Free LPN & SSCC Label Generator
Build GS1 SSCC-18 pallet labels or simple LPN license plates, see them at true size and get ready-to-print ZPL for your Zebra printer. Up to 100 sequential labels at a time.
LPN (License Plate Number) is the unique ID a warehouse management system gives to a pallet, carton or tote, in a format you choose. SSCC (Serial Shipping Container Code) is the GS1 standard version of the same idea: an 18-digit number, printed as a GS1-128 barcode, that is unique worldwide and that any carrier or customer can scan. What an LPN means in logistics.
Everything runs in your browser: what you type is never uploaded, stored or sent anywhere.
Preview and output
First label number
Printing from the browser: choose your label printer or "Save as PDF", set the scale to 100% (actual size) and the margins to none. Each label prints on its own page.
All labels
How to make LPN and SSCC labels
- Choose the label type. Pick GS1 SSCC-18 for shipping labels a partner will scan, or Simple LPN for license plates only your WMS reads.
- Enter your numbers. For an SSCC, set the extension digit, your GS1 company prefix and the first serial reference; the check digit is calculated for you. For a simple LPN, set the prefix text, the starting number and how many digits to pad to.
- Set quantity, size and resolution. Choose up to 100 sequential labels, the label size you have loaded and your printer's dpi. The preview is drawn at true size.
- Copy the ZPL or print. Copy or download the ZPL for a Zebra printer, or use Print / Save as PDF, or download a PNG of the first label.
LPN or SSCC?
Both put one scannable number on a pallet, carton or tote. They differ in who can use that number.
LPN (License Plate Number)
An LPN is the unique ID your warehouse management system gives to a handling unit. Its format is yours to design, for example a prefix and a counter such as LPN00000123, and it only has meaning inside your own operation.
Scan it once and the WMS knows what the unit holds and where it is. Code 128 is the usual barcode.
SSCC (Serial Shipping Container Code)
An SSCC is the GS1 global standard for the same job: an 18-digit number, printed as a GS1-128 barcode, that is unique worldwide. A carrier, customer or retailer can scan your pallet without knowing anything about your system.
It is built from a GS1 company prefix assigned to your company, so it cannot clash with anyone else's.
When to use which: use a simple LPN for units that stay inside your building. Use an SSCC when a pallet or carton ships to a partner who asks for GS1 labels, such as retailers, distributors and many carriers. Many operations print an internal LPN while the goods are in the warehouse and an SSCC at shipping. The LPN labels guide explains the full flow, and the barcode generator covers other symbologies such as EAN-13 and Code 39.
How to read an SSCC
Eighteen digits, four parts. The example below is the one the generator fills in for you.
The (00) in front is not part of the 18 digits. It is the GS1 Application Identifier that tells the scanner "an SSCC follows".
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3
Extension digit
1 digit
Chosen by you, 0 to 9. It widens the serial range, and some companies use it to tell packaging types apart.
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0614141
GS1 company prefix
4 to 12 digits
Assigned to your company by GS1. It is what makes the number unique worldwide.
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123456789
Serial reference
4 to 12 digits
The running number you manage. Each pallet or carton needs a new one, and you should not reuse it.
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1
Check digit
1 digit
Calculated from the other 17 digits (GS1 mod-10) so scanners can catch typing and reading errors. This tool works it out for you.
Company prefix and serial reference always add up to 16 digits, so a longer prefix leaves a shorter serial range. This tool is not a GS1 service and cannot issue a company prefix: you obtain your own from your local GS1 organization at gs1.org. Numbers built on a prefix that is not yours can collide with another company's labels.
How to print these labels on a Zebra printer
ZD desktop and ZT industrial printers understand ZPL natively, so the file this page produces is exactly what the printer reads.
- Match the settings. Pick the label size you have loaded and your printer's resolution (203 dpi for most ZD and ZT models; 300 and 600 dpi versions exist). The ZPL is written for those exact dimensions.
- Download or copy the ZPL. The .zpl file holds the whole batch, one
^XA ... ^XZblock per label. - Send it to the printer as raw text. In Zebra Setup Utilities, open "Open Communication with Printer" and send the file, or let your WMS or label software post it to the printer. No ZPL access? Use Print / Save as PDF with the Zebra driver instead.
- Calibrate when you change media. Run the printer's media calibration after loading a new label size so it finds the label gap correctly.
Need hardware? See the Zebra ZD621 for workstations, the ZT411 for high volume and the full Zebra printers catalog. For durable pallet labels, read the label material guide and find the right roll with the label finder. New to ZPL? Start with the ZPL resources.