# EDIFACT Message Types: The Complete List

> Every EANCOM EDIFACT message type in plain English: ORDERS, DESADV, INVOIC and 44 more, grouped by business flow with TRADACOMS and X12 equivalents.

<QuickAnswer>
EDIFACT message types are six-letter codes such as ORDERS (purchase order), DESADV (despatch advice) and INVOIC (invoice), defined in UN/EDIFACT directories like D.96A and D.01B. Retail uses the GS1 EANCOM subset of 46 messages. Most suppliers exchange six: ORDERS, ORDRSP, DESADV, RECADV, INVOIC and the CONTRL acknowledgement.
</QuickAnswer>

When a European retailer or distributor sends you its EDI specification, it lists the messages it expects by code: ORDERS, ORDRSP, DESADV, INVOIC, perhaps PRICAT and APERAK. The UN/EDIFACT directories define around 200 message types across every sector, from customs to healthcare, which is why a raw list of codes is so hard to use.

This page narrows it to what a consumer goods or retail supplier actually meets: every message in GS1 EANCOM 2002, the retail subset of EDIFACT, plus the one non-EANCOM message suppliers to manufacturers sometimes see. Each one has a plain-English summary and its TRADACOMS and X12 equivalents. If EDIFACT syntax is new to you, start with [EDIFACT explained](/guides/edi/edifact).

<EDIGuideCTA
  badge="For EDIFACT"
  transactionType="850"
  headline="Not sure which message a partner just sent you?"
  body="Paste any EDIFACT file into the free EDIFACT inspector and it reads the UNH header, names the message, and explains every segment. OrderSync supports EDIFACT, EANCOM and TRADACOMS alongside X12, PDF, CSV and email, straight into your ERP."
  secondaryHref="/edifact-inspector"
  secondaryLabel="Try the free EDIFACT inspector"
/>

## How EDIFACT message types are named

**An EDIFACT message type is a six-letter code that identifies a business document, such as ORDERS for a purchase order or INVOIC for an invoice.** It appears in the `UNH` segment at the start of every message, together with the directory it comes from:

```
UNH+1+INVOIC:D:01B:UN:EAN011'
```

Read that from left to right:

| Part | Meaning |
|---|---|
| `1` | Message reference, unique within the interchange |
| `INVOIC` | Message type: invoice |
| `D:01B` | Directory D.01B. Directories are released by UN/CEFACT and named by year and release, so D.96A is 1996's first release |
| `UN` | Controlling agency: the United Nations |
| `EAN011` | Association code: GS1 EANCOM, version 011 of the INVOIC message |

The same message type exists in many directories, and the segments allowed in it change slightly between them. That is why a partner's spec says "INVOIC D.96A" or "ORDERS D.01B EAN010" rather than just the code. D.96A is still common in older European implementations; EANCOM 2002 is based on D.01B.

**EANCOM is GS1's subset of EDIFACT for retail and consumer goods.** It takes the full UN messages, removes the segments and codes retail does not need, and adds GS1 identifiers: GTINs for products, GLNs for parties and SSCCs for pallets and cartons. Most European retailers that ask for "EDIFACT" mean EANCOM, which is why this catalogue follows the [GS1 EANCOM 2002 message list](https://www.gs1.org/sites/default/files/docs/eancom/ean02s3/part2/part2toc.htm).

## The six you will actually meet

Most retail suppliers never touch more than a handful of these messages. These six cover the order-to-cash cycle with almost any European retail customer.

| Message | What it is | Direction | X12 |
|---|---|---|---|
| [`ORDERS`](/guides/edi/edifact-orders) | Purchase order | Buyer to you | 850 |
| [`ORDRSP`](/guides/edi/edifact-ordrsp) | Order response: accept, change or reject | You to buyer | 855 |
| [`DESADV`](/guides/edi/edifact-desadv) | Despatch advice (ASN), with SSCCs | You to buyer | 856 |
| [`RECADV`](/guides/edi/edifact-recadv) | Receiving advice: what actually arrived | Buyer to you | 861 |
| [`INVOIC`](/guides/edi/edifact-invoic) | Invoice, and credit notes with code 381 | You to buyer | 810 |
| [`CONTRL`](/guides/edi/edifact-contrl) | Syntax acknowledgement | Both ways | 997 |

