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Resources · UK retail EDI

TRADACOMS messages for UK retail EDI

TRADACOMS is the original UK retail EDI standard. It was introduced in 1982, maintained by the Article Numbering Association (now GS1 UK), and is still used by some British retailers and their suppliers for orders, delivery notes, invoices and statements. This page lists the file types and messages and shows how a TRADACOMS file is put together.

Introduced
1982, UK retail
Maintained by
ANA, now GS1 UK
Successor
EANCOM (EDIFACT subset)
Entries listed
37
TRADACOMS message mapA map of TRADACOMS file types grouped into orders, delivery and returns, invoicing and payment, product and price data, stock and sales reports, and general communication.TRADACOMS message map37 entries in 6 groupsOrders and acknowledgements5 entriesThe buying side: purchase orders, complexorders, specialist orders and orderacknowledgements.ORDHDRCORHDRBTOHDRHSOHDRACKHDRDelivery, picking and returns5 entriesMoving goods: delivery notices andconfirmations, picking, and uplift (returns)instructions and confirmations.DELHDRDLCHDRPICHDRUPLHDRUCNHDRInvoicing, payment and claims9 entriesGetting paid: invoices, credit and debitnotes and advices, payment orders,statements and claims.INVFILCREHDRCREADVDEBADVPAYORDSRMHDRCLAHDRCAKHDRUTLHDRProduct, price and customer data10 entriesReference data: product and priceinformation, availability, customerinformation and planning reports.PROHDRPRIHDRPVUHDRAVLHDRCUSHDRLPRHDRPPRHDRDYEHDRRDAHDRRDBHDRStock, sales and supply reports7 entriesStock positions and movements, retailissues and supply and returns reporting.SNPSTSSADHDRRIFHDRISSUESSORDETSORDAYSRSHDRGeneral communication1 entryFree-form messages between tradingpartners.GENHDR
TRADACOMS message mapA map of TRADACOMS file types grouped into orders, delivery and returns, invoicing and payment, product and price data, stock and sales reports, and general communication.TRADACOMS message map37 entries in 6 groupsOrders and acknowledgements5 entriesThe buying side: purchase orders, complexorders, specialist orders and orderacknowledgements.ORDHDRCORHDRBTOHDRHSOHDRACKHDRDelivery, picking and returns5 entriesMoving goods: delivery notices andconfirmations, picking, and uplift (returns)instructions and confirmations.DELHDRDLCHDRPICHDRUPLHDRUCNHDRInvoicing, payment and claims9 entriesGetting paid: invoices, credit and debit notesand advices, payment orders, statements andclaims.INVFILCREHDRCREADVDEBADVPAYORDSRMHDRCLAHDRCAKHDRUTLHDRProduct, price and customer data10 entriesReference data: product and price information,availability, customer information andplanning reports.PROHDRPRIHDRPVUHDRAVLHDRCUSHDRLPRHDRPPRHDRDYEHDRRDAHDRRDBHDRStock, sales and supply reports7 entriesStock positions and movements, retail issuesand supply and returns reporting.SNPSTSSADHDRRIFHDRISSUESSORDETSORDAYSRSHDRGeneral communication1 entryFree-form messages between tradingpartners.GENHDR

Each colored card is one group of TRADACOMS files. The codes are the header codes of the files; the tables below give each file's name, purpose and detail message.

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Overview

What TRADACOMS is

TRADACOMS exchanges business documents as "files". Each file has a header message named after its type (for example ORDHDR for orders), one or more detail messages that carry the lines (for example ORDERS), and a trailer message with the totals. A single transmission can hold several files, wrapped in an envelope that starts with the STX segment and ends with END.

The standard grew to cover far more than orders and invoices: product and price information for the book trade, stock snapshots and sales reports, claims, uplift (returns) instructions and even utility bills. Development effectively ceased in the mid-1990s in favor of EDIFACT EANCOM subsets, but the existing TRADACOMS links keep running because replacing a working retailer interface is costly.

ECOM's B2B gateway reads and writes TRADACOMS and maps each file to the same internal document your ERP uses for X12 or EDIFACT, so a UK retailer can be added without a separate tool.

  • Suppliers to UK retailers

    Receive orders and send delivery notes and invoices to retailers that still run TRADACOMS.

  • Book trade and specialist sectors

    Use the book trade, home shopping, textile dye and utility variants built on the same structure.

  • Companies moving to EANCOM

    Run TRADACOMS and EANCOM side by side while a retailer migrates, with one mapping to the ERP.

