NSN Example

In a typical NSN, for example, 4720-00-101-9817, the first four numbers are the Federal Supply Code (FSC), which places the item in a specific category. In this example, 4720 is pipe, tubing, hose, and fittings because it starts with 47. The second two numbers, 20, identify the item as hose and flexible tubing, which included air duct, metallic, and textile fiber hoses and their assemblies, etc. The next two numbers, in this example, 00, identify the country that buys the item: 00 or 01 is the code for the United States. The remaining numbers of the NSN, 101-9817, are referred to as the National Stock Number (NIIN) and are used to index NSNs.