# TRADACOMS File Types: All 37 Explained

> Every TRADACOMS file type in plain English: ORDHDR, INVFIL, CREHDR, DLCHDR and the rest, with file structure, sector, and EANCOM and X12 equivalents.

<QuickAnswer>
TRADACOMS defines 25 core file types, plus industry variants for the book trade, news trade, textiles and home shopping. Each file is a header message, repeating detail messages and a trailer. Most UK suppliers only exchange five: ORDHDR orders, DELHDR delivery notifications, DLCHDR delivery confirmations, INVFIL invoices and CREHDR credit notes.
</QuickAnswer>

Most lists of TRADACOMS file types are a bare table of codes. That is no help when a retailer's onboarding pack says "we will send ORDHDR and expect INVFIL and CREHDR back" and you need to know what each one is, whether you have to support it, and what it maps to in your system.

This page covers every file type you are likely to see listed, in plain English, grouped by what it does in the trading cycle. Where a type has no public specification we say so rather than guess. If TRADACOMS itself is new to you, start with [TRADACOMS explained](/guides/edi/tradacoms).

<EDIGuideCTA
  badge="For TRADACOMS"
  transactionType="850"
  headline="Got a TRADACOMS file and no idea what is in it?"
  body="Paste it into the free EDIFACT inspector to see every segment explained and the MTR and END counts checked. 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 to read a TRADACOMS file type

**A TRADACOMS file type is a business document, such as an order or an invoice, sent as a file of messages: a header message, one or more detail messages, and a trailer message.** The file type takes its name from the header, which is why an order file is called `ORDHDR` even though each individual order inside it is an `ORDERS` message.

Take the invoice file as an example:

| Message | Role | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| `INVFIL` | File header: supplier, customer, file generation number | First |
| `INVOIC` | One invoice, with its lines | One message per invoice |
| `VATTLR` | VAT summary by VAT rate | After the invoices |
| `INVTLR` | File trailer: totals for the whole file | Last |

Each message is wrapped in `MHD` (message header) and `MTR` (message trailer) segments, and the whole transmission is wrapped in `STX` and `END`. The header names the file type in the last element of `STX`, so the first line of a file tells you what you are dealing with:

```
STX=ANA:1+5012345000008:HARBOUR LANE STORES+5098765000002:KESTREL VALLEY+261012:0915+000451++ORDHDR'
```

Three things trip people up when matching a code to a file type:

- **Some lists name the detail message, not the header.** The stock snapshot file is `SNPHDR` in the ANA layout, but most lists show it as `SNPSTS`, its detail message. The payment order file is `PAYHDR` with `PAYINF` details, yet lists such as OpenText's show `PAYORD`.
- **The 25 core files are not the whole story.** The ANA, now GS1 UK, defined the core retail set. The book trade, maintained by BIC, and other industries added their own files with the same syntax.
- **No new files have been added since the 1990s.** GS1 UK [ended support for TRADACOMS in 2017](https://www.gs1uk.org/insights/news/ending-support-for-tradacoms). What exists now is what you will see.

## The five you will actually meet

A UK supplier trading with a grocer or high street retailer over TRADACOMS usually exchanges these five files and nothing else. Get them right and you have covered the order-to-cash cycle.

| File | What it is | Direction | You need to |
|---|---|---|---|
| [`ORDHDR`](/guides/edi/tradacoms-ordhdr) | Order | Retailer to you | Read it and load it into your ERP |
| `DELHDR` | Delivery notification | You to retailer | Send it before the goods arrive, if the retailer asks for it |
| [`DLCHDR`](/guides/edi/tradacoms-dlchdr) | Delivery confirmation | Retailer to you | Check it against what you shipped before you invoice |
| [`INVFIL`](/guides/edi/tradacoms-invfil) | Invoice | You to retailer | Send it with VAT broken down by rate |
| [`CREHDR`](/guides/edi/tradacoms-crehdr) | Credit note | You to retailer | Send it for returns, shortages and price corrections |

Some partners add an `ACKHDR` order acknowledgement or send an `SRMHDR` remittance, and a few still exchange `PRIHDR` price files. Everything else on this page is specialist, sector-specific or effectively retired. The [Tesco](/edi-compliance/tesco), [Sainsbury's](/edi-compliance/sainsburys), [Asda](/edi-compliance/asda) and [Co-op](/edi-compliance/co-op) pages cover what each retailer asks for.

## Every TRADACOMS file type

Grouped by business flow. "Rarely used" means a type that is retired, sector-specific or has no public specification. If a partner asks for one of those, ask them for their implementation guide before you quote for the work.

<MessageCatalog standard="tradacoms" />

## TRADACOMS, EANCOM and X12 side by side

If you trade with retailers in more than one standard, this is how the common flows line up. EANCOM is the GS1 subset of EDIFACT that UK retail is gradually moving to; X12 is the North American standard.

