU) can use the same standard.
1 Scope
This Technical Specification will specify the interface between the e-merchant (any commercial
customer sending parcels) and the first logistic operator.
The interface is composed on two items:
— the physical label attached on the postal item: contents, sizes, minimum requirements to guarantee
the quality and efficiency of the logistic process (sorting, delivery).
— the electronic exchanges between the sender and the logistic operator with the description of the
data to be provided, the format of the exchanges.
While designated operators of UPU have drawn up business requirements using proprietary standards
and related data components, online merchants have developed open, not-for-profit standards for final
delivery which are integrated into their existing supply chain management environment.
The Technical Specification aims to specify the interface between the e-merchant (any commercial
customer sending postal items) and the first logistic operator composed by incorporating the
3 elements:
— physical label attached to the postal item with information for item identification;
— electronic exchanges between the sender and the logistic operator concerning parcels dispatch;
— data needed for various delivery chain parts, in particular final delivery to the recipient, in order to
facilitate exchange between the item-specific identifiers.
NOTE 1 The last element enables the growth of integrated, data-driven systems which support highly efficient
and customer-driven cross-border ecommerce. This reflects the current trend to B-to-B-to-C delivery solutions in
the European and international cross border e-commerce markets. Delivery from original source to final
consumer can be split over more than one service provider.
NOTE 2 C-to-B-to-B-to-C solutions will be an extension, in particular when returns are specified. The “first C”
would indicate that consumers wishing to return items, or induct items themselves, will be able to print labels
following the fundamentals specified in this standard.
E-merchant exchange data with logistic operators (i.e. the postal operators, but not limited to those
designated to fulfil the rights and obligations of UPU member countries) to help, simplify and enable the
consequential logistic and transactional tasks. The establishment of common definitions and electronic
formats, safeguards the reliability and decreases the overall costs by avoiding software development
costs, multiple printing equipment, over-labelling during the process, and the manual sorting.
2 Normative references
The following documents, in whole or in part, are normatively referenced in this document and are
indispensable for its application. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For undated
references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
prEN ISO 19160-4 , Addressing - Part 4: International postal address components and template
languages (ISO/DIS 19160-4:2016)
ISO/IEC 15459-1, Information technology — Automatic identification and data capture techniques —
Unique identification — Part 1: Individual transport units
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.
NOTE UPU/designated operator specific terminology used in this document, are defined in the UPU
Standards glossary, in documents referred to in Normative References and in the Bibliography.
3.1
postal item
item dispatched by a postal operator in a country, in particular items containing goods
Note 1 to entry: In Europe, most Courier-, Express, or Parcel operators would qualify to be a postal operator.
3.2
good
letter-post, parcel-post, express or courier item consisting of any tangible and movable object other
than money, including objects of merchandise, which does not fall under the definition of “document”
3.3
document
letter-post, parcel-post, express or courier item consisting of any piece of written, drawn, printed or
digital information, excluding objects of merchandise
4 Symbols and abbreviations
The symbols, other than those provided in Annex B (for those used in the UPU environment) and
abbreviations other than described below, used in this document are defined in the UPU Standards
glossary.
EANCOM®
The trademark EANCOM® is composed from EAN (European Article Number, today: GTIN, Global Trade
Item Number) and COM (Communication). This is a standard for any eventuality: almost all business
transactions can be processed electronically in form of an EANCOM® message. EANCOM® has
established itself globally and is with over 100,000 users the world's most important message standard
in the field of electronic data exchange.
GS1 XML
GS1 standardized message format. The semantics of all GS1 XML messages is clearly and unambiguously
defined. Just as with EANCOM®, GS1 XML consists of a set of electronic business messages with which

Under development under ISO lead.
users can exchange data quickly, precisely and efficiently. The increasing number of users confirms the
advantages: globally, over 40,000 companies in different sectors of the economy use GS1 XML.
NOTE If companies cannot provide the listed GS1 formats, it is possible to use converter solutions.
IFTMIN – Transport Instruction
The transport instruction is sent by a customer to his transport service provider in order to request the
transport of a delivery of goods to one or more delivery points. The identification of the transport units
takes place via the use of the Serial Shipping Container Code (SSCC).
