Classification: DBI Confidential
DSW DSW.com
5.0 Carton Specifications
5.1 Carton Construction and Design Requirements
• Corrugate – Vendors should use a regular slotted container (RSC) with a burst strength rating of 200
lbs (90.91 kg) or edge crush test (ECT) strength rating of 32 lbs (14.55 kg). Corrugate of higher
standards is acceptable for use with Company merchandise. Vendors are responsible for ensuring
cartons adequately protect the Company’s merchandise regardless of corrugated standards used.
• Carton Size – Vendors must comply with the dimensions outlined in the table below:
Length Width Height
(Largest Dimension) (Smallest Dimension)
CM IN CM IN CM IN
Minimum 41 16 30.5 12 20.3 8
Maximum 86.3 34 71.1 28 61 24
• Minimum Carton Weight – Weight cannot be less than 5 lbs (2.27 kg).
• Maximum Carton Weight – Weight cannot exceed 60 lbs (27.27 kg).
• Any carton exceptions must be approved by the Company’s Vendor Relations team prior to
order packing and shipment.
• Carton Openings – All carton openings must be located on the top and bottom of the carton (the top
and bottom of the carton must be the largest surface areas of the carton). Cartons not meeting this
requirement may be subject to chargeback.
• Carton Closures – All carton closures must be securely fastened with tape covering the entire length
of the opening, extending over the ends of the opening a minimum of 7.62 cm (3 in). Any method can
be used for carton closure, the below example uses the preferred “3-way” tape method.
Carton sides should be secured using an adhesive type sealant (i.e. glue, tape, etc) vs. stapling as
this is more durable and minimizes risk of damage to associates and merchandise. If cartons
experience a high rate of bursting during transit (>3 occurrences), the Company may mandate a
specific carton closure method.
Revised: May 2023 Section 5 – Page 1
Classification: DBI Confidential
DSW DSW.com
5.1 Carton Construction and Design Requirements (cont’d)
• Banding, Strapping, Individually Shrink-Wrapped Cartons, or String/Wire Tying – Use of
banding, straps, shrink-wrap, string, or wire is not an accepted means of carton closure. Vendors
need to remove of all such materials prior to releasing shipment for transportation to the Company. If
you have situations where this method is required, please contact the Company’s Vendor Relations
team (see Section 12).
• Carton Design – Carton design should use a rectangular construction, as these are standard RSC
containers. A square-shaped carton can be used as well (see examples below):
• For assistance regarding carton requirements, constructions, and/or design, please contact the
Company’s Vendor Compliance Team (see Section 12).
5.2 External Carton Labeling Requirements
• Vendors are free to use any preexisting external carton labels, using an applied or pre-printed, self-
adhesive format. For approval, please forward a copy of the label you wish to use to the Company’s
Vendor Compliance team at vendorcompliance@dswinc.com
• All vendors are required to use external carton labels (self-adhesive or pre-printed), as outlined in this
Section, prior to shipping to the DC.
• To assist in the visual identification of orders, vendors should apply a business unit label, self-
adhesive or pre-printed, to the length sides of the carton next to the UCC label. These labels can be
of any geometrical shape (i.e. square, triangle) and any color or printed directly on the carton. The
below table lists all Company business unit names and numbers:
Revised: May 2023 Section 5 – Page 2
Classification: DBI Confidential
DSW DSW.com
5.2 External Carton Labeling Requirements (cont’d)
Business Unit Name Business Unit Number Indicated on PO or EDI PO (850)
DSW 29 PO & EDI PO
eTail Direct 58 PO & EDI PO
• The below external carton label information is to be applied or printed on the ends of each carton.
This label information may contain both optional and required elements, usage requirements are
listed next to the individual element. Please note: information provided on the external carton
label is dependent on PO information provided by the Purchase Order Management team
and/or the EDI PO.
1. Vendor name (required)
2. Company name (required)
3. Company PO Number (required)
4. Company 7-digit SKU number (optional – per PO or EDI PO, if items 5-7 are present)
5. Company or Vendor Style Description/Number (required – per PO or EDI PO)
6. Company or Vendor Color Description (required – per PO or EDI PO)
7. NRF Color Number (optional – per PO or EDI PO, if item 6 is present)
5.2 External Carton Labeling Requirements (cont’d)
8. Company Prepack Code (required – per PO or EDI PO)
9. Company Size Run (required – per PO or EDI PO)
10. Total carton pair quantity (required)
11. Carton sequence ___ of ___ (optional)
12. Gross Weight of carton (optional)
13. Net Weight of Carton (optional)
14. Carton dimensions X X (optional)
• Any questions concerning the information contained on the external carton label or its placement
should be forwarded to the Company’s Vendor Compliance Team (see Section 12).
