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What's a National Stock Number ?
It's simply the official label applied to an item of supply that is repeatedly procured, stocked, stored, issued, and used throughout the federal supply system. It is a unique item identifying series of numbers. When a NSN is assigned to an item of supply, data is assembled to describe the item. Some data elements include information such as an item name, manufacturer's part number, unit price, and physical and performance characteristics. NSNs are an essential part of the military's logistics supply chain used in managing, moving, storing, and disposing of material.
--> The use of NSNs facilitates standardization and cataloging.
The NSN is officially recognized by the United States government, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and many governments around the world.
Why do items need a NSN ?
Experience in World War II showed that it was unworkable for each service to have its own part numbering system. That made it difficult for the military services to locate supplies and, in most cases, impossible to share items of supply.
--> It is important to establish a common name and description for a single item of supply, a common language of supply was needed to manage the growing complexity.
As part of the post-war reorganization that created the Department of Defense (DoD), in July of 1947, the Army-Navy Munitions Board established the Cataloging Agency to manage a single DoD resource called the Joint Army-Navy Catalog System. In 1949, the Federal Stock Number (FSN) system was established with an eleven digit number and the first FSN was assigned. On 1 July 1952, the Defense Cataloging and Standardization Act mandated a single catalog system for DoD. In 1958, the Armed Forces Supply Support Center (AFSSC) was established in Washington, DC, to maintain the Federal Catalog System and standardize item names used by the military services. When the Defense Supply Agency was created on 1 January 1962, the AFSSC was renamed the Defense Logistics Service Center, becoming the central control point for the Federal Catalog System. The Defense Logistics Service Center was later renamed the Defense Logistics Information Service (DLIS).
A major upgrade to the catalog system occurred in 1975 with the implementation of the Defense Integrated Data System. The main change was the expansion of the eleven digit FSN to the thirteen digit National Stock Number (NSN), by adding a two digit NATO country code (see below).
A NSN is formatted to convey specific informations about the item of supply. The NSN is a 13-digit code.
Example : 8415-01-327-5308 (DCU jacket, size medium regular)
84XX-XX-XXX-XXXX = Federal Supply Group (FSG)
8415-XX-XXX-XXXX = Federal Supply Class (FSC).
XXXX-01-XXX-XXXX = Country of origin (NATO code). Numbers 00 or 01 are only for United States items (Japan #30, Saudi Arabia is #70, the UK is #99, Australia is #66,...)
XXXX-XX-327-5308 = unique number with caracteristics of item (camouflage, size,...)
84XX = Clothing, Individual Equipment, and Insignia (group)
8415 = "Clothing, Special purpose" (class) :
"This class includes conventional winter, summer, and intermediate flight clothing ensembles and their components. Excluded from this class are specialized antiexposure, antigravity, partial pressure, and full pressure, flight ensembles and their specialized components.
This class includes : Special Purpose Headwear, including Helmets, except Ballistic Protective; Safety and Protective Clothing; Athletic Clothing; Safety, Combat, Protective, and Work Gloves; Submarine Deck Exposure Clothing; Flight Clothing Components designed for use with both Specialized and Conventional Ensembles.
This class excludes : Sporting and Athletic Gloves; Athletic Footwear; Safety Footwear; Personal Armor; Special Hospital and Surgical Clothing. Excludes special purpose clothing wherein the primary purpose is ballistic resistant protection. This class will include common use components of both ballistic and conventional end items".
See the full list of federal supply classes here : http://8415.iso-group.com/Information/FSC/
Sources :
http://www.dlis.dla.mil/PDFs/NSN.pdf
http://www.olive-drab.com/od_nsn_explanation.php
It's simply the official label applied to an item of supply that is repeatedly procured, stocked, stored, issued, and used throughout the federal supply system. It is a unique item identifying series of numbers. When a NSN is assigned to an item of supply, data is assembled to describe the item. Some data elements include information such as an item name, manufacturer's part number, unit price, and physical and performance characteristics. NSNs are an essential part of the military's logistics supply chain used in managing, moving, storing, and disposing of material.
--> The use of NSNs facilitates standardization and cataloging.
The NSN is officially recognized by the United States government, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and many governments around the world.
Why do items need a NSN ?
Experience in World War II showed that it was unworkable for each service to have its own part numbering system. That made it difficult for the military services to locate supplies and, in most cases, impossible to share items of supply.
--> It is important to establish a common name and description for a single item of supply, a common language of supply was needed to manage the growing complexity.
As part of the post-war reorganization that created the Department of Defense (DoD), in July of 1947, the Army-Navy Munitions Board established the Cataloging Agency to manage a single DoD resource called the Joint Army-Navy Catalog System. In 1949, the Federal Stock Number (FSN) system was established with an eleven digit number and the first FSN was assigned. On 1 July 1952, the Defense Cataloging and Standardization Act mandated a single catalog system for DoD. In 1958, the Armed Forces Supply Support Center (AFSSC) was established in Washington, DC, to maintain the Federal Catalog System and standardize item names used by the military services. When the Defense Supply Agency was created on 1 January 1962, the AFSSC was renamed the Defense Logistics Service Center, becoming the central control point for the Federal Catalog System. The Defense Logistics Service Center was later renamed the Defense Logistics Information Service (DLIS).
A major upgrade to the catalog system occurred in 1975 with the implementation of the Defense Integrated Data System. The main change was the expansion of the eleven digit FSN to the thirteen digit National Stock Number (NSN), by adding a two digit NATO country code (see below).
A NSN is formatted to convey specific informations about the item of supply. The NSN is a 13-digit code.
Example : 8415-01-327-5308 (DCU jacket, size medium regular)
84XX-XX-XXX-XXXX = Federal Supply Group (FSG)
8415-XX-XXX-XXXX = Federal Supply Class (FSC).
XXXX-01-XXX-XXXX = Country of origin (NATO code). Numbers 00 or 01 are only for United States items (Japan #30, Saudi Arabia is #70, the UK is #99, Australia is #66,...)
XXXX-XX-327-5308 = unique number with caracteristics of item (camouflage, size,...)
84XX = Clothing, Individual Equipment, and Insignia (group)
8415 = "Clothing, Special purpose" (class) :
"This class includes conventional winter, summer, and intermediate flight clothing ensembles and their components. Excluded from this class are specialized antiexposure, antigravity, partial pressure, and full pressure, flight ensembles and their specialized components.
This class includes : Special Purpose Headwear, including Helmets, except Ballistic Protective; Safety and Protective Clothing; Athletic Clothing; Safety, Combat, Protective, and Work Gloves; Submarine Deck Exposure Clothing; Flight Clothing Components designed for use with both Specialized and Conventional Ensembles.
This class excludes : Sporting and Athletic Gloves; Athletic Footwear; Safety Footwear; Personal Armor; Special Hospital and Surgical Clothing. Excludes special purpose clothing wherein the primary purpose is ballistic resistant protection. This class will include common use components of both ballistic and conventional end items".
See the full list of federal supply classes here : http://8415.iso-group.com/Information/FSC/
Sources :
http://www.dlis.dla.mil/PDFs/NSN.pdf
http://www.olive-drab.com/od_nsn_explanation.php
Last edited by P-E on Thu Jun 26, 2014 6:54 pm; edited 1 time in total