The next tier depends on the partner: [`ORDCHG`](/guides/edi/edifact-ordchg) for order changes, [`APERAK`](/guides/edi/edifact-aperak) for business-level errors, [`PRICAT`](/guides/edi/edifact-pricat) for product and price data, and [`SLSRPT`](/guides/edi/edifact-slsrpt) and [`INVRPT`](/guides/edi/edifact-invrpt) for sales and stock data. UK retailers that use EDIFACT, such as [Tesco](/edi-compliance/tesco), [Sainsbury's](/edi-compliance/sainsburys), [Morrisons](/edi-compliance/morrisons) and [Marks & Spencer](/edi-compliance/marks-and-spencer), each publish their own list.

## Every EANCOM message type

All 46 EANCOM 2002 messages, plus DELJIT, grouped by business flow. "Specialist" covers messages that are real and in use, but mostly between parties other than a supplier and its retail customer, such as banks, carriers and third-party warehouses.

<MessageCatalog standard="edifact" />

## EDIFACT, TRADACOMS and X12 side by side

The same business documents exist in all three standards. This table maps the common flows by purpose; the fields inside differ, so converting between standards is a remap rather than a rename.

| Business document | EANCOM (EDIFACT) | TRADACOMS | X12 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Purchase order | [`ORDERS`](/guides/edi/edifact-orders) | [`ORDHDR`](/guides/edi/tradacoms-ordhdr) | [850](/guides/edi/850-purchase-order) |
| Order response | [`ORDRSP`](/guides/edi/edifact-ordrsp) | `ACKHDR` | [855](/guides/edi/855-purchase-order-acknowledgment) |
| Order change | [`ORDCHG`](/guides/edi/edifact-ordchg) | Amendments sent within `ORDHDR` | [860](/guides/edi/860-purchase-order-change) |
| Ship notice (ASN) | [`DESADV`](/guides/edi/edifact-desadv) | `DELHDR` | [856](/guides/edi/856-ship-notice) |
| Receiving advice | [`RECADV`](/guides/edi/edifact-recadv) | [`DLCHDR`](/guides/edi/tradacoms-dlchdr) | [861](/guides/edi/861-receiving-advice) |
| Invoice | [`INVOIC`](/guides/edi/edifact-invoic) | [`INVFIL`](/guides/edi/tradacoms-invfil) | [810](/guides/edi/810-invoice) |
| Credit note | `INVOIC` with code 381 | [`CREHDR`](/guides/edi/tradacoms-crehdr) | 810 or 812, depending on the partner |
| Remittance advice | `REMADV` | `SRMHDR` | [820](/guides/edi/820-payment-order) |
| Price catalogue | [`PRICAT`](/guides/edi/edifact-pricat) | `PRIHDR` | [832](/guides/edi/832-price-sales-catalog) |
| Inventory report | [`INVRPT`](/guides/edi/edifact-invrpt) | `SNPSTS` | [846](/guides/edi/846-inventory-inquiry) |
| Sales report | [`SLSRPT`](/guides/edi/edifact-slsrpt) | No equivalent file | [852](/guides/edi/852-product-activity-data) |
| Syntax acknowledgement | [`CONTRL`](/guides/edi/edifact-contrl) | No equivalent file | [997](/guides/edi/997-functional-acknowledgment) |
| Application error | [`APERAK`](/guides/edi/edifact-aperak) | No equivalent file | [824](/guides/edi/824-application-advice) |

For the full TRADACOMS list, including the book trade and other industry files, see [TRADACOMS file types](/guides/edi/tradacoms-file-types).

## Order to cash in EDIFACT

Here is how the core messages fit together for one order from a European retailer:

1. **The retailer sends ORDERS.** Products are identified by GTIN and the delivery point by GLN. Your translator or network may return a CONTRL to confirm the interchange was readable.
2. **You reply with ORDRSP.** Confirm the order, or flag lines you cannot supply in full or on time. If the retailer changes its mind, it sends ORDCHG and you answer with another ORDRSP.
3. **You ship and send DESADV.** It lists every pallet or carton by SSCC and what is in it, and it has to match the labels on the goods.
4. **The retailer sends RECADV.** This is what the depot booked in. If it differs from your DESADV, that is your early warning of an invoice query.
5. **You invoice with INVOIC.** Quote the order number and, where the partner asks for it, the despatch advice number. Credits for shortages or returns use INVOIC with document code 381.
6. **The retailer pays and sends REMADV.** It lists which invoices and credits the payment settles, and any deductions.

