The History of the National Stock Number

The Defense Logistic Information Service defines the National Stock Number (NSN) as "simply an official
label applied to an item that is repeatedly bought, stocked, stored, issued, and used throughout the
federal supply system. When an NSN is assigned to an item, data is assembled to describe the item. The
item description includes information like price, item name, manufacturer’s part number, physical and
performance characteristics, and so on." In 1984, the late Edward Clinton Ezell, in his book Small Arms
Today¹, published one of the first "understandable" descriptions of the National Stock Number (NSN)
system:

"Depending upon one's location, NSN stands for National or NATO stock number. The designation is
derived from the former US Federal Stock Numbers (FSNs). The FSN was introduced in 1952 as part of
the Defense Cataloging and Standardization Act in an effort to implement the concept of a single-item
identification number (e.g., all standard 40-watt light bulbs with the same function, regardless of
manufacture, were assigned the same FSN). On September 30, 1974, FSNs were replaced with 13-digit
NSNs. The two additional digits identified the nation that originated the item. These digits are called the
National Codification Bureau (NCB) Code. The NSN (Versorgungsnummer in German) is broken down as
follows:

Federal Supply Class (FSC) 1005

National Codification Bureau Code (NCB) 00
Nonsignificant serial number 123-4567

The NCB + seven digits = National Item Identification Number (NIIN). The FSC + NCB + seven digits =
NSN. The last seven digits (non-significant serial number) are randomly assigned and have no
significance."

The NSN system, as we know it today, traces its history back to the Federal Property and Administration
Services Act of 1949 (passed as Public Law 81-152 by the 81st United States Congress on 1 July 1949).
The act not only established the General Services Administration (GSA) but it also called for the
establishment of a common logistics language which was designated the Federal Catalog System (FCS).
Specifically Title II, Section 206 of the act states the Secretary of Defense "is authorized to establish and
maintain such uniform Federal supply catalog system as may be appropriate to identify and classify
personal property under the control of Federal agencies."

The next evolutionary step in the development of todays NSN occurred in 1952. The Defense Cataloging
and Standardization Act, passed as Public Law 82-436 by the 82nd United States Congress on 1 July
1952, was created to "provide for an economical, efficient, and effective supply management
organization within the Department of Defense through the establishment of a single supply cataloging
system, the standardization of supplies and the more efficient use of supply testing, inspection,
packaging, and acceptance facilities and services." The act established, within the Department of
Defense, the Defense Supply Management Agency (DSMA - which has evolved into a branch of the
present day Defense Logistics Agency), which would be tasked with the responsibility of developing and
maintaining a "single catalog system and related supply standardization program." The act also called
for the coordination of the cataloging and standardization activities of the GSA with the Department of
Defense (to avoid unnecessary duplication).
The act directed the DSMA, in regards to cataloging, to "name, describe, classify, catalog, and number
each item repetitively used, purchased, stocked, or distributed, by the Department of Defense or any of
the departments thereof, by such methods and in such manner that only one distinctive combination of
letters or numerals or both will identify the same item either within a bureau or service, between bureaus
or services, or between the departments. The single item identification shall be used for all functions of
supply from original purchase to final field or area disposal." The DSMA, to comply with the act's
directives, established the Federal Stock Number (FSN) cataloging system. The FSN was an 11-digit
numeric code that identified each individual item by classification first. The first four (4) digits of the FSN
was designated the Federal Supply Class (FSC) and grouped items into "logical families for management
purposes."

The FSN system would begin appearing in use during the latter part of 1953 and the complete cataloging
of the FCS was finished in 1958. Also in 1958, the Department Of Defense established a new agency, the
Armed Forces Supply Support Center (AFSSC), and assigned it the mission of administration of the FCS.
On 1 October 1961, the Defense Supply Agency (DSA) was formally established to begin operations (on 1
January 1962) as a separate common supply and service agency for the Armed Forces. The AFSSC, which
was placed under the umbrella of the DSA, was renamed Defense Logistics Service Center (DLSC),
becoming the central control point for the FCS. In May 1965, the development began of the Defense
Integrated Data System (DIDS), by the DSA, and was to consolidate various logistics subsystems into one
integrated data bank thus centralizing "...the processing and storage of catalog management data to
provide uniform control over its accuracy."

For the next 20 years, the FSN system proved to be a success and, on 30 September 1974, the FSN
system was amended (by the DLSC) to include two more digits (making the numeric code 13-digits in
length). Because of this, the FSN was renamed the National Stock Number or NSN. The two additional
digits identified the country of origin, called the National Codification Bureau (NCB) code. The NCB was
placed directly after the FSC and before the seven-digit non-significant number series. The DIDS system
was declared operational, in March 1975, and had been expanded to operate in support of the new NSN
system.

In a news article, in the January-February 1975 issue of INFANTRY magazine², the explanation given for
the changing from the FSN to the NSN system was "...a relatively simple one - DoD was running out of
digits, and could not come up with the necessary different combinations used to identify items in the
expanding government inventory." Further, the article stated that "Logisticians...predict that the new
system should provide sufficient combinations of coded numbers to last another 150 years."

The success of the FSN and NSN, and its corresponding logistics system, was praised on the global stage.
The highest acknowledgement of the system would come in the form of NATO creating STANAG
(Standardization Agreement) 3150 and 3151 which called for the "Federal Supply Classification System"
to be "adopted as the NATO Supply Classification System." The NATO Stock Number (also abbreviated
NSN) system required all NATO member countries to begin utilizing the system. Each member country
was assigned a specific two-digit NCB code that immediately (within the actual NSN code) identified the
item's country of origin.

On 1 January 1977, the DSA, due to growth and expanded responsibilities, is renamed Defense Logistics
Agency (DLA). Soon after, the DLSC would be renamed Defense Logistics Information Service (DLIS).
Throughout the decades the DLIS has been tasked with a number of jobs related to the NSN to include
assigning the item's name, determining the item's FSC, preparing and maintaining the item identification
characteristics, among numerous other tasks.

Next...The Anatomy of the National Stock Number.

C.A. Monroe
author, American Web Equipment 1967-91 (Crowood Press, 2012)

¹ Ezell, Edward Clinton. Small Arms Today, Latest Reports on the World's Weapons and Ammunition.
Stackpole Inc (CAGE 40560), 1984.

² "Infantry News." INFANTRY, United States Department of Army (CAGE 81337), Volume 65 Number 1,
January-February 1975, pp. 6.