BR-23: An Invoice line shall have an Invoiced quantity unit of…

StandardEN 16931-1 (European e-invoicing semantic model)SeverityError: the invoice is rejectedSyntaxUBL, CIIBusiness terms

BG-25 Invoice line
BT-130 Invoiced quantity unit of measure code

Applies toEvery EN 16931 invoice: XRechnung, ZUGFeRD 2.x / Factur-X (profiles EN 16931, EXTENDED, XRECHNUNG), Peppol BIS Billing 3.0, and national CIUS such as the Dutch NLCIUS or the Italian/Spanish profiles.

Official rule text

[BR-23] An Invoice line (BG-25) shall have an Invoiced quantity unit of measure code (BT-130).

Why this error occurs

The element is mandatory in this standard but is missing or empty in your file. Typical causes: the field is not filled in the invoicing software, the ERP export does not map it, or the element is present but contains only whitespace.

How to fix it

Add the element with a non-empty value at the position given by the context above. Check the master data (seller, buyer, payment) in your invoicing software; most tools expose the field under the business term name shown here. Re-validate after the change.

What the validator checks

Checked element (context):

UBL

cac:InvoiceLine | cac:CreditNoteLine

Test (XPath):

exists(cbc:InvoicedQuantity/@unitCode) or exists(cbc:CreditedQuantity/@unitCode)

CII

//ram:IncludedSupplyChainTradeLineItem

Test (XPath):

(ram:SpecifiedLineTradeDelivery/ram:BilledQuantity/@unitCode)

Check your invoice

Drop your XML or PDF on the validator and every failed rule is linked to its page here. Free, no account, the file is not stored.

Check your invoice →

Same check via API:

curl -F file=@invoice.xml https://einvoicechecker.com/v1/validate

Related rules

BR-16 Invoice has no invoice line (BG-25)
BR-21 Each Invoice line shall have an Invoice line identifier
BR-22 Each Invoice line shall have an Invoiced quantity
BR-24 Each Invoice line shall have an Invoice line net amount
BR-25 Each Invoice line shall contain the Item name
BR-26 Each Invoice line shall contain the Item net price
BR-AE-01 An Invoice that contains an Invoice line, a Document level allowance or a Document…
BR-AE-02 An Invoice that contains an Invoice line where the Invoiced item VAT category code is…

Frequently asked questions

What does BR-23 mean?

BR-23 is a en 16931 core rule: An Invoice line (BG-25) shall have an Invoiced quantity unit of measure code (BT-130).

Will my invoice be rejected because of BR-23?

Yes. BR-23 is flagged "fatal"; validators (KoSIT, Peppol access points, the German ZRE/OZG-RE portals) reject the invoice until it is fixed.

Which formats does BR-23 apply to?

Every EN 16931 invoice: XRechnung, ZUGFeRD 2.x / Factur-X (profiles EN 16931, EXTENDED, XRECHNUNG), Peppol BIS Billing 3.0, and national CIUS such as the Dutch NLCIUS or the Italian/Spanish profiles. Syntax: UBL and CII.

Source: EN 16931-1:2017 schematron (CEN TC434, via Peppol BIS 3.0.20). Catalogue generated from the official schematron on 2026-10-14.

BR-23: An Invoice line shall have an Invoiced quantity unit of measure code