X12 210 freight invoice: format and example

210 structure

The full X12 210 layout from its OpenEDI definition, the same model ediFabric uses to parse, validate and generate it: 12 loops and 60 segment positions, in file order. Loops are shaded and their segments indented; Max use is how many times a segment or loop may repeat.

Segment / loop	Name	Usage	Max use
`ST`	Transaction Set Header	Mandatory	1
`B3`	Beginning Segment for Carrier's Invoice	Mandatory	1
`C2`	Bank ID	Optional	1
`C3`	Currency	Optional	1
`ITD`	Terms of Sale/Deferred Terms of Sale	Optional	1
`N9`	Reference Identification	Optional	300
`G62`	Date/Time	Optional	6
`R3`	Route Information - Motor	Optional	12
`H3`	Special Handling Instructions	Optional	6
`K1`	Remarks	Optional	10
N1 loop	Name	Optional	10
`N1`	Name	Mandatory	1
`N2`	Additional Name Information	Optional	1
`N3`	Address Information	Optional	2
`N4`	Geographic Location	Optional	1
`N9`	Reference Identification	Optional	5
N7 loop	Equipment Details	Optional	10
`N7`	Equipment Details	Mandatory	1
`M7`	Seal Numbers	Optional	2
SPO loop	Shipment Purchase Order Detail	Optional	999999
`SPO`	Shipment Purchase Order Detail	Mandatory	1
`SDQ`	Destination Quantity	Optional	10
S5 loop	Stop Off Details	Optional	999
`S5`	Stop Off Details	Mandatory	1
`N9`	Reference Identification	Optional	10
`G62`	Date/Time	Optional	10
`H3`	Special Handling Instructions	Optional	6
SPO loop	Shipment Purchase Order Detail	Optional	999999
`SPO`	Shipment Purchase Order Detail	Mandatory	1
`SDQ`	Destination Quantity	Optional	10
N1 loop	Name	Optional	2
`N1`	Name	Mandatory	1
`N2`	Additional Name Information	Optional	1
`N3`	Address Information	Optional	2
`N4`	Geographic Location	Optional	1
`N9`	Reference Identification	Optional	5
N7 loop	Equipment Details	Optional	10
`N7`	Equipment Details	Mandatory	1
`M7`	Seal Numbers	Optional	2
LX loop	Assigned Number	Optional	9999
`LX`	Assigned Number	Mandatory	1
`N9`	Reference Identification	Optional	5
`POD`	Proof of Delivery	Optional	1
`L5`	Description, Marks and Numbers	Optional	30
`H1`	Hazardous Material	Optional	3
`H2`	Additional Hazardous Material Description	Optional	2
`L0`	Line Item - Quantity and Weight	Optional	10
`L1`	Rate and Charges	Optional	10
`L4`	Measurement	Optional	10
`L7`	Tariff Reference	Optional	10
`K1`	Remarks	Optional	10
SPO loop	Shipment Purchase Order Detail	Optional	999999
`SPO`	Shipment Purchase Order Detail	Mandatory	1
`SDQ`	Destination Quantity	Optional	10
N1 loop	Name	Optional	999999
`N1`	Name	Mandatory	1
`N2`	Additional Name Information	Optional	1
`N3`	Address Information	Optional	2
`N4`	Geographic Location	Optional	1
`N9`	Reference Identification	Optional	10
CD3 loop	Carton (Package) Detail	Optional	999999
`CD3`	Carton (Package) Detail	Mandatory	1
`N9`	Reference Identification	Optional	20
`H6`	Special Services	Optional	10
`L9`	Charge Detail	Optional	10
`POD`	Proof of Delivery	Optional	1
`G62`	Date/Time	Optional	1
SPO loop	Shipment Purchase Order Detail	Optional	999999
`SPO`	Shipment Purchase Order Detail	Mandatory	1
`SDQ`	Destination Quantity	Optional	10
`L3`	Total Weight and Charges	Optional	1
`SE`	Transaction Set Trailer	Mandatory	1

Mandatory segments must be sent, Optional ones only when the data applies. Trading partners often add their own rules in companion guides - ediFabric templates can be adjusted to match. Open the element-level definition in the EdiNation spec library.

