EWM Packing: Cartons into a Pallet — Nested Handling Units
At a packing work center, picked goods are packed into three cartons, and the cartons onto one pallet. Each carton and the pallet is a handling unit with its own number; the pallet HU contains the carton HUs, so one scan moves all of them.
Educational content. SAP behaviour varies by configuration and release. Spotted something off? Report it.
Digital twin
01Pick to the packing station
60 EA picked from PICK-02-05 to PACK-01.
Business scenario
A delivery of 60 EA of FG-2000 is packed per the packaging specification: 20 EA per carton, 3 cartons per pallet.
All companies, numbers and documents are fictional demo data.
Step-by-step flow
- 01
Pick to the packing station open in twin
60 EA picked from PICK-02-05 to PACK-01.
Storage control can route outbound goods through packing before staging.
- 02
Pack three cartons open in twin
3 carton HUs of 20 EA each.
The packaging specification tells the packer what goes where.
- 03
How do the cartons travel? open in twin
Three cartons go to the same customer. How should they be handled from here?
Moving or loading the top HU moves everything inside.
- 04
Three of everything open in twin
Three tasks, three scans at loading and three items for the customer to check in — and a higher risk of one carton going missing.
Nesting reduces handling and errors.
- 05
Nest the cartons on a pallet HU open in twin
Pallet HU-000000100 now contains the three cartons. Its label lists the cartons inside.
The delivery's packing view shows the structure; the shipping notification can pass it to the customer.
- 06
Stage and ship the pallet open in twin
One task moves the pallet (and all 60 EA) to GI-ZONE; goods issue posts 601.
Stock moved by moving the top HU.
- 07
Shipped as one pallet open in twin
Pick → 3 cartons → 1 pallet → stage → ship.
Customers increasingly require labelled, nested HUs for their own receiving.
SAP documents
Stock impact
| Step | Plant / SLoc | Stock type | MvT | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pick to the packing station | 1000 / AFS · PICK-02-05 | Unrestricted use | — | −60 EA |
| Pick to the packing station | 1000 / AFS · PACK-01 | Unrestricted use | — | +60 EA |
| Stage and ship the pallet | 1000 / AFS · PACK-01 | Unrestricted use | — | −60 EA |
| Stage and ship the pallet | 1000 / AFS · GI-ZONE | Unrestricted use | — | +60 EA |
| Stage and ship the pallet | 1000 / AFS · GI-ZONE | Unrestricted use | 601 | −60 EA |
Accounting impact
Goods issue
TypicalStage and ship the pallet
- Dr Cost of goods sold (GBB/VAX)₹72,000
- Cr Inventory — finished goods (BSX)₹72,000
Standard COGS posting for the delivery.
Typical conceptual flow. Actual G/L accounts and posting behaviour depend on material valuation, automatic account determination and system configuration.
Movement type
- 601GI for deliveryReversal: 602
Packs outbound goods into labelled, trackable units — and units into units — so they can be moved, loaded and received as a whole.
Transactions & Fiori apps
- /SCWM/PACK — Packing — General
- /SCWM/PACKSPEC — Packaging Specifications
- /SCWM/MON — Warehouse Monitor
- Pack Outbound DeliveriesAvailability depends on release and scope
Differences by SAP version
HU management in logistics (HUM) without EWM work centers.
EWM packing work centers and packaging specifications.
Packing apps are scope dependent.
Configuration
Packing work center and storage control
Configuration dependentWhether outbound goods pass through packing.
HU number ranges and labels
Configuration dependentIdentification and printing (e.g. SSCC).
Prerequisites
- Packaging materials (material type VERP, typical)
- Packing work center
- Packaging specification (optional)
Master data
- Packaging specification
- Quantities per level and packaging materials.
Organizational structure
- Warehouse EW01
Tables
| Table | Description |
|---|---|
| /SCWM/HUHDR | Handling unit header (EWM) — requires configuration validation |
Integration
- SDHU data can be sent to the customer with the shipping notification.
Common errors
“Cannot pack into the pallet”
Likely causes: Packaging material weight/volume limits; HU already closed
Where to look: Packaging material master · HU status
Troubleshooting
Something went wrong? Work through these checks in order. They are diagnostic questions, not configuration instructions — confirm changes with your system owner.
CHECK 1
Packing
- Packaging material limits?
- Packaging specification found?
Interview questions
What is a nested handling unit?
An HU that contains other HUs, e.g. cartons on a pallet. Moving or loading the top-level HU moves its contents; each level keeps its own number and label for tracking.
Quiz
References
Explanations are original. They summarize standard behaviour; always validate against your system's release and configuration.
Version history
| Version | Change |
|---|---|
| 1.0.0 | Initial version. |