List of U.S. Army munitions by supply catalog designation


The Ammunition Identification Code was a sub-set of the Standard Nomenclature List . The SNL was an inventory system used from 1930 to 1958 to catalog all the items the Army's Ordnance Corps issued.
The AIC was used by the US Army's Ordnance Corps from January, 1942 to 1958. It listed munitions and explosives, items that were considered priority issue for soldiers in combat. The markings used by the system made it easier for soldiers to quickly identify and procure the right items.
It used a code that had five parts.
  1. The first character consisted of the item's SNL Group and was represented by its letter.
  2. The second character indicated the sub-group and was represented by its number.
  3. The third character represented the weapon or weapons that could use it and was represented by a letter.
  4. The fourth character represented the type and model of ammunition, which differed from weapon to weapon, and was represented by a letter.
  5. The fifth and last character detailed the packing method and container type used and was designated by a letter.
The AIC was replaced by the FSN in 1958, which later became the NSN in 1975.

Packing Terminology

Cartons

Ammunition came packed in single-ply chipboard cartons lined with Manila paper. A label marked with the number of cartridges, caliber and type of ammo, manufacturer, and Lot Code was glued over the top flap, front, and back to seal the carton. Wartime boxes had wide vertical colored stripes, like those used on the packing box, as a background for the text. This allowed the soldier to quickly visually identify the ammo he needed.

.45 ACP

ammo for the Colt M1911 semi-automatic pistol and Thompson submachine gun originally came in 20-round boxes. It was later changed to 50-round boxes in 1942 for ease of packing and distribution. They were packed in the small M1917 Pistol Ammunition Packing Boxes.
.45 ACP ammo for the Colt M1917 and Smith & Wesson M1917 revolvers came packed in 3-round Half-Moon clips. They were packed eight clips per carton in two-row or three-row rectangular cartons of 24 rounds. They were packed in the larger M1917 Rifle / Machinegun Ammunition Packing Boxes.

.30 Carbine

was originally packed in 3-row 45-round boxes to reduce waste, as the carbine had a 15-round magazine. This was later changed in 1942 to 50-round boxes to ship as much ammo as possible. They were packed in a special small wooden crate, perhaps so a soldier wouldn't grab the wrong ammunition.

.30 Caliber

rifle and machine gun ammo came in 20-round boxes. Early-war cartons for use in bolt-action rifles like the Springfield M1903 came with the ammo already in 5-round stripper clips.

.50 Caliber

machine gun ammo came bulk-packed in 10-round boxes for loading into belts or links in-theater.

M1917 Ammunition Packing Box

A wooden box designed to be reused. The lid was secured by tightening brass wingnuts over threaded metal posts in the walls of the chest. They were meant to be carried by means of handles milled into the ends of the chest; troops assigned to carry ammo found them hard to grasp. Ammunition was shipped in boxes with a waterproof zinc metal lining that had the top soldered on to seal it; this was ripped open using a wire handle built into the top. It came in two standard sizes.
There was a large packing box secured with 6 threaded posts. It was used to store and carry.30- and.50-caliber ammunition.
The smaller box was secured with 4 threaded posts. It was used for pistol and submachine gun ammunition. Another box was used for carbine ammunition.
Pre-war and early-war chests were made of brown stained or painted wood with yellow lettering. In 1943, a system of colored stripes across the middle of the long sides and lid to indicate the contents. Pistol, rifle and medium machine gun ammunition had the stripes painted vertically on the long sides and lid and horizontally on the wide sides. Heavy machine gun ammunition had the stripes painted diagonally on the long and wide sides and the lid.
Mid- to late-war chests were unstained with black painted lettering. They used the box's AIC code and a system of symbols to indicate the contents at a glance.

Packing Box Stripes

A straight stripe indicated Pistol, Carbine, Rifle and Medium Machine gun ammunition; it was vertical on the long sides and top and horizontal on the ends. Triple straight stripes were painted horizontally with the first stripe on top and the third stripe on the bottom. A diagonal stripe indicated Heavy Machine gun ammunition. Triple diagonal stripes were painted with the first stripe on the left-side and the third stripe on the right side. If packed in cartons, the colored stripe was duplicated on the carton's label.

Commercial Shotgun Shell Packing Box

A wooden or fiberboard box with a waterproof tarpaper lining designed to transport and carry shotgun shells. It held 20 × 25-shell cartons of 12 gauge ammunition and weighed around 65 lbs. Guard shells had either a brass base with a full paper hull or partial brass case and a long paper hull. Combat shells had either a partial brass case with a long paper hull or a full brass case and no paper hull. Sporting shells either had a brass base with a full paper hull or a partial brass case and a long paper hull.