Sample 210 file

A freight invoice with stops, lading and charges. Paste it into EdiNation to see every element named and validated.

ISA*00*          *00*          *16*SENDER1        *1B*RECEIVER1      *071216*1406*U*00204*000000263*1*T*>~
GS*IN*SENDER1*RECEIVER1*20071216*1406*000000001*X*004010*~
ST*210*00000001~
B3**3410889*545930791T*TP*L*20071031*5165**20071029*035*NLMI~
C3*USD~
N9*AE*260451~
N9*OP*3410889~
G62*86*20071031~
R3*EXEM*B**AE***20071031*37905~
N1*SH*SIEMENS VDO S A DE C V - SIEMENS AUTOMOTIVE*94*99999~
N3*PERIFERICO SUR 7999D COMPLEJO IND~
N4*TLAQUEPAQUE*MX*99999*MX~
N1*CN*BRAMPTON ASSEMBLY - COLLINS AND AIKMAN*94*09126B~
N3*500 LAIRD ROAD*GUELPH PRODUCTS~
N4*GUELPH*ON*99999*CA~
N1*BT*BRAMPTON ASSEMBLY - MAIN*94*09126~
N3*2000 WILLIAMS PARKWAY EAST~
N4*BRAMPTON*ON*99999*CA~
N1*CA*NATIONAL LOGISTICS MANAGEMENT*94*45795~
N3*14320 JOY RD.~
N4*DETROIT*MI*48228*US~
N1*ZZ*EXPEDITORS/EMERY WORLDWIDE*94*37905~
N3*10881 LOWELL AVENUE~
N4*OVERLANDPARK*KS*66201*US~
N9*IK*545930791T~
N7**53456*********TL****5300*******53ST~
LX*1~
L5*1**2*Z~
L0*1*1499*FR*1499*G******L~
L1*1*51.65*FR*5165****400~
L3*2619*G***5165~
SE*30*00000001~
GE*1*000000001~
IEA*1*000000263~

The same 210 as JSON

ediFabric turns every loop, segment and element into a named field. This is the transaction from the sample, in the JSON that ediFabric Native and Cloud return and accept.