IFTSTA – Transport Status Message
This message allows the exchange of information concerning the temporal and spatial status of the
physical transport of the logistic unit within the entire transport chain. It is sent according to
agreements between the parties.
DESADV – Despatch Advice
The sender sends the despatch advice to the receiver. This message contains details about the logistic
unit and the goods despatched under agreed conditions. With the help of this message the receiver
knows which goods have been sent at what time; he can prepare for goods receipt and compare the
dates of the delivery with those of the order.
IFTMAN - Arrival Notice Message
The notice of arrival is sent from a party – which performs transport services – to another party
mentioned in the contract. Content of the message is details regarding the arrival of a consignment. It
can also serve as proof of delivery.
5 The physical postal item label
5.1 Contents in the label
Postal item labels include both fixed and variable data. Table 1 lists the contents in the label, a
description of the information, and whether the data are mandatory or conditional. Mandatory
information is always required. Conditional information should be supplied if it is available. The format
of the content, i.e. its length, is also given.
NOTE The format is to facilitate IT systems: an.26 means up to 26 alphanumeric characters (the leading dots
indicating a variable length); an13 means 13 alphanumeric characters, fixed length.
Table 1 — Contents in the label
Information Description Mandatory (M)/ Format
content Conditional (C)
Product identifier Name of the product or service offered by the first C an.26
operator to the customer
Postal network Name or logo of the agreement under which the C name:
item is processed and following which financial an.26
settlements are made between the sending

operator and the receiving operator
Origin operator Name or logo of the origin operator (sending M name:
postal, express, courier operator) that holds the an.35
contract with the customer who orders the

shipment of goods using a service offered by the
origin operator
Service level Name or logo of the service level in accordance C name:
indicator with which the item shall be processed an.30
EXAMPLE priority; non-priority or other terms
as specified in a bi- or multi-lateral agreements,
service level agreements, etc. If there is a special
service level it should be stated.
Sender name Identification of the sender, specified using the M see
data elements defined in Annex A Annex A
Sender address The full address of the sender, specified using the M See
data elements defined in Annex A Annex A
Sender telephone Sender’s telephone number C an.35
number
Sender customer Sender’s customer account number, as defined and C an.17
account number registered by the origin postal operator.
Addressee name Identification of the addressee, specified using the M see
data elements defined in Annex A Annex A
Addressee address The full address of the addressee, specified using M see
the data elements defined in Annex A Annex A
Addressee telephone Addressee’s telephone number C an.35
number
Instructions Applicable operational instructions, delivery C see
options and product features, represented with Annex B
logos as defined in Annex B
Information Description Mandatory (M)/ Format
content Conditional (C)
UPU Item identifier Unique identification of the item as defined in S10 a an.13
C / M
Carrier specific or
C
identifier
Unique identification of the item as defined by
proprietary carrier coding, including the UPU
implementation of ISO/IEC 15459-1 (the licence
plate standard) and an associated label for the
identification of parcels, UPU S26

b
GS1 Item identifier Unique identification (SSCC) of the item is based C / M an.20
on the company prefix of the shipper (GCP) as
defined by GS1.
NOTE GS1 is a non-for-profit organization.
Users might need a license issued by GS1.
a
The UPU Item identifier is mandatory for postal items within the UPU network, as specified in the UPU treaties
and conventions.
b
In case only UPU designated postal operators are involved in the cross-border delivery they may choose to use the
UPU identifier only.
When the Item is intended to be transported in the UPU network (by those postal operators, designated by the
member states to fulfil the obligations of the treaties of the UPU) there might be no need for another barcode but
the UPU S10 compliant barcode. It is possible (due to the technical capabilities of the different postal
administrations) to have challenges when UPU S10 compliant identifiers and SSCC identifiers are used on the same
label.
NOTE Some postal operators designated by UPU member states can handle both barcodes on one label (UPU
S10 and SSCC). It is however advisable for senders wishing to use both to verify this possibility with their chosen
operator.
5.2 Size
All dimensions provided in this specification are in millimetres (mm).
The postal-item label defines a standard A6 label.
