NATO Stock Number
A NATO Stock Number, or National Stock Number as it is known in the U.S., is a 13-digit numeric code used by the NATO military alliance, identifying all the 'standardized material items of supply' as they have been recognized by all member states of NATO. Pursuant to the NATO Standardization Agreements, the NSN has come to be used in all treaty countries. However, many countries that use the NSN program are not members of NATO. A two-digit Material Management Aggregation Code suffix may also be appended, to denote asset end use but it is not considered part of the NSN.
In France it is known as a Numéro de Nomenclature OTAN, or "NATO Identification Number". In Spanish-speaking countries it is known as a Número Nacional de Efecto, or "National Item Number".
An item having an NSN is said to be "stock-listed".
Structure
The NATO Stock Number consists of the NATO Supply Class and the National Item Identification Number. However the NIIN alone uniquely identifies the item, the FSC merely adds context by indicating the general classification of the item. The format of an NSN might be described as follows: abcd-ef-ghi-jklmEach element, a through m, was originally intended to be a single decimal digit. As inventories grew in complexity, element g became alphanumeric, beginning with uppercase A for certain newly added items. By 2000, uppercase C was in use.
Federal Supply Classification Group (FSCG)
The initial subgroup, abcd, is the Federal Supply Classification Group or National Supply Classification Group. In theory, similar items would always have closely related numbers in this section of the NSN, no matter how the section is referred to. As the number of items has steadily increased and the system has become more complicated, it has not always been possible to keep similarity in numbers when the items are similar.National Item Identification Number (NIIN)
The nine digits, ef-ghi-jklm, comprise the NIIN. This format improves readability but is optional as NIINs are often listed without hyphens.The first two digits of the NIIN are used to record which country was the first to codify the item—which one first recognized it as an important item of supply. This is generally the country of origin, meaning the country of final manufacture. The formal name of the field is CC for Country Code or NCB, because NCB also stands for National Codification Bureau. The NCB is the organisation, typically a government agency, in charge of maintaining the NCS database within a given country. The other seven characters are a non-significant identification code. Following are the NCB codes:
| Country | Tier | NCB | Country | Tier | NCB | Country | Tier | NCB | ||
 Related TermsDepartment of Defense Identification Code (DODIC)DODIC is an alphanumeric four-symbol code which is used to identify ammunition and explosives. A DODIC consists of either one letter followed by three numerals or two letters followed by two numerals. and the letter "O" This code is shown either after the NSN or on the line underneath it on the container. The DODIC identifies the item, while the NSN identifies what type of item it is and how it is packaged and contained.Sometimes the DODIC also contains a two-numeral NCB code prefix for the manufacturer's or repacker's country if it is different from the packager's country.
For instance, the experimental 5.56×45mm NSWC Crane Close Quarters Battle Receiver was originally codified as 1005-LL-L99-5996. When the weapon was no longer experimental and was codified as the Mk 18 MOD 0 Close Quarters Battle Rifle, the upper receiver received the NSN of 1005-01-498-1913. Line Item Number (LIN)A six-position alphanumeric code assigned by the Army Materiel Command that identifies the generic nomenclature of specific types of equipment. Standard LINs consist of one alphabetic character followed by five numeric characters. SUBLINs are equivalent LIN items that can be used in the place of Primary LINs. The Department of Defense uses LINs and SUBLINs when drawing up contracts with vendors or planning budgets.NATO Symbols
The Lot Number consists of the 1, 2, or 3-letter manufacturer's code, the two-numeral year of manufacture, the letter code - A through M - indicating the month, an interfix code that consists of 1 or more numerals, and the serial number. If the batch is disrupted for any reason an alphabetic letter code is added at the end. Example: Amalgamated Bio-Carbon makes a batch of 40mm grenade shells in January, 2000. The batch's interfix number is 1 and its serial number is 234. The Lot Number would therefore be ABC-00-A-1-234. If part of the batch was manufactured on a different or overhauled assembly line, it would receive the Lot Number ABC-00-A-1-234A. If the lot is made up of salvaged ammunition, it must be from the same Lot. If different ammunition types are mixed and they originally had separate lot numbers, they must have all the ammunition lot numbers marked on the packaging. The repacker also has to put their manufacturer or military depot code and the two-digit year it was repacked on the packaging as well. HistoryThe NSN is an expanded version of the older Federal Stock Number, which lacked the national-origin code labeled ef above, in the second subgroup. Items predating 1974 in warehouses are frequently stenciled with FSNs. As of 1998, the system is principally administered by the Defense Logistics Agency within the U.S. Department of Defense.Other stock numbering systems are in use within the US DoD, but as of 2005, the NSN remained the most common and least ambiguous way to identify most standardized items of supply. Federal Stock NumberA Federal Stock Number was an 11-digit numeric code. It was first used by the Defense Munitions Board's Cataloging Agency in 1949 to identify items in the Joint Army-Navy Catalog System. On July 7, 1952 Public Law 82-436 was passed by the second session of the 82nd Congress. It authorized the FSN to replace the Ammunition Identification Code and Ordnance Stock Number. The Federal Stock Number was used officially from 1953 to 1974, when it was replaced by the National Stock Number. The conversion from FSN to NSN was typically done by adding "00" between the first set of numbers and the second set of numbers.
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