At any step the retailer's system may return an APERAK if a message is readable but its content is wrong, such as an unknown GTIN or a price that does not match. Fix the data and resend.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How many EDIFACT message types are there?

The UN/EDIFACT directories define around 200 message types across all sectors. GS1 EANCOM 2002, the subset used in retail and consumer goods, has 46. A typical supplier exchanges between four and eight of them with any one customer.

### What is the difference between EDIFACT and EANCOM?

EDIFACT is the UN standard: the syntax, the directories and the full message definitions. EANCOM is GS1's subset of it for retail, with fewer optional segments, GS1 code lists, and GTIN, GLN and SSCC identifiers. An EANCOM message is a valid EDIFACT message; it carries `EAN` plus a version number in the `UNH` segment.

### What does D.96A or D.01B mean?

They are UN/EDIFACT directory releases, named by year and release letter, so D.96A is the first release of 1996. Each directory fixes the segments and codes allowed in each message. Your partner's spec will name one, and your messages must follow that directory.

### What is the EDIFACT equivalent of the X12 850?

ORDERS. The other common pairs are ORDRSP for the 855, DESADV for the 856, RECADV for the 861, INVOIC for the 810, REMADV for the 820 and CONTRL for the 997. The table above lists the rest.

### What is the difference between CONTRL and APERAK?

CONTRL reports on syntax: whether the interchange could be read. APERAK reports on content: whether the receiving business system could process it, for example because a GTIN or GLN is unknown. GS1 specifies that APERAK comes from the application, never from the EDI translator.

### Do UK retailers use EDIFACT or TRADACOMS?

Both. Many UK retailers built their EDI on TRADACOMS and still run it, while newer links and international retailers use EANCOM. Some accept either. Check each retailer's specification; our UK retailer pages, such as [Ocado](/edi-compliance/ocado), [Waitrose](/edi-compliance/waitrose) and [Boots](/edi-compliance/boots), summarise what each one asks for.

### Which EDIFACT messages are used in automotive?

Automotive suppliers mostly use DELFOR delivery forecasts and DELJIT just-in-time call-offs, under guidelines published by [Odette](https://www.odette.org/process/ordering) and its sister organisations, together with DESADV and INVOIC. DELJIT is not part of EANCOM, so retail suppliers rarely see it.

## Related guides

- **[EDIFACT explained](/guides/edi/edifact)**: syntax, envelopes and separators
- **[TRADACOMS file types](/guides/edi/tradacoms-file-types)**: every UK TRADACOMS file in plain English
- **[TRADACOMS explained](/guides/edi/tradacoms)**: the UK standard EANCOM is replacing
- **[EDI order lifecycle](/guides/edi/edi-order-lifecycle)**: the order-to-cash cycle in X12 terms

## Sources

- [EANCOM 2002 S3, Part II: the messages](https://www.gs1.org/sites/default/files/docs/eancom/ean02s3/part2/part2toc.htm), GS1: the message list and version numbers
- [EANCOM 2002 S3, Part I: EANCOM messages](https://www.gs1.org/sites/default/files/docs/eancom/ean02s3/part1/part1_02.htm), GS1: the purpose of each message
- [EANCOM 2002 Syntax 3](https://www.gs1.org/edi/eancom/s3), GS1
- [Ordering message guidelines](https://www.odette.org/process/ordering), Odette: DELFOR and DELJIT in automotive
- [UN/EDIFACT D.16B: DELJIT](https://unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/trade/untdid/d16b/trmd/deljit_c.htm), UNECE

Check any EDIFACT or TRADACOMS file in the free [EDIFACT inspector](/edifact-inspector). If a European or UK retailer has sent you an EDIFACT spec and you want those orders flowing into your ERP, [book an intro call](/book-call).