Orders and acknowledgements

The buying side: purchase orders, complex orders, specialist orders and order acknowledgements.

File code Message What it is for Detail message
ORDHDR Purchase order A retailer orders goods from a supplier. ORDERS
CORHDR Complex order Orders with multiple delivery points or complex conditions. CORDER
BTOHDR Book trade orders Orders in the book trade variant. BTOERS
HSOHDR Home shopping orders Orders in the home shopping variant. HSODET
ACKHDR Acknowledgement The supplier acknowledges an order. ACKMNT

Delivery, picking and returns

Moving goods: delivery notices and confirmations, picking, and uplift (returns) instructions and confirmations.

File code Message What it is for Detail message
DELHDR Delivery notice The supplier tells the retailer what is on its way. DELIVR
DLCHDR Delivery confirmation The receiver confirms what was delivered. DLCDET
PICHDR Picking instruction Instructs a distribution point which goods to pick. PICKER
UPLHDR Uplift instruction Instructs collection (uplift) of goods, such as returns. UPLIFT
UCNHDR Uplift confirmation Confirms that goods were collected. UCNDET

Invoicing, payment and claims

Getting paid: invoices, credit and debit notes and advices, payment orders, statements and claims.

File code Message What it is for Detail message
INVFIL Invoice Invoices for goods and services. INVOIC
CREHDR Credit note Credit note against an invoice. CREDIT
CREADV Credit advice Advice that a credit is due. CRAINF
DEBADV Debit advice Advice that a debit is raised. DRAINF
PAYORD Payment order An instruction to pay. PAYINF
SRMHDR Statement and remittance details Account statement and remittance information. SRMINF
CLAHDR Claims message A claim, for example for short delivery or damage.
CAKHDR Claims acknowledgement Acknowledges a claim.
UTLHDR Utility bill Utility billing variant. UTLBIL

Product, price and customer data

Reference data: product and price information, availability, customer information and planning reports.

File code Message What it is for Detail message
PROHDR Product information Product master data. PROINF
PRIHDR Price information Prices and price changes. PRIINF
PVUHDR Book trade price and availability update Price and availability for the book trade.
AVLHDR Availability report What is available to order. AVLDET
CUSHDR Customer information Customer details. CUSINF
LPRHDR Location planning report Planning information by location. LPRDET
PPRHDR Product planning report Product planning information. PPRDET
DYEHDR Dye instruction Textile dye instruction variant. DYEINS
RDAHDR Retailer database Retailer database information.
RDBHDR Retail B 1–4 retailer database Retailer database, further variant.

Stock, sales and supply reports

Stock positions and movements, retail issues and supply and returns reporting.

File code Message What it is for Detail message
SNPSTS Stock snapshot Stock position at a point in time. SNPSTS
SADHDR Stock adjustment Stock adjustments. SADDET
RIFHDR Retail issues file Retail issues reporting.
ISSUES Issues Issues reporting.
SORDET Supply and returns details Detail of supply and returns.
SORDAY Supply and returns summary Summary of supply and returns.
SRSHDR Supply and returns summary Supply and returns summary file.

General communication

Free-form messages between trading partners.

File code Message What it is for Detail message
GENHDR General communication A general message between trading partners. GENRAL

Structure

How a TRADACOMS file is built

A transmission starts with STX and ends with END. Inside it, a file is a header message (for example ORDHDR), one or more detail messages (for example ORDERS) and a trailer message. Each message is wrapped in MHD and MTR segments. Some files also carry VAT summary messages, and repeating segment groups are held in a reference message (RSGRSG).

Because the structure is fixed by the standard, trading partners agree which messages and fields they use. Some retailers and suppliers extend the standard with their own versions, which is why a translator needs its message table to be configurable.