5.3 Examples of External Carton Label Placement on following pages
Revised: May 2023 Section 5 – Page 3
Classification: DBI Confidential
DSW DSW.com
5.3 Examples of External Carton Label Placement
• With the use of a range of carton dimensions, the below examples are suggested placement of
external carton labels. Only the UCC label is required to be placed as specified below. Exceptions to
UCC label placement must be obtained prior to shipping of the carton. Please contact the Company’s
vendor relations team for details.
Carton 1 of 50
Gross Weight 45 lbs Net Weight 42 lbs
Carton Dimensions 30in X 18in X 15in
5.4 Inbound UCC-128 Label Requirements on following pages
Revised: May 2023 Section 5 – Page 4
Classification: DBI Confidential
DSW DSW.com
5.4 Inbound UCC-128 Label Requirements
• UCC-128 labels are required for vendors conducting business with the Company via electronic data
interchange (EDI).
• Each carton must use an approved UCC-128 carton label formatted similar to the examples provided
in this section. Vendors are free to use existing UCC-128 carton labels if they have been pre-
approved by Vendor Compliance. For approval to use existing labels, please forward copies of each
label you wish to use to the Company’s Vendor Relations team (see Section 4.2 for mailing address).
Note that DSW approval of vendor produced UCC-128 labels pertains to data validity and not
durability.
• All vendor cartons require UCC-128 labels to be applied prior to shipment of merchandise
regardless of PO terms, location, or status.
• A single unique UCC-128 bar-coded carton label must be affixed to the length side of each carton.
The label format should follow the Company’s suggested sample format (see Section 4.5). The main
bar-code (SSCC-18) should meet the minimum standards of:
• The printed SSCC-18 bar code must be formatted using a standard UCC-128 format and it must
consistently scan as either ANSI (American National Standards Institute) "A" or "B" quality.
• A standard 4 in x 6 in (10.15 cm x 15.25 cm) label is recommended for use on all cartons. If the
suggested label cannot be used due to carton size, please contact Vendor Compliance for assistance
prior to shipment of merchandise.
5.5 Printed UCC-128 Label Information on following pages
Revised: May 2023 Section 5 – Page 5
Classification: DBI Confidential
DSW DSW.com
5.5 Printed UCC-128 Label Information
• The following information is required to be printed on the UCC-128 label
-Ship from: Vendor name and address as specified on EDI PO
-Ship to address (DSW Retail DC): DSW Distribution Center
4150 E.5th Ave
Columbus, OH 43219
-Ship to address (DSW.com Direct FC): DSW.com East Coast Logistics Center
32 Springside Road
West Hampton, NJ 08060
-Ship to postal code: (420) 43219
-Carton series number: x of x
-The Company PO number as specified on EDI PO
-The Company SKU as specified on EDI PO (can be on secondary label)
-The Company prepack code as specified on EDI PO (can be on secondary label)
-The Company size run & quantity per size as specified on EDI PO (can be on secondary label)
-The Company business unit as specified on EDI PO.
-The below listing indicates the Company’s business units requiring EDI:
29 = DSW orders
58 = eTail Direct
-20-digit SSCC18 barcode using UCC-128 format
Detailed explanation of 20-digit carton ID:
Carton ID - (00) 0 0012345 123456789 0
o First 2 digits (00): package type (UCC format)
o Third digit “0”: container type (pallet or carton)
o Fourth through tenth digits “0012345”: vendor or UCC number
o Eleventh through nineteenth digits “123456789”: carton id
o Twentieth digit “0”: check digit
5.6 UCC-128 Examples on following pages
Revised: May 2023 Section 5 – Page 6
Classification: DBI Confidential
DSW DSW.com
5.6 UCC-128 Examples
• The following UCC label examples are the Company’s suggested format. Vendors are free to use
preexisting UCC labels which may meet the UCC labeling requirements. For additional assistance,
contact the Company’s Vendor Relations team (see Section 12).
• UCC-128 Shipping Carton Label (DSW DC)
• UCC-128 Shipping Carton Label (eTail FC)
Revised: May 2023 Section 5 – Page 7