{
  "ST": {
    "TransactionSetIdentifierCode_01": "210",
    "TransactionSetControlNumber_02": "00000001"
  },
  "B3": {
    "InvoiceNumber_02": "3410889",
    "ShipmentIdentificationNumber_03": "545930791T",
    "ShipmentMethodofPayment_04": "TP",
    "WeightUnitCode_05": "L",
    "Date_06": "20071031",
    "NetAmountDue_07": "5165",
    "DeliveryDate_09": "20071029",
    "DateTimeQualifier_10": "035",
    "StandardCarrierAlphaCode_11": "NLMI"
  },
  "C3": {
    "CurrencyCode_01": "USD"
  },
  "N9": [
    {
      "ReferenceIdentificationQualifier_01": "AE",
      "ReferenceIdentification_02": "260451"
    },
    {
      "ReferenceIdentificationQualifier_01": "OP",
      "ReferenceIdentification_02": "3410889"
    }
  ],
  "G62": [
    {
      "DateQualifier_01": "86",
      "Date_02": "20071031"
    }
  ],
  "R3": [
    {
      "StandardCarrierAlphaCode_01": "EXEM",
      "RoutingSequenceCode_02": "B",
      "TransportationMethodTypeCode_04": "AE",
      "Date_07": "20071031",
      "Amount_08": "37905"
    }
  ],
  "N1Loop": [
    {
      "N1": {
        "EntityIdentifierCode_01": "SH",
        "Name_02": "SIEMENS VDO S A DE C V - SIEMENS AUTOMOTIVE",
        "IdentificationCodeQualifier_03": "94",
        "IdentificationCode_04": "99999"
      },
      "N3": [
        {
          "AddressInformation_01": "PERIFERICO SUR 7999D COMPLEJO IND"
        }
      ],
      "N4": {
        "CityName_01": "TLAQUEPAQUE",
        "StateorProvinceCode_02": "MX",
        "PostalCode_03": "99999",
        "CountryCode_04": "MX"
      }
    },
    {
      "N1": {
        "EntityIdentifierCode_01": "CN",
        "Name_02": "BRAMPTON ASSEMBLY - COLLINS AND AIKMAN",
        "IdentificationCodeQualifier_03": "94",
        "IdentificationCode_04": "09126B"
      },
      "N3": [
        {
          "AddressInformation_01": "500 LAIRD ROAD",
          "AddressInformation_02": "GUELPH PRODUCTS"
        }
      ],
      "N4": {
        "CityName_01": "GUELPH",
        "StateorProvinceCode_02": "ON",
        "PostalCode_03": "99999",
        "CountryCode_04": "CA"
      }
    },
    {
      "N1": {
        "EntityIdentifierCode_01": "BT",
        "Name_02": "BRAMPTON ASSEMBLY - MAIN",
        "IdentificationCodeQualifier_03": "94",
        "IdentificationCode_04": "09126"
      },
      "N3": [
        {
          "AddressInformation_01": "2000 WILLIAMS PARKWAY EAST"
        }
      ],
      "N4": {
        "CityName_01": "BRAMPTON",
        "StateorProvinceCode_02": "ON",
        "PostalCode_03": "99999",
        "CountryCode_04": "CA"
      }
    },
    {
      "N1": {
        "EntityIdentifierCode_01": "CA",
        "Name_02": "NATIONAL LOGISTICS MANAGEMENT",
        "IdentificationCodeQualifier_03": "94",
        "IdentificationCode_04": "45795"
      },
      "N3": [
        {
          "AddressInformation_01": "14320 JOY RD."
        }
      ],
      "N4": {
        "CityName_01": "DETROIT",
        "StateorProvinceCode_02": "MI",
        "PostalCode_03": "48228",
        "CountryCode_04": "US"
      }
    },
    {
      "N1": {
        "EntityIdentifierCode_01": "ZZ",
        "Name_02": "EXPEDITORS/EMERY WORLDWIDE",
        "IdentificationCodeQualifier_03": "94",
        "IdentificationCode_04": "37905"
      },
      "N3": [
        {
          "AddressInformation_01": "10881 LOWELL AVENUE"
        }
      ],
      "N4": {
        "CityName_01": "OVERLANDPARK",
        "StateorProvinceCode_02": "KS",
        "PostalCode_03": "66201",
        "CountryCode_04": "US"
      },
      "N9": [
        {
          "ReferenceIdentificationQualifier_01": "IK",
          "ReferenceIdentification_02": "545930791T"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "N7Loop": [
    {
      "N7": {
        "EquipmentNumber_02": "53456",
        "EquipmentDescriptionCode_11": "TL",
        "EquipmentLength_15": "5300",
        "EquipmentType_22": "53ST"
      }
    }
  ],
  "LXLoop": [
    {
      "LX": {
        "AssignedNumber_01": "1"
      },
      "L5": [
        {
          "LadingLineItemNumber_01": "1",
          "CommodityCode_03": "2",
          "CommodityCodeQualifier_04": "Z"
        }
      ],
      "L0": [
        {
          "LadingLineItemNumber_01": "1",
          "BilledRatedasQuantity_02": "1499",
          "BilledRatedasQualifier_03": "FR",
          "Weight_04": "1499",
          "WeightQualifier_05": "G",
          "WeightUnitCode_11": "L"
        }
      ],
      "L1": [
        {
          "LadingLineItemNumber_01": "1",
          "FreightRate_02": "51.65",
          "RateValueQualifier_03": "FR",
          "Charge_04": "5165",
          "SpecialChargeorAllowanceCode_08": "400"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "L3": {
    "Weight_01": "2619",
    "WeightQualifier_02": "G",
    "Charge_05": "5165"
  },
  "SE": {
    "NumberofIncludedSegments_01": "30",
    "TransactionSetControlNumber_02": "00000001"
  }
}

