By Louis Balla, Chief Revenue Officer, Nuage. Updated October 2026.
License plating in NetSuite gives each pallet, carton or tote a unique license plate number (LPN), so scanning one number tells you what the container holds and where it is. Oracle documents LPNs in two places in NetSuite. Full inbound and outbound license plating is offered by SuiteApp vendors such as RF-SMART.
This guide explains what an LPN is, what Oracle documents natively, what a partner SuiteApp adds and the questions to settle before a rollout. Nuage is a NetSuite optimization partner, and we describe vendor features here as the vendors publish them.
What is NetSuite license plating?
A license plate is a unique identifier for a container of stock, whether a pallet, a carton or a tote. The number points to a record of the contents (items, lots, serial numbers and quantities) and the container’s location. RF-SMART, which sells a License Plating module for NetSuite, describes it the same way and says its module supports both inbound and outbound plates.
A few terms come up in any plating discussion:
- LPN: the license plate number itself.
- Inbound plate: a plate created or applied at receiving, usually from the supplier’s pallet.
- Outbound plate: a plate created when you pack an order for shipment.
- SSCC-18: the 18-digit Serial Shipping Container Code, a GS1 standard barcode that identifies a shipping unit and is used on advance ship notices.
- Nested plates: plates inside plates, such as cartons on a pallet.
A lot number identifies a production batch, and a bin is a fixed place in the warehouse. A license plate identifies a container that moves between bins, which is why it matters when pallets are split, combined and restacked.
How does license plating work in NetSuite?
Oracle’s NetSuite documentation covers LPNs in two places.
WMS container codes for packed orders. NetSuite WMS has an Autogenerated ID Format record, called the WMS License Plate Range record before the 2021.2 release. It defines the format for autogenerating 18-digit Serial Shipping Container Codes for orders packed through Warehouse Management, in GS1 barcode format. Oracle notes that with EDI integration, the code links the barcode to the advance ship notice sent to the customer. You set a name, choose the UCC type, give an initial number and enter a DUNS number or company prefix.
The LPN action in Advanced Manufacturing. Oracle’s Advanced Manufacturing scanner configuration includes an LPN action, which is not turned on by default. With it, operators can create production records for lot-controlled items, move items from bin to bin and merge multiple LPNs. To enable it, go to Advanced Manufacturing > Administration/Setup > Scanner Feature Configuration, select a custom form, enter LPN as the scanner name and check Is Enabled. Our NetSuite Advanced Manufacturing guide covers that module.
Partner license plating. For inbound plates, putaway by plate and moves between bins and plates across the warehouse, companies use a SuiteApp. RF-SMART says its License Plating functions are built within NetSuite and supports purchase order receiving, transfer orders, cycle counting, sales order picking, manufacturing and operations such as bin transfers, putaway, splitting and combining. Other SuiteApp vendors offer plating as well. Ask your NetSuite account team and each vendor what is current for your account.
Warehouse scanning itself comes from NetSuite WMS, which runs receiving, putaway, picking and shipping through a mobile app. Our NetSuite inventory control guide covers the bins, lots and counts that plating builds on.
Which license plating option fits which need?
| Option | What it provides | Where it fits |
|---|---|---|
| Bins, lots and serials in NetSuite | Stock tracked by bin, with lot and serial numbers on the transaction | Stock held in fixed places and moved item by item |
| NetSuite WMS with Autogenerated ID Format | SSCC-18 container codes on packed orders, linked to advance ship notices with EDI | Customers who require pallet or carton labels on outbound shipments |
| LPN action in Advanced Manufacturing | Production records for lot-controlled items, bin moves and merging LPNs on the scanner | Plants recording production by plate |
| Partner license plating SuiteApp | Inbound and outbound plates, with moves, splits and combines, as the vendor describes | Warehouses that move and restack mixed pallets and need plate-level tracking |
When should you consider license plating?
- Lot and serial items on pallets. If one pallet holds several lots, a plate carries each lot’s quantity with the container. Ask how the app records a partial pick from a plated pallet.
- Frequent pallet movement. The more times a pallet changes bins, the more a single scan to move all of it saves over moving each item.