Table 2 — Size of the label
Parameter Value
Height 148 mm
Width 105 mm
NOTE The size described is a minimum size. Companies can choose to use a larger size, however comply with
the general display rules.
5.3 General display rules
5.3.1 Label text font
Apart from the header, all text included in the postal item label shall be presented using a single text
font.
The following fonts shall be permitted: Lucida Console, Verdana, Courier New, FreeSans Gothic, Batang,
Monospace, and Helvetica.
2)
The preferred font is FreeSans . The font shall be normal (“roman” / “upright”) and not italic or
inclined, underlined, or written in white on a black background (inversed).
5.3.2 Colours
Apart from the header, all text, symbols and barcodes shall be printed using black ink on a white
background.
Other colours are permitted for the conditional (optional) data/information in the header section.
5.3.3 Label zones
The postal-item label comprises five defined zones (from the top of the label to the bottom): A to E.
Zones A, B, C and E are divided into sub-zones (see Figure 1 below):
a) header zone (A0, A1, A2, A3);
b) sender zone (B0, B1, B2, B3);
c) addressee zone (C0, C1, C2);
d) instruction zone;
e) item identifier zone (E1 conditional / mandatory UPU S10, E2 conditional / mandatory SSCC). When
SSCC is applied, the SSCC is always at the bottom.

2)
FreeSans is an open outline font that can be freely downloaded from the Internet.
NOTE Figure 1 is not to scale.
Figure 1 — Layout of postal item label
5.3.4 Zone contents
The table below lists the zones and sub-zones and indicates the information content represented in
each of them.
Table 3 — Zones and sub-zones and their information content
Zone Information content Mandatory (M)/
Conditional (C)
A0 Origin operator M
A1 Product identifier C
A2 Network identifier C
A3 Service level indicator C
B0 Sender name M
B1 Sender address M
B2 Sender telephone number C
B3 Sender customer account number C
C0 Addressee name M
C1 Addressee address M
C2 Addressee telephone number C
D Instructions C
E1 Item identifier (S10) or other unique identification of the item a
C / M
as defined by proprietary carrier coding, including the UPU
implementation of ISO/IEC 15459-1 (the licence plate
standard) and an associated label for the identification of
parcels
E2 Item identifier (SSCC) b
C / M
Unique identification (SSCC) of the item is based on the
company prefix of the shipper (GCP) as defined by GS1.
NOTE GS1 is a non-for-profit organization. Users might
need a license issued by GS1.
a
The UPU Item identifier is mandatory for postal items within the UPU network, as specified in the UPU
treaties and conventions.
b
In case only UPU designated postal operators are involved in the cross-border delivery they may choose to
use the UPU identifier only.
When the Item is intended to be transported in the UPU network (by those postal operators, designated by the
member states to fulfil the obligations of the treaties of the UPU) there might be no need for another barcode
but the UPU S10 compliant barcode. It is possible (due to the technical capabilities of the different postal
administrations) to have challenges when UPU S10 compliant identifiers and SSCC identifiers are used on the
same label.
5.4 Header zone
5.4.1 General
The header (zone A) shall be positioned at the top of the label and can contain information on the origin
post (name or logo), product identifier, the service level applied, as well as an indication of the postal
network used to process the item.
5.4.2 Header dimensions – zone A
The dimensions of the header are listed in Table 4.
Table 4 — Header dimensions– zone A
Characteristic Value
Height 20 mm
Width 105 mm
Position on top of the label, above the sender section (zone B)
Line border thickness above and below 0,2 mm
5.5 Sender zone
5.5.1 General
The sender zone (zone B) shall be positioned below the header zone and shall contain information on
the sending party. The text “FROM” shall be displayed in capitals and oriented vertically. The address of
the sender shall be to the right of the text “FROM”. Addresses shall be submitted either as a set of
meaningful prEN ISO 19160-4 components, or as a set of address lines, or as a combination of elements
and lines.
5.5.2 Sender zone dimensions – zone B
The dimensions of the sender zone are listed in Table 5.