Parse and validate a 210 file

Read the file into typed objects with ediFabric .NET, convert it to JSON in process with the ediFabric Native bindings for Python, Java and C, or post it to the ediFabric Cloud REST API from any language.

.NET
Python
Java
C
Cloud

using EdiFabric.Templates.X12004010;

License.SetSerial("YOUR_SERIAL_KEY");

using (var stream = File.OpenRead(@"C:\edi\FreightInvoice.txt"))
using (var reader = new X12Reader(stream, "EdiFabric.Templates.X12"))
{
    var items = await reader.ReadToEndAsync();
    foreach (var transaction in items.OfType<TS210>())
    {
        if (transaction.IsValid(out MessageErrorContext errors))
            Console.WriteLine($"{transaction.ST.TransactionSetControlNumber_02} is valid");
        else
            Console.WriteLine(string.Join(Environment.NewLine, errors.Flatten()));
    }
} Install and get started 210 example project Walkthrough
import json
import edifabric_x12 as ef

serial = "YOUR_SERIAL_KEY"
ef.load_library()
ef.set_serial(serial)
ef.set_map(json.dumps({"default": serial, "maps": {}}))

edi = open("FreightInvoice.txt", "rb").read()
output, offset = ef.parse(edi, ef.ParseMode.JSON_VALIDATE)
transactions = output[:offset]
report = json.loads(output[offset:])
print(report["errors_count"]) Python bindingsediFabric Native
import com.edifabric.nativex12.EdiFabricX12;
import com.edifabric.nativex12.ParseMode;
import com.edifabric.nativex12.ParseResult;

String serial = "YOUR_SERIAL_KEY";
EdiFabricX12.loadLibrary();
EdiFabricX12.setSerial(serial);
EdiFabricX12.setMap("{\"default\":\"" + serial + "\",\"maps\":{}}");

String edi = Files.readString(Path.of("FreightInvoice.txt"));
ParseResult result = EdiFabricX12.parse(edi, ParseMode.JSON_VALIDATE);
System.out.println(result.getTransactions());
System.out.println(result.getReport()); Java bindingsediFabric Native
#include "edifabric_x12.h"

const char *serial = "YOUR_SERIAL_KEY";
ef_parse_result result;

if (ef_load_library(NULL) != 0)
    return 1;
ef_set_serial(serial);
ef_set_map("{\"default\":\"YOUR_SERIAL_KEY\",\"maps\":{}}");

char *edi = read_file("FreightInvoice.txt", NULL);   /* helper in example_all_functions.c */
if (ef_parse(edi, EF_PARSE_JSON_VALIDATE, NULL, &result) == 0) {
    /* transactions = output[0 .. offset), report = output[offset .. length) */
    fwrite(result.output.data, 1, (size_t)result.output.length, stdout);
    ef_free(result.output.data);
} C bindingsediFabric Native
curl -X POST 'https://api.edination.com/v2/x12/read' \
-H 'Ocp-Apim-Subscription-Key: YOUR_SERIAL_KEY' \
-H 'Content-Type: application/octet-stream' \
--data-binary '@FreightInvoice.txt' TranslateValidateediFabric Cloud

Generate a 210 file

Populate a TS210 object in .NET, or pass JSON in the shape shown above to ediFabric Native or ediFabric Cloud, and get a valid 210 file back.

