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FEDERAL SUPPLY CLASSIFICATION

The Federal Supply Classification is a commodity classification designed to serve the functions of supply and is sufficiently comprehensive in scope to permit the classification of all items of personal property.

The FEDERAL SUPPLY CLASSIFICATION (FSC) and its Indexes were developed and adopted by the Office of the Secretary of Defense for use in classifying items of supply identified under the Federal Cataloging Program.
The FSC is a commodity classification designed to serve the functions of supply and is sufficiently comprehensive in scope to permit the classification of all items of personal property. In order to accomplish this, groups and classes have been established for the universe of commodities, with emphasis on the items known to be in the supply systems of the Federal Government.


The structure of the FSC, as presently established, consists of 78 groups, which are subdivided into 645 classes. The Federal Supply Group (FSG) identifies, by title, the commodity area covered by classes within the group. Each class covers a relatively homogeneous area of commodities, in respect
to their physical or performance characteristics, or in the respect that the items included therein are such as are usually requisitioned or issued together, or constitute a related grouping for supply management purposes. Groups 21, 27, 33, 50, 57, 64, 82, 86, 90, 92, 97, and 98 are currently unassigned.


The FEDERAL SUPPLY CLASSIFICATION utilizes a four-digit coding structure. The first two digits of the code number identify the group, and the last two digits of the code number identify the classes within each group. Code numbers are so assigned as to make it possible to expand the number of groups and classes as that becomes necessary. In most instances gaps have been left within each group, between the numbers assigned to adjacent classes, to permit the insertion of new classes in logical sequence, when necessary, because of technological advances or to accomplish other desirable additions and changes.
The primary application of the FSC code number is in the National Stock Number (NSN). The NSN for an item of supply consists of the applicable four-digit FSC code number plus the nine-digit National Item Identification Number (NIIN).

A National (or NATO) Item Identification Number (NIIN) is a 9-digit numeric code which uniquely identifies an item of supply in the NATO Codification System (NCS).

A NATO Stock Number, or National Stock Number 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. Pursuant to the NATO Standardization Agreements, the NSN has come to be used in all treaty countries.
The NSN 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 (DOD).

Here another example the 13-digit NSN # 3120-01-152-2039 is comprised of

  • First 2 digits – Federal Supply Group (FSG) number (31 in case of NSN 3120-01-152-2039)
  • First 4 digits – Federal Supply Class (FSC) number (3120 in case of NSN 3120-01-152-2039)
  • Last 9 digits – National Item Identification Number (NIIN) (01-152-2039 in case of 3120-01-152-2039)