Table 5 — Sender zone dimensions - zone B
Characteristic Value
Height 20 mm
Width 105 mm
Position Below the header section (zone A)
Line border thickness above and below 0,2 mm
5.5.3 FROM indicator
Table 6 — FROM indicator
Characteristic Value
Orientation Vertical
Text font size 11 pt
Text specification Bold
Width 10 mm
Minimum space between text and line border 2,5 mm
5.5.4 Address of sender – zone B0 and B1
Table 7 — Zone B0 and B1
Characteristic Value
Width 95 mm
Address block The address shall be presented in block, without
any white lines
NOTE If optional lines are not used, white
(blank) lines shall not appear in the address
block.
Addresses shall be represented following the
specifications at Annex A.
Minimum text font size 7 pt
Line border thickness 0,2 mm
Minimum space between text and borders 0,8 mm
5.5.5 Sender telephone number – zone B2
If available, the sender telephone number should be included in the sender zone, preceded by a
“telephone symbol” and positioned in the upper-right corner of the zone.
Table 8 — Sender telephone number - zone B2
Characteristic Value
Font size 7 pt
Telephone symbol
Telephone symbol dimensions 5 mm x 5 mm
Position Upper-right corner, aligned right
5.5.6 Customer account number – zone B3
If available, the customer account number of the sender should be included below the sender telephone
number. The customer account number shall be preceded by the abbreviated text “Cust Acct”:. The
customer account number may be the GLN (GS1).
Table 9 — Customer account number - zone B3
Characteristic Value
Font size 7 pt
Position Upper-right corner, below the sender telephone
number, aligned right
5.5.7 Requirements for rendering of addresses on item labels
The address of the sender shall be rendered on the label based on the postal address templates of the
appropriate country encoded in the Postal Address Template Definition Language specified in standard
prEN ISO 19160-4. The postal address template shall refer to the rendering parameters specified in
Annex A.
5.6 Addressee zone
5.6.1 General
The addressee zone (zone C) shall be positioned below the sender zone and contain information on the
receiving party. The text “TO” shall be displayed in capitals and oriented horizontally. The address of
the addressee shall be to the right of the text “TO”. Addresses shall be submitted either as a set of
meaningful prEN ISO 19160-4 components, a set of address lines, or as a combination of elements and
lines.
5.6.2 Addressee zone dimensions – zone C
Table 10 — Addressee zone dimensions - zone C
Characteristic Value
Height 30 mm
Width 105 mm
Position Below the sender zone (zone B)
Line border thickness above and below 0,2 mm
5.6.3 TO indicator
Table 11 — TO indicator
Characteristic Value
Width 15 mm
Text orientation Horizontal
Text font size 16 pt
Text specification Bold
Line border thickness 0,2 mm
5.6.4 Name and address of addressee – zones C0 and C1
Table 12 — Name and address of addressee - zones C0 and C1
Characteristic Value
Width 90 mm
Address block The address shall be presented in block, without any
white lines.
NOTE If optional lines are not used, white (blank)
lines shall not appear in the address block.
Addresses shall be represented following the
specifications at Annex A.
Minimum text font size 10 pt
Line border thickness 0,2 mm
Minimum space between text and borders 0,8 mm
5.6.5 Telephone number – zone C2
If available, the addressee telephone number should be included in the addressee zone preceded by a
“telephone symbol” and positioned in the upper-right corner of the zone.
Table 13 — Telephone number - zone C2
Characteristic Value
Font size 7 pt
Telephone symbol
Telephone symbol dimensions 5 mm x 5 mm
Position Upper-right corner, aligned right
5.6.6 Requirement for specification of context for rendering
The name and address of the addressee shall be rendered on the label based on the postal address
template of the appropriate country that is encoded in the Postal Address Template Definition
Language specified in prEN ISO 19160-4 standard. The postal address template shall refer to the
rendering parameters specified in Annex A.
5.7 Instruction zone
5.7.1 General
The instruction zone (zone D) shall be positioned below the addressee zone (zone C). The instruction
zone shall contain symbols that represent operational instructions, delivery choices or item features.
5.7.2 Instruction zone dimensions
Table 14 — Instruction zone dimensions
Characteristic Value
Height 12 mm
Width 105 mm
Position Below the addressee zone (zone C)
Line border thickness above and below 0,2 mm
5.7.3 Symbol dimensions
Table 15 — Symbol dimensions
Characteristic Value
Height 10 mm
Width 10 mm
Minimum blank space between symbols 5 mm
Position No symbol can be closer to the border then
2,5 mm
Distribution of symbols in section It is recommended that the symbols be
distributed evenly between the borders of the
label
5.7.4 Standard symbols
The list of allowed symbols is provided in Annex C.