- A partial WMS rollout. If you already scan some transactions, ask the vendor which ones plating covers and whether it can be added without changing how the rest of the warehouse runs.
You may not need it when stock sits in fixed bins and moves by item, and bin-level counts are accurate. Bin design comes first: a bin that holds too many items is too coarse for either counting or plating.
How do you plan a license plating project?
- Decide what gets a plate. Pallets only, or cartons and totes too, and whether plates nest.
- Choose the number format. An SSCC-18 follows GS1 rules and needs a company prefix, and an internal format can follow your own site and location codes.
- Fix the bins and zones first. Plates sit in bins.
- Define the split and combine rules. What happens to the plate when a pallet is partly picked, and when two partial pallets are merged?
- Decide how counts work. Count by plate, by item or both, and who approves the adjustment.
- Settle labels, printers and scanners. Plates need printed labels and scanners at every station that touches them.
- Test in a sandbox with a mixed pallet. Receive a pallet with two lots, move it, split it, pick from it and count it.
The role split is simple: the warehouse lead owns the physical rules, the NetSuite administrator owns configuration and the controller reviews adjustments.
Inventory, warehouse and fulfillment work made up 167 of the 3,241 client requests Nuage classified (5.2%), covering counts, adjustments, bins, mobile picking, lot handling and returns to stock. Only 40 of those 167 had closed when we measured (24.0%), the lowest closing rate of any category, and the ones that closed took a median of 23.9 days. Inventory requests tend to stay open because they wait on a physical count, a warehouse partner or a rollout in progress, so we name the owner of each dependency at the start. A plating rollout depends on all three.
What our NetSuite experts check before recommending license plating
We recommend these checks before a plating project. The order changes with each account.
- How bins are designed and how often counts happen. Plating on top of weak bin data inherits its problems.
- Which items need lot or serial tracking at container level.
- Whether native WMS features cover the need or a partner SuiteApp is required.
- Who owns each dependency, including scanners, label printing, the warehouse team and any warehouse partner.
- A pilot in one zone before the whole warehouse.
Nuage’s NetSuite experts also do this work as part of ongoing NetSuite optimization and managed services. For food and beverage lot rules, see our lot tracking guide, and for pallet labels and advance ship notices on outbound orders, our food distribution ERP guide.
NetSuite license plating FAQ
What is license plating?
License plating gives a pallet, carton or tote a unique ID, called a license plate number or LPN. Scanning it shows what the container holds and where it is, so moves, picks and counts can be done by container instead of item by item. Inbound plates are applied at receiving and outbound plates when an order is packed.
Does NetSuite have native license plating?
Oracle documents LPNs in NetSuite WMS, as autogenerated SSCC-18 container codes on packed orders, and in the Advanced Manufacturing scanner configuration as an LPN action. Full inbound and outbound license plating is offered by SuiteApp vendors such as RF-SMART. Confirm with your NetSuite account team what covers your warehouse.
How is license plating licensed?
It depends on what you use. Ask your NetSuite account team whether NetSuite WMS and Advanced Manufacturing are included in your agreement, and ask each partner SuiteApp vendor for its terms, since SuiteApps are licensed by their vendors. Request the number of users and devices each price covers. We cannot quote either side’s pricing.
What is an LPN license plate number?
An LPN is the unique number that identifies one container. It links to a record of the container’s contents, such as item, lot, serial number and quantity, and its location. An SSCC-18 is one standard format for it on shipping units, using a company prefix and a serial reference.
What software handles nested tracking of boxes inside a carton on a pallet?
Ask each vendor whether plates can nest, and have them show a carton picked out of a plated pallet and a pallet moved between bins. NetSuite’s WMS documentation covers SSCC-18 codes on packed orders. For nested inbound plates, ask your plating SuiteApp vendor for a demonstration with your own pallet.
About the author
Louis Balla is Chief Revenue Officer at Nuage, a NetSuite optimization partner that has served 250+ clients since 2011 and holds a 4.9 out of 5 rating on Clutch. The client work in this article is our team’s.