| Business document | TRADACOMS | EANCOM (EDIFACT) | X12 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Purchase order | `ORDHDR` | [`ORDERS`](/guides/edi/edifact-orders) | [850](/guides/edi/850-purchase-order) |
| Order acknowledgement | `ACKHDR` | [`ORDRSP`](/guides/edi/edifact-ordrsp) | [855](/guides/edi/855-purchase-order-acknowledgment) |
| Ship notice (ASN) | `DELHDR` | [`DESADV`](/guides/edi/edifact-desadv) | [856](/guides/edi/856-ship-notice) |
| Receipt confirmation | `DLCHDR` | `RECADV` | [861](/guides/edi/861-receiving-advice) |
| Invoice | `INVFIL` | [`INVOIC`](/guides/edi/edifact-invoic) | [810](/guides/edi/810-invoice) |
| Credit note | `CREHDR` | `INVOIC` with document code 381 | 810 or 812, depending on the partner |
| Remittance | `SRMHDR` | `REMADV` | [820](/guides/edi/820-payment-order) |
| Price list | `PRIHDR` | `PRICAT` | [832](/guides/edi/832-price-sales-catalog) |
| Stock report | `SNPSTS` | `INVRPT` | [846](/guides/edi/846-inventory-inquiry) |
| Location master data | `CUSHDR` | `PARTIN` | No common equivalent |
| Free text | `GENHDR` | `GENRAL` | No common equivalent |

The mapping is by business purpose, not field for field. TRADACOMS assumes sterling and UK VAT and splits header data out into its own message, so converting a TRADACOMS invoice into an EANCOM one is a remap, not a rename.

## Order to cash in TRADACOMS

Here is how the core files fit together for one order from a UK retailer:

1. **The retailer sends an `ORDHDR` file.** It can hold many orders, one `ORDERS` message each, often for different stores or depots identified by location code.
2. **You confirm the order, if asked.** Some retailers want an `ACKHDR` back; many do not.
3. **You ship and send a `DELHDR`.** It tells the depot what is arriving against which orders.
4. **The retailer sends a `DLCHDR`.** This is what it says it received. Differences here are the usual cause of invoice queries later.
5. **You invoice with an `INVFIL`.** Invoice what the retailer will accept: if the delivery confirmation shows a shortage, invoice the received quantity or expect to raise a credit.
6. **You credit with a `CREHDR` where needed.** Returns, shortages and price corrections all go here.
7. **The retailer pays and may send an `SRMHDR`.** It lists which invoices and credits the payment covers.

The same cycle in EDIFACT is ORDERS, ORDRSP, DESADV, RECADV, INVOIC and REMADV. See [EDIFACT message types](/guides/edi/edifact-message-types) for the full EANCOM list.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How many TRADACOMS file types are there?

The core ANA standard defines 25 transaction files, from Product Information to Utility Bill. Vendor lists usually show more, around 37, because they add the book trade files maintained by BIC and other industry variants such as home shopping and textiles.

### What is the difference between ORDHDR and ORDERS?

`ORDHDR` is the header message of the order file and the name of the file type. `ORDERS` is the detail message inside it, one per order. A file with ten orders has one `ORDHDR`, ten `ORDERS` messages and one `ORDTLR` trailer.

### Which TRADACOMS files does a UK supplier need?

Usually `ORDHDR` in, and `INVFIL` and `CREHDR` out. Many retailers also want a `DELHDR` delivery notification and send a `DLCHDR` delivery confirmation. Your retailer's EDI specification is the final word, so check it before building anything else.

### Is TRADACOMS the same as EANCOM?

No. Both use similar separators, but TRADACOMS is a UK-only standard from 1982 that groups messages into files, while EANCOM is the GS1 subset of the international EDIFACT standard with self-contained messages. GS1 UK now recommends EANCOM or GS1 XML for new implementations.

### Why can't I find a specification for SORDET, RIFHDR or DYEHDR?

They are not in the core ANA standard. They come from industry variants that were documented for their own sectors and never widely published. If a partner asks for one, ask them for their file layout.

### Is SNPSTS the same as SNPHDR?

They belong to the same file. In the ANA layout the stock snapshot file starts with an `SNPHDR` header, followed by `SNPSTS` detail messages and an `SNPTLR` trailer. Lists that show `SNPSTS` are naming the detail message.

### Can I convert TRADACOMS to EDIFACT or X12?

Yes, by mapping each file to its business equivalent, as in the table above. It is a remap rather than a rename: headers, VAT handling and location codes differ. OrderSync reads TRADACOMS, EDIFACT and X12 and maps them all into the same order record in your ERP.

## Related guides

- **[TRADACOMS explained](/guides/edi/tradacoms)**: syntax, envelope and an annotated order file
- **[EDIFACT message types](/guides/edi/edifact-message-types)**: the full EANCOM message list
- **[EDIFACT explained](/guides/edi/edifact)**: the international standard replacing TRADACOMS
- **UK retailer requirements**: [Morrisons](/edi-compliance/morrisons), [Waitrose](/edi-compliance/waitrose), [Ocado](/edi-compliance/ocado), [Marks & Spencer](/edi-compliance/marks-and-spencer), [Boots](/edi-compliance/boots)

## Sources

- [TRADACOMS](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TRADACOMS), Wikipedia: the 25 core transaction files and industry variants
- [Ending support for TRADACOMS](https://www.gs1uk.org/insights/news/ending-support-for-tradacoms), GS1 UK
- [Tradacoms EDI document standard](https://www.edibasics.com/edi-resources/document-standards/tradacoms/), EDI Basics (OpenText): the application reference list
- [EDI implementation for the book trade](https://bic.org.uk/resources/edi-implementation-for-the-book-trade), BIC
- [TRADACOMS EDI Connector](https://docs.mulesoft.com/tradacoms-edi-connector/latest), MuleSoft: supported file and detail message names
- [TRADACOMS messages list](https://arc.cdata.com/edi/standards/tradacoms), CData Arc

Check any TRADACOMS or EDIFACT file in the free [EDIFACT inspector](/edifact-inspector). If you are taking on a UK retailer and want TRADACOMS orders flowing into your ERP without a translator in between, [book an intro call](/book-call).