A National Stock Number (NSN) (also NATO Stock Number) is a 13-digit numeric code, identifying all the 'standardized material items of supply' as they have been recognized by the United States Department of Defense.
Pursuant to the NATO Standardization Agreements (STANAGs), the NSN has come to be used in all treaty countries, where it is known as a NATO Stock Number.
National Supply Classification Group (NSCG): The first 4 digits, indicating what supply group the item is part of.
- 2320 is Trucks and Truck Tractors (Wheeled).
- 8140 is Ammunition and Nuclear Ordnance Boxes, Packages and Special Containers.
- 8405 is Outerwear (Men's).
- 8465 is Individual Equipment.
National Item Identification Number (NIIN): The next 9 digits.
- The first two digits are the Country Code (CC) or National Codification Bureau (NCB) of the country that codified the item in the NSN catalog. Usually it is a single number, except for the United States and Canada.
- 00 and 01 are used for the United States (02 through 10 are reserved for future use).
- 20 and 21 are used for Canada.
- Australia (NCB 66), New Zealand (NCB 98) and the United Kingdom (NCB 99) received theirs early because they were part of the original catalog system before NATO adopted it. West Germany / Germany (NCB 12) was the first NATO country to adopt it.
- The final 7 digits (in the format 123-4567) are the item's catalog number. The first 3 digits are the Interfix Number and the last 4 digits are the Item Number.
Examples[]
Some examples of actual NSNs:
- M998A1 HMMWV: NSN 2320-01-371-9577
- M151A2 Jeep: NSN 2320-00-177-9258
- Polartec Watch Cap: NSN 8405-01-527-5330
- Cup, Water, Canteen: NSN 8465-00-165-6838
- M2A1 Metal Ammunition Can: NSN 8140-00-960-1699