ACE Shipment CSV Upload Feature (ACE Manifest)

🔖 This article is part of the BorderConnect ACE Manifest Guide and the BorderConnect Software User Guide

How to import shipments into an ACE eManifest

Selecting Company Settings from the Account menu

This guide explains how to import a large number of shipments into an ACE eManifest using BorderConnect’s CSV upload feature.

BorderConnect also offers a newer, more user-friendly option called the File Import Wizard, which provides a guided import experience in one place. The Import Wizard supports multiple file types (including CSV and Excel formats) and can import many types of data used throughout ACE and ACI eManifests, such as shippers, consignees, vehicles, trailers, drivers, passengers, and shipments.

Option	Best For	File Types
File Import Wizard	Most imports and ongoing data maintenance (profiles and shipments)	CSV, XLSX, XLS, XML, Numbers
CSV Upload on ACE eManifest	Quick, trip-specific bulk shipment upload directly into one ACE manifest	CSV

Step 1: Enable Import Buttons

By default, some companies have import buttons disabled.

To enable imports:

Go to Account
Click Company Settings
Under eManifest Preferences, set Display ACE Import Buttons to Yes
Click Save

Once enabled, the import controls will appear when creating or editing an ACE eManifest.

Step 2: Download the CSV Template

Before uploading, download the official template:

ACE Shipment CSV Template

Important rules:

Do not rename, remove, or reorder the column headers
Save the file as CSV format before uploading
CSV is required even if you edit it using Excel or another spreadsheet tool

Step 3: Fill Out the CSV File

The template includes columns for:

Shipment control number and shipment type
Shipper and consignee details
Commodity description, value, quantity, weight, and units
Country of origin and additional shipment fields

Field Specifications

Use the sections below to confirm formatting before uploading.

SCN (Shipment Control Number)

The shipment control number uniquely identifies each shipment.

Requirement	Rule
Format	Must start with a 4-character SCAC followed by your reference
Characters allowed	Alphanumeric only, no spaces, no special characters
Uppercase	Letters must be uppercase
Length	8 to 16 characters

SCN AUTOFILL Option

BorderConnect can auto-generate SCNs in sequence.

To use autofill, enter:

SCAC + AUTOFILL

Example: ZZZZAUTOFILL

Rules:

If you use AUTOFILL, every shipment in the file must use AUTOFILL
Do not mix AUTOFILL and manually-entered SCNs in the same upload

Shipment Type

Only the values below are valid and case sensitive.

Shipment Type	Value
PAPS	PAPS
QP In-Bond	QP_IN_BOND
Intangibles	INTANGIBLES
Free of Duty (Customs Form 7523)	ATTACHED_CF7523
Returned American Products (Customs Form 3311)	ATTACHED_CF3311
Personal Shipment (Customs Form 3299)	ATTACHED_CF3299

Province of Loading

This is the Canadian province or Mexican state where the shipment was picked up.

Canada: use 2-letter province code (example: BC, ON)
Mexico: use 3-letter state code (example: GRO)
Codes must be uppercase

Shipper and Consignee

Field	Rule
Name	1 to 60 characters
Address	1 to 55 characters
City	1 to 30 characters
State/Province	Use standard abbreviation, uppercase
Postal/Zip	Must match required format for the country

Postal and zip formatting notes:

Canada: A1A1A1 or A1A 1A1
Mexico: 12345
U.S.: 12345 or 12345-6789

Commodity

Field	Rule
Description	1 to 45 characters, plain language, must describe the goods
Value	Numeric only, one decimal allowed, no symbols or commas
Quantity	Whole numbers only
Quantity Unit	Must use a valid 3-letter package code
Weight	Whole numbers only, rounded
Weight Unit	Pounds: L, LB, LBS, LBR Kilograms: K, KG, KGM
Country of Origin	2-letter country code, uppercase

A full list of country codes can be downloaded here:

Country codes JSON

Package Type Codes

The Quantity Unit field must use one of the valid 3-letter package codes below and is case sensitive.

