NSN (NATO stock number)

A NATO stock number, or NSN, is the unique 13-digit identifier assigned to an item of supply in the NATO Codification System. NATO states that each item of supply in the system is identified by one such number, and describes the NSN as the identifier given to codified equipment, components and military system parts. See the NATO Codification System booklet and the NCS fact sheet.

The NSN exists so that allied forces and their suppliers can refer to the same item in the same way. In Canada, NSNs appear in federal materiel management policy and in Department of National Defence (DND) solicitations on CanadaBuys, where they tell bidders exactly which part or component the Crown wants to buy.

How the 13 digits of an NSN are built

The NSN has three parts, as set out in the NATO Codification System booklet:

• NATO Supply Classification Code (NSC): four digits that place the item in a supply classification.
• Nation code: two digits that identify the country in the codification system.
• Item Identification Number: seven digits that identify the specific item. Together with the nation code, this part is often called the NATO Item Identification Number (NIIN).

Four plus two plus seven gives the full 13 digits. A number with fewer digits is not a complete NSN.

The NATO Codification System behind the number

The NSN is the output of the NATO Codification System (NCS), which standardizes how equipment, components and military parts are named, described, classified and identified. Several related terms sit alongside the NSN in solicitations and catalogues:

• NATO Supply Classification Code (NSC): the four-digit classification element of the NSN.
• NATO Item Identification Number (NIIN): the identifying portion of the number.
• NCAGE or CAGE code: the code that identifies a manufacturer or supplier of the item.
• Part number: the manufacturer's own reference for the item, which is separate from the NSN.

NSNs in Canadian federal materiel management

Treasury Board's TBITS-25 identifies the NSN as the standard materiel-assets code for departmental asset-management systems in the federal government. It requires the full 13-digit NSN for materiel with a repetitive, recurring or continuing federal supply requirement.

At DND, DAOD 3038-0 gives the Director Supply Chain Operations the authority to assign NSNs for materiel and other property. It also covers requesting NSNs from design-control countries.

How NSNs appear in CanadaBuys solicitations

DND parts and spares notices on CanadaBuys identify the required items by NSN. A spares-parts tender notice lists NSNs alongside the Goods and Services Identification Number (GSIN), item description, quantity, part number and NSCM/CAGE code. Its items include cable reels, hose assemblies, fuel tubes and electrodes.

Equipment-component notices follow the same pattern. Notices for vehicular equipment and snow-plow components name DND as the buyer and direct delivery to Canadian Forces Supply Depots, including 25 CFSD Montréal.

A DND request for proposal for a rear axle defines the NSN as the 13-digit identifier used in NATO and allied cataloguing systems. It states that the NSN will be included when Canada is to order the item.

What an NSN means for a supplier bidding in Canada

Where a solicitation specifies an NSN, use it to identify the item you are offering or that Canada is ordering. Check that your proposed item matches the description, part number, specifications and quantity that go with that NSN in the notice. Confirm the NCAGE or CAGE code details as well, since notices list them next to the NSN.

Bid teams that track DND spares and components should read the NSN, GSIN and part number columns together. Each one identifies the requirement in a different way, and the NSN is the common reference across the allied cataloguing systems.