5.8 Item-identifier zone – Zone E
5.8.1 General
The item-identifier zone shall be positioned at the bottom of the label (below zone D) and contains
barcodes and their human-readable interpretation and no other text.
The zone E is divided in two parts:
— Zone E1 for carrier specific information barcode;
— Zone E2 for sender-generated unique item identifier (SSCC).
Only two barcodes are allowed in Zone E, in Zones E1 and E2 respectively. Zone E1 is located just above
Zone E2.
The content of the barcodes (and globally all information printed on the label) shall be available before
the transfer from the sender to the first logistic operator. Most of this information will be generated by
the sender, but some of it may come from the first operator. It is then necessary that data are exchanged
prior to the printing of the label. This exchange usually takes place during the “induction” of the parcel
in the carrier system. Most logistic operators, including postal operators, offer applications enabling
this induction process. Alternatively, the sender may use a multicarrier shipping application available
from shipping software’s vendors.
5.8.2 Dimensions of item-identifier zone – Zone E
Table 16 — Dimensions of item-identifier zone - zone E
Characteristic Value
Height 66 mm
Width 105 mm
Position Below the instruction zone (zone D) at the bottom
of the label
Demarcation line between zones D and E 2,5 mm-thick black lines shall be printed at the
top and bottom of zone E
5.8.3 Carrier specific information barcode – Zone E1
The carrier specific information barcode is supplied by the first logistic operator as part of the data
exchange of the data exchanged during the induction process.
The carrier specific information barcode may be an item identifier as defined in UPU Standard S10 in
case of a transport under the jurisdiction of the UPU. A S10 identifier will be allocated by a Designated
Operator to a parcel at the request of the sender. In some cases, a sender or identity issuer may be
authorized to allocate S10 identifiers to parcels on behalf and under the control of the Designated
Operator of its country of origin.
Other unique identification of the item as defined by proprietary carrier coding may be used, including
the UPU implementation of ISO/IEC 15459-1 (the licence plate standard) and an associated label for the
identification of parcels is possible within the UPU Network not using a UPU S10 compliant barcode.
The carrier specific information barcode may also contain routing instructions or track and trace
information that will be used in conjunction with the sender-generated unique item identifier.
In cases where the UPU identifier is mandatory each label shall include a barcoded representation of the
S10 identifier (item ID). The barcoded identifier shall be accompanied by a human-readable
interpretation of the barcoded data (S10 format). To ensure a high read rate during processing, the
following parameters shall be set with a higher minimum or more specific value than that specified in
S10, see Table 17.
In case only UPU designated postal operators are involved in the cross-border delivery they may choose
to use the UPU identifier only. When the Item is intended to be transported in the UPU network (by
those postal operators, designated by the member states to fulfil the obligations of the treaties of the
UPU) there might be no need for another barcode but the UPU S10 compliant barcode.
It is possible, due to the technical capabilities of the different postal operators, to have challenges when
UPU S10 compliant identifiers and other unique item identifiers are used on the same label. This can be
the case when the other identifier is used by the sender and/or the recipient for internal purposes
(warehouse management, reporting, etc.). The operators involved in the transport and logistics shall be
able to identify the parcel and to access the associated information when using one or the other
identifier as entry key. The choice of the entry key will be dictated by the operator and the application
used at this particular point of the lifecycle.
Table 17 — UPU Barcode / human-readable interpretation specifications
Characteristic Value
Narrow element (X) dimension 0,5 mm
Bar height 20 mm
Minimum quiet zones at ends 5 mm
Font size of human-readable interpretation 11 (capital letters)
5.8.4 Sender generated unique item identifier (SSCC) – Zone E2
For the purpose of parcel identification generated by the sender, the preferred barcode is the Serial
Shipment Container Code (SSCC) as defined in GS1 General Specifications and ISO/IEC 15459-1 Unique
identification of individual transport units.