How a TRADACOMS transmission is builtFour steps showing a TRADACOMS transmission: the STX and END envelope, the header message, the detail messages and the trailer message.How a TRADACOMS transmission is builtEnvelope, header, detail and trailer, with an order as the example1TransmissionenvelopeSTX at the start and END atthe end identify the sender,the receiver and thetransmission.STX / END2Header messageParties, dates andreferences for the wholefile, for example the orderheader.ORDHDR3Detail messagesThe lines of the document:one message per order,delivery or invoice.ORDERS4Trailer messageControl totals so thereceiver can check nothingwas lost.Totals
How a TRADACOMS transmission is builtFour steps showing a TRADACOMS transmission: the STX and END envelope, the header message, the detail messages and the trailer message.How a TRADACOMStransmission is builtEnvelope, header, detail and trailer, with anorder as the example1Transmission envelopeSTX at the start and END at the endidentify the sender, the receiver and thetransmission.STX / END2Header messageParties, dates and references for thewhole file, for example the order header.ORDHDR3Detail messagesThe lines of the document: one messageper order, delivery or invoice.ORDERS4Trailer messageControl totals so the receiver can checknothing was lost.Totals

The outer envelope starts with STX and ends with END. Inside it, a file has a header message such as ORDHDR, detail messages such as ORDERS that carry the lines, and a trailer message with the totals.

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Versions

Releases

TRADACOMS evolved through numbered releases; translators commonly carry separate message versions for releases 8 and 9. The public sources do not list which messages exist in which release, so the release a retailer uses is confirmed against its own guide.

ItemDetail
Introduced1982, as an implementation of the UN/GTDI guidelines
MaintenanceUK Article Numbering Association, now GS1 UK
DevelopmentEffectively ceased in 1995 in favor of EDIFACT EANCOM subsets
Releases commonly carriedRelease 8 and Release 9 message versions

ECOM B2B Gateway

How ECOM handles TRADACOMS

Each TRADACOMS file is parsed into the gateway's internal document, so the ERP sees the same purchase order, delivery or invoice whatever the retailer's standard.

  1. 1

    Receive

    Take the transmission over the retailer's connection, often a VAN, FTP or AS2.

  2. 2

    Split the files

    Separate STX…END transmissions into files and messages.

  3. 3

    Validate

    Check each message against the retailer's TRADACOMS version and rules.

  4. 4

    Map and route

    Create orders in your ERP and return delivery notes and invoices in TRADACOMS.

How the gateway handles TRADACOMSFour steps showing how ECOM's B2B gateway handles TRADACOMS: receive, split the files, validate, map and route.How the gateway handles TRADACOMSFrom the partner connection to your ERP1ReceiveTake the transmission overthe retailer's connection,often a VAN, FTP or AS2.Step 12Split the filesSeparate STX…ENDtransmissions into files andmessages.Step 23ValidateCheck each messageagainst the retailer'sTRADACOMS version andrules.Step 34Map and routeCreate orders in your ERPand return delivery notesand invoices inTRADACOMS.Step 4
How the gateway handles TRADACOMSFour steps showing how ECOM's B2B gateway handles TRADACOMS: receive, split the files, validate, map and route.How the gateway handlesTRADACOMSFrom the partner connection to your ERP1ReceiveTake the transmission over the retailer'sconnection, often a VAN, FTP or AS2.Step 12Split the filesSeparate STX…END transmissions intofiles and messages.Step 23ValidateCheck each message against theretailer's TRADACOMS version andrules.Step 34Map and routeCreate orders in your ERP and returndelivery notes and invoices inTRADACOMS.Step 4

Each TRADACOMS file is parsed into the gateway's internal document, so the ERP sees the same purchase order, delivery or invoice whatever the retailer's standard.

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Good to know

What this page does and does not cover

  • The file codes and names come from a public index of TRADACOMS application references. The index does not give a description for every file type, so rows without a detail message are listed by name only.
  • GS1 UK's own TRADACOMS manual was not readable when this page was prepared, so the standard's segment-level detail is confirmed against the retailer's guide during scoping.
  • Several variants (book trade, home shopping, dye, utility, insurance and others) exist for specific industries. Your retailer states which ones it uses.

Sources, read November 3, 2026

See also: ODETTE, B2B gateway coverage

Frequently asked questions

Is TRADACOMS still used?

Yes, by some UK retailers and their suppliers. Development of the standard effectively stopped in the mid-1990s and most new programs use EDIFACT EANCOM or X12, but existing TRADACOMS links keep running until the retailer migrates.

What is the difference between ORDHDR and ORDERS?

ORDHDR is the file type, the header message that opens an orders file. ORDERS is the detail message that carries the order lines inside it.

Can ECOM connect us to a UK retailer that only accepts TRADACOMS?

Yes. ECOM's B2B gateway reads and writes TRADACOMS and maps it to your ERP. The retailer's own guide decides which files, release and connection are used, and ECOM confirms them during scoping.

Connect a TRADACOMS partner

Tell us which TRADACOMS messages and versions your partner requires. An ECOM specialist confirms the connection, the map and the test plan.

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