Ammunition Crate

A metal-strapped wooden packing crate designed to be thrown away that replaced the M1917 Packing Box. They were made of plain, unpainted wood and had its lettering, AIC code, and symbols stamped on in black ink. They were carried by a horizontal rectangular wooden bar fastened to the pair of vertical wooden reinforcing struts on each end. Some crate contractors looped a semi-circular piece of thick rope through a hole in each reinforcing strut for use as a flexible handle. Other contractors used a folding two-strut metal handle fastened between the reinforcing struts for heavier loads.
The cartons of ammunition inside were originally grouped and packed in corrugated cardboard boxes. The boxes were then coated and sealed in a waterproof wax coating to keep the ammunition inside from being affected by the environment. There were 2 boxes per crate and they were loaded in the crate sideways so the bullets would fly off to the sides rather than through the top or bottom. The weatherproofing was found to be ineffective, so the cardboard boxes were replaced by ammunition cans in the autumn of 1943.

Ammunition Can

A vacuum-sealed metal canister with wire handles on its sides. They were first produced at the Evansville, Indiana Chrysler-Sunbeam plant in 1943 to pack.45 ACP ammunition in M5 cans. It was opened using a metal can key that was soldered to the top. It could be reclosed afterwards using a small roll of duct tape that came packed in the can. They were painted Olive Drab and had yellow lettering on them. The caliber of ammunition –.45,.30C,.30R,.30M, or.50 – was embossed in raised letters and numbers on the metal lid so they could be identified by touch under low-light conditions.
The model of can was embossed on the bottom. The M5 cans were for packing.45 ACP ammo and weighed about 29 lbs. The M6 cans were for packing.30 Carbine ammo and weighed about 25 lbs. The M8 cans were for packing.30 Rifle & Machine gun ammo and weighed about 16 lbs. The M10 cans were originally for packing.50 Machine gun ammo but later on were also used to pack shotgun shells or a variety of other ammunition in cartons. The M13 can was for issue with a rifle grenade launcher and packed an assortment of six.30 Carbine M6 rifle-grenade blanks, ten.30-'06 Springfield rifle-grenade blanks, and a packet of five booster charges.
The instruction "Do Not Use As Food Container" was prominently painted on the can. The lead and chemical residue inside the container could contaminate the food and poison the soldier.
The Korean War–era universal M20 and M21 cans replaced the earlier assortment of cartridge-specific cans. The M20 was a rounded-edged cube with a folding handle on top. The M21, twice the height of the M20, was a taller version of the M20. They lacked the embossing of the earlier cans.

Repacked Ammo Cans

Old or damaged lots of ammunition were inspected, salvaged, sorted and repacked for re-use. Repacked ammunition was usually resealed in an unpainted ammo can with the information stamped on the container in black ink. The original manufacturer and lot code was retained and all salvaged rounds were usually from the same lot. If the new lot was salvaged from more than one lot, the arsenal that did the repacking would use their letter code in the place of the original manufacturer along with a new lot code. The repacked crate would have a line of text beginning with "REPACKED LOT:" followed by the manufacturer or arsenal code and the lot number. In 1945 this text was replaced with "FUNCTIONAL LOT:", as troops had been leery of using "used" ammunition.

Standard Ammunition Box

A re-closeable metal box with a hinged metal lid sealed with a foam-rubber gasket to keep out moisture and rain and a folding metal handle to aid in carrying it. They were originally designed to only store belted machine gun ammunition, but later became a standard container after the war for all sorts of ammunition packed in cartons and / or clips and bandoleers. Originally planned to be disposable, they were recycled for reloading.
The ammo boxes were originally painted Olive Drab Brown with white lettering, but were later painted Olive Drab Green with yellow lettering. The early individual M1 and M2 series metal boxes were also painted with the same colored ammunition identification stripes as the pre-war and early-war M1917 wooden packing crates.
They were first shipped individually, but were later bulk-packed in unpainted wire-bound plywood crates with stencil-painted or ink-stamped lettering. The.30 M1 and M1A1 ammo boxes were packed four to a crate that weighed around 90 pounds and had a volume of 1 cubic foot. The M1 ammo crate held a total of 1,000 belted or linked rounds packed in 4 M1 ammo boxes and the later M1A1 ammo crate held a total of 1,000 belted or 1,100 linked rounds packed in M1A1 ammo boxes. There were two.50 M2 ammo boxes to a crate with a volume of 0.93 cubic feet. The later M2A1 can also came packed two to a crate with a volume of 0.85 cubic feet.
The M1A1 Box that replaced it was a little taller, had a more durable rubber gasket, and held 250 belted or 275 linked rounds of.30-06 ammo. The M1A1 model can be distinguished from the earlier M1 by the different embossed text, which reads "CAL.30 M1" / "AMMUNITION BOX" in the oval; the "M" now stood for Model. Later cans were embossed with "CAL.30 M1A1" / "M.M.G. BOX". There were also some minor improvements. The tripod catch side was redesigned to be slightly angled at the bottom and top rather than flat to fit flush alongside the tripod mount.
The M2A1 Box opens from the side, has smooth sides and a rubber gasket, had a hollow bottom like the M19 box, and holds a standardized 100 linked rounds. The M2A1 box is commonly used today to store a variety of ammo in cartons, clips, and bandoleers..