The SSCC is used by many organizations to identify their shipments and accepted as de facto standard
by many logistic operators. Once a GS1 Company Prefix (GCP) has been allocated by the GS1 to an
organization or identity issuer, this organization will be able to allocate a serial reference or SSCC to the
transport unit (the parcel). Alternatively, the SSCC may be allocated by a logistic operator on behalf of
the sender.
The label shall include a single barcoded representation of the SSCC identifier (item ID). The barcoded
identifier shall be accompanied by a human-readable interpretation of the barcoded data (SSCC format).
GS1’s SSCC barcode is the bottommost barcode of the label. To ensure a high read rate during
processing, the following parameters shall be set with a higher minimum or more specific value than
that specified in SSCC, see Table 18.
In logistic scenarios where two barcodes (UPU compliant and GS1 compliant) shall be displayed, the
SSCC shall always be the bottommost barcode on the label.
Table 18 — GS1 Barcode / human-readable interpretation specifications
Characteristic Value
Narrow element (X) dimension 0,5 mm
Bar height 20 mm
Minimum quiet zones at ends 5 mm
Font size of human-readable interpretation 11 (capital letters)
5.8.5 Barcode zone example
The figure below shows an example of a compliant barcode section. The barcode height shall be not less
than 25 mm. The quiet zones to be respected shall be in line with UPU technical specifications (UPU
3)
S46)
Figure 2 — E1 Barcode zone example in accordance with UPU Technical Standard S10

Figure 3 — E1 Barcode zone example in accordance with UPU Technical Standard S26

3)
The sections with the text "quiet zone" inside are shown to indicate the quiet zones to be respected.
Figure 4 — E2 Barcode zone example
GS1’s SSCC barcode is defined as the bottommost barcode at the lower end of the postal item label.
5.9 Example label
Figure 5 — Postal-item label example, including the UPU S10 and GS1 SSCC compliant standard

See GS1 SSCC – 128 Barcode specification in Annex D.
Figure 6 —Postal-item label example, including the E1 zone for UPU compliant barcodes and the
GS1 SSCC compliant barcode
Figure 7 —Transport service provider label example, including the E1 zone for unique
identification of the item as provided by propriety carrier coding and the E2 zone with the
bottom most GS1 SSCC compliant barcode
Figure 8 —Transport Service Providers item label example, for the use of transport service
providers other than Postal operators, with the bottom most GS1 SSCC compliant barcode only
5.10 Address printed quality
Existing standards about addresses for the structure and more important the printing of the address of
the receiver on the label are EN 14142-1, EN 13619.
5.11 Icons
Definition and images of the icons, sizes minimal to be recognized easily, contrast ink colour, etc., based
on the first proposal of the icon of IPC Interconnect program, in line with the current work done by the
UPU.
See Annex B (informative).
6 Electronic exchange connected to the parcel and the label
Barcodes used to represent the postal item related data to handle the necessary logistics from the
sender to the recipient are carrier specific (like UPU Standard S10 or the unique identification of the
item as provided by propriety carrier coding) and the GS1 SSCC. The Barcode of the postal item label is
a representation, or a certain access tool to data elements, identifier(s) and operational instructions.
Data related processes up- and downstream of the application of any physical representation are an
existing prerequisite to this standard. The necessary descriptions can be found at UPU, for the S10
related data exchange and necessary prerequisites, and at GS1 for the necessary SSCC related data
exchange and necessary prerequisites, or in the relevant product and data descriptions for the
integration into carrier specific shipping tools.
NOTE 1 In Annex D is an informative introduction in the utilization of GS1 Standards for the Courier-, express-
and postal industry
NOTE 2 In Annex E is an informative introduction of the Data capture at source (EDI) currently used by
members of the IPC Interconnect programme.
NOTE 3 In Annex F the link to the necessary specification to provide the definition of the Instruction message
(IFTMIN) to be used in Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) from the party issuing an instruction regarding
forwarding/transport services for a consignment under conditions agreed, to the party arranging the forwarding
and/or transport services in the context of GS1 and the SSCC, can be found.
Annex A
(informative)
Adresses
A.1 Requirements for address data elements
A postal address submitted for rendering on a postal-i
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