.NET
Python
Java
C
Cloud

using EdiFabric.Templates.X12004010;

License.SetSerial("YOUR_SERIAL_KEY");

var transaction = new TS210();

//  Transaction Set Identifier Code = “210”
//  (Motor Carrier Freight Details and Invoice)
//  Transaction Set Control Number = 00000001
transaction.ST = new ST();
transaction.ST.TransactionSetIdentifierCode_01 = "210";
transaction.ST.TransactionSetControlNumber_02 = "0001";

// ... set the remaining loops and segments the same way

// SegmentBuilders is in the Common project of the example repository
using (var stream = new MemoryStream())
{
    using (var writer = new X12Writer(stream))
    {
        writer.Write(SegmentBuilders.BuildIsa("1"));
        writer.Write(SegmentBuilders.BuildGs("1"));
        writer.Write(transaction);
    }
    Console.WriteLine(Encoding.UTF8.GetString(stream.ToArray()));
} Install and get started Full 210 build methodExample repository
import json
import edifabric_x12 as ef

serial = "YOUR_SERIAL_KEY"
ef.load_library()
ef.set_serial(serial)
ef.set_map(json.dumps({"default": serial, "maps": {}}))

# the transactions JSON returned by ef.parse, edited or produced by your application
transactions = open("FreightInvoice.json", "rb").read()
edi = ef.build(transactions, postfix="\r\n")
print(edi) Python bindings
import com.edifabric.nativex12.EdiFabricX12;

String serial = "YOUR_SERIAL_KEY";
EdiFabricX12.loadLibrary();
EdiFabricX12.setSerial(serial);
EdiFabricX12.setMap("{\"default\":\"" + serial + "\",\"maps\":{}}");

// the transactions JSON returned by parse, edited or produced by your application
String transactions = Files.readString(Path.of("FreightInvoice.json"));
String edi = EdiFabricX12.build(transactions, "\r\n");
System.out.println(edi); Java bindings
#include "edifabric_x12.h"

ef_buffer edi;

if (ef_load_library(NULL) != 0)
    return 1;
ef_set_serial("YOUR_SERIAL_KEY");
ef_set_map("{\"default\":\"YOUR_SERIAL_KEY\",\"maps\":{}}");

/* the transactions JSON returned by ef_parse, edited or produced by your application */
char *transactions = read_file("FreightInvoice.json", NULL);
if (ef_build(transactions, "\r\n", &edi) == 0) {
    fwrite(edi.data, 1, (size_t)edi.length, stdout);
    ef_free(edi.data);
} C bindings
# the JSON returned by /read, edited or produced by your application
curl -X POST 'https://api.edination.com/v2/x12/write' \
-H 'Ocp-Apim-Subscription-Key: YOUR_SERIAL_KEY' \
-H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
--data-binary '@FreightInvoice.json' \
-o 'FreightInvoice.txt' How-tosediFabric Cloud

210 questions

How is a 210 matched to the shipment?

B3 carries the shipment identification (PRO) number and the bill of lading references, which also appear on the 204 load tender and the 214 status messages.

Where are accessorial charges?

In additional L1 segments with their own special charge codes, next to the line haul charge.

Which transactions come before the 210?

Usually a 204 load tender, a 990 response to the tender, and 214 shipment status messages.

How do I parse and generate X12 210 files in .NET, Python, Java and C?

In .NET, install EdiFabric and EdiFabric.Templates.X12, read the file with X12Reader into TS210 objects and write them back with X12Writer. From Python, Java or C, use ediFabric Native, which converts 210 files to JSON and JSON back to X12 inside your process. From any other language, post the file to the ediFabric Cloud REST API.

Related transactions

X12 214 - Transportation Carrier Shipment Status Message
X12 404 - Rail Carrier Shipment Information
X12 856 - Ship Notice/Manifest (ASN)
All EDI transactions →

X12 210 Motor Carrier Freight Details and Invoice

At a glance