7-4
symbol is not prefixed to the stock number on supply
documents, forms, or records.
The first numeric character of the cognizance
symbol denotes the stores account of the item. Briefly,
the numerical characters indicate the following:
1, 3, 5, 7
Material is held in the Navy stock account
(NSA). When this material is issued, it
must be paid for by the requisitioner.
9
Material purchased by the defense stock
fund and held in the NSA account. When
this material is issued, it must be paid for
by the requisitioner.
2, 4, 6, 8
Material held in the appropriations
purchases account (APA) and issued
without charge to the requisitioner.
0, 8A
Material is not in a stores account
(nonstores) and is issued without charge
to the requisitioner.
The second character (letter), in conjunction with the
first numeric character, identifies the specific inventory
control point, office, or inventory manager that has
cognizance or controls the issuance of the material.
SPECIAL MATERIAL
IDENTIFICATION CODE
(SMIC)
Special material identification codes (SMICs) are
assigned to certain items to ensure their technical
integrity. Because of the nature of these items, they have
stricter requirements regarding procurement, issue and
receipt, inspections, tests, storage, and handling. An
example
would
be
items
specially
designed,
manufactured, and tested for use in nuclear reactor
plants, which require special handling, machining, and
so forth, before being installed and used.
An SMIC is a two-digit alpha or alphanumeric code
(for example, 5330-00-010-04960-X3). NAVSUP P-
485, appendix 9L, lists and explains the SMICs
currently authorized.
NOMENCLATURE
As part of the federal catalog system, each item of
supply is assigned an official government name.
Personnel frequently refer to material by trade names or
common terms, rather than the official name. Referring
to an item by its common term is not wrong. However,
only the official name of an item should be used when
recording or requisitioning supplies.
OTHER SOURCES OF
IDENTIFICATION DATA
Assume that you do not have a stock number for an
item and cannot locate it in the allowance lists. You then
have two primary sources of information for identifying
the item: (1) other identification data relating to the item
itself and (2) identification publications in which
available data are recorded and used.
If you can find other identification data, such as
reference numbers for the item, your supply department
may be able to locate the correct NSN. A reference
number may be a part, type, catalog, or drawing number;
or it may be a specification or nomenclature designation
that the manufacturer, contractor, or governmental
agency has applied to the item. A superseded stock
number is also a type of reference number. One of the
most important sources of identification is the
information on nameplates. The nameplate may include
manufacturer’s name, make, model number, size,
voltage, and the like. Identification publications, such as
a manufacturer’s technical manual, may also help you in
identifying an item.
Manufacturers’ Part Numbers
Commercial catalogs and instruction booklets issued
by manufacturers contain valuable information you
should use in preparing procurement documents for
nonstandard material. Use these catalogs and booklets as
supplements
to
Navy
publications
to
identify
commercial equipment, repair parts, and accessories
accurately.
Serial Numbers
Certain technical material may be serially numbered,
either by direction of the responsible bureau or systems
command or by the manufacturer. These serial numbers
are used in maintaining records on the material. They
