National Codification Bureau

The first four digits are the NATO Supply Classification Group (NSCG) code. This relates the item to the NATO Supply Group (digits 1 & 2) and NATO Supply Class (digits 3 & 4) of similar items that it belongs to. For examples, see List of NATO Supply Classification Groups.

The next 9 digits make up the National Item Identification Number / NATO Item Identification Number (NIIN). The NIIN has lately become alphanumeric (digits and uppercase letters) due to the vast array of items in the NSN, recently adopting the use of the uppercase letter C in place of "12" in 2000.

The first two digits indicate the assigning country's NCB code - also informally called a "Country Code" or "Nation Code". Each country has its own two-digit NCB code, which were granted in the order the NCB system was adopted by that country. The United Kingdom (99), Canada (20 and 21), Australia (66) and New Zealand (98) are the exceptions; as a courtesy they were granted their status before the rest of NATO reviewed and accepted the NCB because they were already members under the American British Canadian Supply Classification system (ABCSC). The United States uses "00" and "01" because they invented the system and were using it before the rest of NATO. NCB code "00" generally indicates an item in US inventory before 1974 (when the NSN was adopted by the US) and "01" usually indicates an item placed in US inventory after 1974. Canada's NCB "20" and "21" have a similar purpose. The numbers "02" through "10" are unassigned to reserve future catalog numbers for the United States' use. NATO-issue items use "11" and United Nations-issue items use "44". The number 69 was assigned but is no longer registered in use - perhaps belonging to a controversial partner like Taiwan or Iraq.

The final seven digits (dubbed the "non-significant number" - but used without an acronym to avoid it being confused with the "NATO Stock Number") are random. They indicate the code number for the unique item in that country's inventory. It will never be reused or changed to avoid confusion. The seven digits of the "non-significant number" are divided into parts by a hyphen; the first three digits are the interfix number of the batch of code numbers and the last four digits are the unique code number of the item.

On 1 April 2014, NATO unanimously decided to suspend co-operation with the Russian Federation, in response to the Ukraine crisis. On 18 February 2017, the Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov said he supported the resumption of military cooperation with the NATO alliance.

BULCOD

CSIS - Codification Support Information System

MC CATALOGUE: an AURA Product

N-CORE NG: an ESG Group Product

SICAD

SIAC

SPCAT II