errorbusinessEN 16931

BR-CL-23:Unit code MUST be coded according to the UN/ECE Recommendation 20 with Rec...

Fix: A Unit of Measure Code is not a valid UN/ECE Rec 20/21 code. Common codes: C62=unit, HUR=hour, KGM=kilogram, MTR=meter. Upload your invoice to fix this automatically.

A Unit of Measure Code is not a valid UN/ECE Rec 20/21 code. Common codes: C62=unit, HUR=hour, KGM=kilogram, MTR=meter.

Severity
Fatal
Rule set
EN 16931
Country
All EU
Fix type
AUTO-FIX
Confidence
90%
Category
code_list

Engine Classification

Auto-fix: Map common unit names/abbreviations to UN/ECE codes. "each"/"piece"→C62, "hour"→HUR, "kg"→KGM. Uppercase lowercase codes.

Confidence: 90% · Applied automatically in pipeline

What is BR-CL-23?

BR-CL-23 is a fatal validation rule defined in the EN 16931 specification.

When this rule fires, the invoice is rejected by Peppol access points and never reaches the buyer.

Why This Error Matters

Invoice rejected. Quantity units must use standard codes for proper interpretation.

BR-CL-23 is a hard failure — the invoice must be corrected and re-sent before it can reach the recipient.

Invoice Navigator can automatically correct this error in your pipeline. The fix is applied with full audit evidence, so your compliance trail remains intact.

Validator Behavior

  • ·Causes invoice rejection
  • ·Error returned: BR-CL-23
  • ·Specification: EN 16931

How to Fix It

1.

Find the incorrectly formatted value

Check at . The current value does not match the required format.

2.

Apply the correct format

A Unit of Measure Code is not a valid UN/ECE Rec 20/21 code. Common codes: C62=unit, HUR=hour, KGM=kilogram, MTR=meter.

3.

Update your export settings

If this occurs consistently, check your invoicing software's locale and format settings for XML export. Re-validate to confirm BR-CL-23 is resolved.

Before / After

Failing XML
<Invoice>
  <!-- Issue: Unit code MUST be coded according to the UN/ECE Recommendati -->
</Invoice>
Corrected XML
<Invoice>
  <!-- Issue resolved per EN 16931 -->
</Invoice>

Technical Reference

SpecEN 16931
Operationnormalize
StrategyAuto-fix: Map common unit names/abbreviations to UN/ECE codes. "each"/"piece"→C62, "hour"→HUR, "kg"→KGM. Uppercase lowercase codes.

Common Causes

  • ·Unit code not from UN/ECE Rec 20/21 list
  • ·Custom unit of measure code used
  • ·Unit stored as text (pieces) not code (C62)
  • ·unitCode attribute contains invalid value
  • ·Legacy unit codes not mapped to UN/ECE standard

Seeing this in production? The API handles BR-CL-23 automatically. See the fix response →

Frequently Asked Questions

A Unit of Measure Code is not a valid UN/ECE Rec 20/21 code. Common codes: C62=unit, HUR=hour, KGM=kilogram, MTR=meter.

A Unit of Measure Code is not a valid UN/ECE Rec 20/21 code. Common codes: C62=unit, HUR=hour, KGM=kilogram, MTR=meter. You can also use Invoice Navigator's compliance engine to correct this automatically in your pipeline.

Yes, BR-CL-23 is a critical error that will cause invoice rejection. It must be fixed before submission.

Many instances of BR-CL-23 can be automatically corrected using Invoice Navigator's compliance engine. The fix is applied in your pipeline with full audit evidence.

Related Content

Last updated: 14 April 2026

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