Package Type	Value	Package Type	Value	Package Type	Value	Package Type	Value
Bag	BAG	Carton	CTN	Heads of Beef	HED	Roll	ROL
Bale	BLE	Case	CAS	Keg	KEG	Sack	SAK
Barrel	BBL	Cask	CSK	Lift Van	LVN	Sheet	SHT
Basket	BSK	Chest	CHS	Liquid Bulk	LBK	Sides of Beef	SID
Bin	BIN	Coil	COL	Logs	LOG	Skid	SKD
Bing Chest	BIC	Container Bulk Cargo	CBC	Lugs	LUG	Tank	TNK
Box	BOX	Cord	COR	Package	PKG	Tin	TIN
Bucket	BKT	Crate	CRT	Pail	PAL	Tote Bin	TBN
Bundle	BDL	Cylinder	CYL	Parcel	PCL	Tube	TBE
Can	CAN	Drum	DRM	Pieces	PCS	Unit	UNT
Can Case	CCS	Dry Bulk	DBK	Private Vehicle	POV	Van Pack	VPK
Carboy	CBY	Gallon	GAL	Quarters of Beef	QTR	Vehicle	VEH
Carcass	CAR	Hamper	HMP	Reel	REL	Wooden Case	WDC

Step 4: Import the CSV Into an ACE eManifest

To import shipments:

Start a new ACE eManifest or open an existing one for editing
Click Choose File and select your CSV
Click Save

A message will confirm whether the import succeeded or list the rows that failed validation.

Note: The button may reference JSON, but CSV files are accepted for this import tool.

Importing 10,000 or More Shipments

Importing 10,000 or more shipments into an ACE Manifest

BorderConnect supports importing up to 9,999 shipments per manifest by default.

If you need 10,000 or more shipments on one trip, the process is:

Create multiple manifests and import up to 9,999 into each
Use Link Shipments to Trip to link shipments back to the original manifest for CBP processing

High Volume Workflow

Step	What You Do
1	Create the original manifest, import the first batch, then Save and View Trip Details
2	Create a second manifest using a modified trip number (example: add B)
3	Enable Show All Fields and set Link Shipments to Trip to the original trip
4	Import the second batch and save
5	Repeat for additional batches (example: add C, D) if required
6	Send the first manifest to CBP and wait for acceptance
7	Send each linked manifest to CBP using the Link Shipments to Trip transmission

Common Import Errors

This section lists common CSV upload errors and how to correct them.

Shipment Control Number Errors

Can't perform import since AUTOFILL shipment numbers are combined with explicitly stated shipment control numbers.

Cause:

Some rows use SCAC+AUTOFILL and others use manual SCNs

Fix:

Use AUTOFILL for all rows or remove AUTOFILL entirely

Also check for blank rows containing only commas near the bottom of the file.

SCAC Code [AAA5] is invalid. Must be 4 alphanumeric characters. [AAA5459071]

Cause:

SCAC is not exactly 4 characters

Fix:

Correct SCAC to 4 alphanumeric characters

Shipment Control Number is invalid, it must be 8-16 alphanumeric characters with no spaces and letters must be uppercase. [AAAA545907321321321131]

Cause:

SCN too long or invalid format

Fix:

Ensure 8 to 16 characters, uppercase, no spaces

Shipment Type Errors

Shipment Type [SECTION 321] is invalid [AAAA5459071]

Cause:

Incorrect value format

Fix:

Use the valid value exactly as specified in the Shipment Type table

Shipper Errors

Province of Loading code [BX] unrecognized. [AAAA5459071]
OR
Province of Loading code [British Columbia] unrecognized. [AAAA5459071]

Fix:

Use province/state abbreviations only, example: BC

Shipper Name [...] invalid. Must be between 1 and 60 characters, with no accents or other invalid characters. [AAAA5459091]

Fix:

Shorten the name to 60 characters or fewer

Shipper Canadian Postal Code [VSS 1A1] invalid. [AAAA5459219]

Fix:

Ensure valid Canadian postal code format

Consignee Errors

Consignee State [California] is invalid or does not match with country [US]. [AAAA5459219]

Fix:

Use 2-letter U.S. abbreviations, example: CA

Consignee U.S. Zip Code [4321] invalid. [AAAA5459219]

Fix:

Use 5 digits or ZIP+4 format

Note: Spreadsheet tools can remove leading zeroes. A ZIP like 04321 may become 4321 and fail validation.

A common workaround is to format the cell as text or use: ="04321"

Commodity Errors

Unknown packaging unit [box]. [AAAA5459219]

Fix:

Package codes must match exactly, example: BOX

Shipment commodity weight is invalid. It must be numeric [0.63]

Fix:

Weight must be a whole number, round up to 1 if under 1

Commodity weight unit [POUNDS] is invalid. [AAAA5459219]

Fix:

Use valid units: L, LB, LBS, or LBR