NATO Stock Number 1 NATO Stock Number
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NATO Stock Number 1 NATO Stock Number A NATO Stock Number, or National Stock Number (NSN) as it is known in the US, is a 13-digit numeric code, identifying all the 'standardized material items of supply' as they have been recognized by all NATO countries including United States Department of Defense. 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, e.g. Japan, Australia and New Zealand. A two-digit Material Management Aggregation Code (MMAC) suffix may also be appended,[1] to denote asset end use but it is not considered part of the NSN. An item having an NSN is said to be "stock-listed". Structure The NATO Stock Number consists of the NATO Supply Class (NSC or FSC) and the National Item Identification Number (NIIN). 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-jklm Each element, a through m, was originally intended to be a single decimal digit. As inventories grew in complexity, element g became alphanumeric, beginning with capital 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 (FSCG) [2] or National Supply Classification Group (NSCG). 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 (National Item Identification Number). This format improves readability but is optional as NIINs are often listed without hyphens. The first two digits of the NIIN (the ef pair) is 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 7 characters are a non significant identification number (actually code, as some of these characters may be alphanumeric, although in general NIINs are strictly numeric). Following are the NCB codes: NATO Stock Number 2 Country NCB Code(s) USA 00 and 01 Unassigned 02 through 10 NATO-standard items 11 West Germany / Germany 12 Belgium 13 France 14 Italy 15 Czech Republic 16 Netherlands 17 South Africa 18 Brazil 19 Canada 20 and 21 Denmark 22 Greece 23 Iceland 24 Norway 25 Portugal 26 Turkey 27 Luxembourg 28 Argentina 29 Japan 30 Israel 31 Singapore 32 Spain 33 Country NCB Code(s) Malaysia 34 Thailand 35 Egypt 36 Republic of Korea 37 Estonia 38 Romania 39 Slovakia 40 Austria 41 Slovenia 42 Poland 43 United Nations-standard items 44 Indonesia 45 NATO Stock Number 3 Philippines 46 Lithuania 47 Fiji 48 Tonga 49 Bulgaria 50 Hungary 51 Chile 52 Croatia 53 Republic of Macedonia 54 Latvia 55 Oman 56 Russian Federation 57 Country NCB Code(s) Finland 58 Albania 59 Kuwait 60 Ukraine 61 [[]] 62 Morocco 63 Sweden 64 Papua, New Guinea 65 Australia 66 Afghanistan 67 Georgia 68 [[]] 69 Saudi Arabia 70 United Arab Emirates 71 India 72 Serbia 73 Pakistan 74 Bosnia-Herzegovina 75 Brunei 76 Montenegro 77 Jordan 78 Peru 79 New Zealand 98 United Kingdom 99 NATO Stock Number 4 As the list shows, users of the NCS system not only include the 28 NATO member countries, but the 37 NATO-sponsored countries as well. It is also grouped into tiers indicating participation and access. Tier 1 Nations (Afghanistan, Argentina, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Brunei, Chile, Egypt, Georgia, India, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Kordan, Kuwait, Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, Morocco, Oman, Papua-New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, South Africa, Sweden, Thailand, Tonga, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates) Nation has access to unclassified NSN data. There is a one-way data exchange and it does not participate in technical NCS management. Tier 2 Nations (Australia, Austria, Brazil, Finland, Republic of Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Russian Federation, Singapore) Nation has a codification system that has been certified as fully NCS compliant. There is a two-way data exchange and participation in technical NCS management. Tier 3 Nations (Albania, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States): Nation is a NATO member and has a full membership in the NATO Codification Bureau (NCB). Department of Defense Identification Code (DODIC) This is an alphanumeric four-symbol code consisting of one or two letters followed by two or three numerals. (The numeral "Zero" (0) and the letter "O" (O) are considered the symbol "O" in the alphanumeric system to reduce confusion). 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. • AO59 is the DODIC code for 5.56mm NATO M855 Ball type ammunition. • Bulgaria has the NCB code number 50. • 50-AO59 is Bulgarian-manufactured 5.56mm NATO ammunition equivalent to M855 Ball. Department of Defense Ammunition Code (DODAC) The DODAC includes the 4-digit NSC of the ammunition and the 4-symbol DODIC. This is used in calculating ammunition transactions to reduce errors. It is notated on DD Form 581, DA Form 3151-R, and most ammunition reports. • 1305 is the NSC for Ammunition Through 30mm. • AO59 is the DODIC code for 5.56mm NATO M855 Ball type ammunition. • 1305-AO59 is the DODAC code for a transaction involving a lot or amount of 5.56mm NATO ammunition. NATO Symbols • A container marked with a "square cross" in a circle ⊕ means the item is made exactly to NATO standards and specifications. • A container marked with a rounded "Cross pattée" means it is a substitute item that is compatible and acceptable by NATO standards. • A solid circle • indicates Ball Ammunition. • A empty circle with dashed lines ◌ indicates Blank Ammunition. • A horizontal straight line through vertical rectangles or cartridge shapes lll indicates linked ammunition. • Early US Military ammunition boxes were also marked with a B for cloth belts or L for metal link belts. When the symbol was straight it indicated .30 ammunition and when the symbol was angled it indicated .50 ammunition. NATO Stock Number 5 Lot Number The Lot Number consists of the three-letter manufacturer's code, the two-numeral year of manufacture, and a batch code that consists of 1 or more numerals. It will contain either the manufacturer's three letter code or that of the repacker that subcontracted the lot. The year and batch number in the Lot Number will track down when it was made if a batch is faulty or defective. History The NSN is an expanded version of the older Federal Stock Number (FSN), 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 Number A Federal Stock Number (FSN) 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. 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 (the Federal Supply Class, or FSC) and the second set of numbers. For example, the FSN: FSN would become NSN 3139-121-6210 -----------------> 3139-00-121-6210 8415-082-5645 -----------------> 8415-00-082-5645 NIIN Catalogs NIIN / NSN Catalogs include a significant number of items directly associated with military equipment in general, as well as items of a more generic use. These include Electronic Components, Medical Equipment, Office Furniture, Food items, Clothing, Industrial goods (pumps, valves, motors...) and all kinds of Fasteners (bolts, nails, rivets...), to name a few. For this reason, catalogs have a broader appeal, beyond their original audience (Defense agencies and their direct contractors.) The US Catalog covers in the order of 6 Million NIINs (Items of Supply) for a total of 13 Million Items of Production (Part Number + Manufacturer reference). The NATO Support Agency compiles on a regular basis the catalogs of several member nations, for the production of the NATO Master Catalogue of References for Logistics (NMCRL). This combined catalog, totaling 16 Million NIINs for approximately 32 Million Parts, is then published on DVD.