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EDIFACT Message Reference: ORDERS, DESADV, INVOIC and More

UN/EDIFACT is the international EDI standard used across Europe, Asia and global supply chains. This lookup lists the messages EDI coordinators most often handle, with key segments and the closest X12 equivalent, which helps teams moving between standards.

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Message	Name	Key segments	Closest X12 set	Typical use
ORDERS	Purchase order message	UNH, BGM, DTM, NAD, LIN, QTY, PRI, UNS, UNT	850	Buyer places an order
ORDRSP	Purchase order response message	UNH, BGM, DTM, NAD, LIN, QTY, UNT	855	Seller accepts, changes or rejects an order
ORDCHG	Purchase order change request message	UNH, BGM, DTM, NAD, LIN, QTY, UNT	860	Buyer changes an existing order
DESADV	Despatch advice message	UNH, BGM, DTM, NAD, CPS, PAC, PCI, GIN, LIN, QTY, UNT	856	Seller advises a shipment and its packaging
RECADV	Receiving advice message	UNH, BGM, DTM, NAD, CPS, LIN, QTY, UNT	861	Buyer confirms goods received
INVOIC	Invoice message	UNH, BGM, DTM, NAD, PAT, LIN, QTY, MOA, PRI, TAX, UNS, UNT	810	Seller bills the buyer
REMADV	Remittance advice message	UNH, BGM, DTM, NAD, DOC, MOA, UNT	820	Payer details what a payment covers
DELFOR	Delivery schedule message	UNH, BGM, DTM, NAD, LIN, QTY, UNT	830	Forecast and planning schedule
DELJIT	Delivery just in time message	UNH, BGM, DTM, NAD, LIN, QTY, UNT	862	Short-term shipping releases
INVRPT	Inventory report message	UNH, BGM, DTM, NAD, LIN, INV, QTY, UNT	846	Stock levels from a warehouse or supplier
PRICAT	Price/sales catalogue message	UNH, BGM, DTM, NAD, LIN, PRI, UNT	832	Item and price catalogue
IFTMIN	Instruction message	UNH, BGM, DTM, NAD, GID, TDT, UNT	204 (approximate)	Transport instruction to a carrier or forwarder
IFTSTA	International multimodal status report message	UNH, BGM, DTM, STS, LOC, UNT	214 (approximate)	Shipment status events
CONTRL	Syntax and service report message	UCI, UCM, UCS, UCD	997 / 999	Acknowledges interchange receipt and syntax
APERAK	Application error and acknowledgement message	UNH, BGM, DTM, ERC, FTX, RFF, UNT	824	Business-level acceptance or error report

Message directories are versioned (for example D.96A, D.01B). Segment lists show the principal business segments of the message, not the full structure. Subsets such as EANCOM and ODETTE restrict and extend these messages, so always follow the partner's message implementation guide. X12 equivalents are approximate.

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How to use the reference

Search by message name, such as DESADV, or by business purpose, such as invoice or schedule. The X12 column helps when your ERP integration speaks X12 but the partner sends EDIFACT, or when a consultant knows one standard and is learning the other. Export to Excel if you need to attach the list to a scope document or a project plan.

How EDIFACT is structured

An EDIFACT interchange starts with UNB and ends with UNZ. Inside, each message starts with UNH and ends with UNT, and optional functional groups use UNG and UNE. Segments end with an apostrophe, data elements are separated by plus signs, and components within a composite element by colons. The release character is the question mark. BGM identifies the document and its function, DTM carries dates with qualifiers, NAD identifies parties, LIN opens a line item and QTY and PRI hold quantities and prices.

UNB/UNZ: interchange header and trailer
UNH/UNT: message header and trailer
BGM: beginning of message with document code
NAD: name and address with party qualifier
UNS: separates the detail and summary sections

Common mistakes and subsets

Teams often assume a message is portable across partners. In practice most trade uses a subset such as EANCOM in retail, ODETTE in European automotive, or an industry-specific guide, and the same message code can require different qualifiers and mandatory segments. DESADV is a good example: the CPS, PAC, PCI and GIN segments describe a nested packaging hierarchy that must match the physical pallet and carton labels, usually with SSCC numbers. Align the hierarchy with the labels you print.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between EDIFACT and X12?

X12 is an ANSI standard used mainly in North America, using three-digit transaction sets and asterisk delimiters. EDIFACT is the UN standard used internationally, with named messages like ORDERS and segment terminators such as the apostrophe. Both express similar business documents.

What does DESADV contain?

DESADV is the despatch advice, equivalent to the X12 856 ASN. It describes the shipment, the packaging hierarchy through CPS and PAC segments, package identification such as SSCC through GIN or PCI, and the items and quantities in each package.

What is EANCOM?

EANCOM is a GS1 subset of EDIFACT. It restricts the standard messages and defines how GS1 identifiers such as GTIN, GLN and SSCC are used. Retail and consumer goods supply chains often require EANCOM versions of ORDERS, DESADV and INVOIC.

Is CONTRL the same as a 997?

CONTRL is the EDIFACT syntax and service report and serves the same technical role as the X12 997 or 999. It confirms the interchange was received and syntactically valid. It does not confirm business acceptance, which is the role of APERAK or a response message.

If you are standing up EDIFACT exchanges alongside X12 and want a single mapping approach against your ERP, we can help design and test it.

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