Group "P" Material (''Ammunition for Heavy Field Artillery and Anti-Aircraft Weapons'')

;Class P5E
;Class P5H

Group "R" Material (''Ammunition for pack, light, and medium field artillery'')

Sub-Group R1 (''Ammunition, fixed and semi-fixed, all types – including subcaliber – for pack, light, and medium field artillery, including complete round data'')

Class R1A (20x110mm Hispano "A"; Ammunition for 20 mm Guns M1, A/N M2, M3, and British Hispano-Suiza "A")

The "T" designation was for experimental munitions before they went into standard production. They are placed in parentheses after the standard designation.

Class R1A (20x110mm Hispano "A"; Ammunition for 20 mm Gun M24)

The 20 mm M24 was a variant of the 20 mm M3 designed to use electrically-fired instead of percussion-fired shells.

Class R1B (Belts and Links, 20 mm cartridge)

Class R1F (37mm">37x145mmR M4">37mm M4 Automatic Gun">M4 cannon">M4 Automatic Gun)

Class R1H (37 mm Gun; Ammunition for Guns M3, M5, and M6">37 mm Gun M3">Guns M3, M5, and M6)

NOTE: The M3 was the towed Anti-Tank gun version. The short-barreled M5 and semi-automatic M6 were tank or self-propelled gun variants.

Class R1J (57 mm Rifle; ''Ammunition for [M18 Recoilless Rifle]'')

The M18 was developed in 1944. It was available in Europe by March 1945 and in the Pacific by June 1945.

Class R1N (75 mm Rifle; ''Ammunition for M20 Recoilless Rifle">M20 recoilless rifle">M20 Recoilless Rifle'')

Although the weapon was developed during World War Two, the M20 Recoilless Rifle wasn't ready until the spring of 1945. It served mostly in the Korean and Vietnam Wars.

Class R1Q (105 mm Howitzer; ''Semi-Fixed Ammunition for M2, M2A1, and M4 Howitzer">M2A1 howitzer">M2, M2A1, and M4 Howitzer'')

"Semi-Fixed" artillery ammunition is composed of a shell and a propellant cartridge. Pre- and early-war semi-fixed ammunition came packed in black fiberboard tubes packed in a long crate with a volume of 1.94 cubic feet.
The M4 Howitzer was a modified version of the M2A1 used with the M4A3 Sherman Assault Support tank.

Sub-Group R2 (''Projectiles and separate-loading propelling charges for medium field artillery, including complete round data'')

Sub-Group R3 (Service fuzes and primers for pack, light, and medium field artillery)

Class R3F (155 mm Howitzer projectile fuzes)

Sub-Group R4 (Ammunition for trench mortars; including fuzes, propelling charges and other components)

Class R4C (Ammunition for 60mm M2 Light Mortar">M2 mortar">60mm M2 Light Mortar)

Class R4F (Ammunition for 81-mm M1 Medium Mortar">M1 mortar">81-mm M1 Medium Mortar or 3-Inch (3.2" [81-mm) Mk.1A2 Stokes Trench Mortar">Stokes mortar">3-Inch (3.2" [81-mm) Mk.1A2 Stokes Trench Mortar])

The 81 mm Mortar shells used an adapter collar to allow 60 mm mortar shell fuzes to fit. Originally packed in wooden crates, the late war shells were packed in metal M140 canisters. The M140 canister carried live shells in a four-chambered internal divider, had a horsehair pad in the inside of the lid to cushion the fuzes, and had a metal loop carrying handle on the lid that doubled as the locking catch. The M140A1 canister eliminated the divider and carried the shells in tarpaper packing tubes instead.

Class R4H (Ammunition for 81 mm M29">M29 mortar">M29 or M1">M1 mortar">M1 Medium Mortar)

Class R4N (Ammunition for 4.2" [107 mm M2 Chemical Mortar">M2 4.2 inch mortar">4.2" [107 mm M2 Chemical Mortar])

Sub-Group R5 (Ammunition, blank, for Pack, Light, and Medium field artillery)

Group R5C (Ammunition for 57mm Anti-Tank Gun M1 and 6-Pounder QF 7-cwt Gun">Ordnance QF 6-pounder">57mm Anti-Tank Gun M1 and 6-Pounder QF 7-cwt Gun)

Group R5I (Ammunition for 76mm Gun M1, M1A1, and M1A2">76 mm gun M1">76mm Gun M1, M1A1, and M1A2)

Sub-Group R6 (Ammunition instruction material for pack, light, and medium field artillery)

Sub-Group R7 (Land Mines and Fuzes, Demolition Material, and Ammunition for Simulated Artillery and Grenade Fire)

Class R7A (Land Mines)

;R7AI

Class R7B (Arming Plugs for Land Mines)

;R7BJ

Class R7D (Practice Land Mines)

;R7DL

Class R7F ()

;R7FA

Class R7H (Demolition Material)

Class R7L (Demolition Kits)

;R7LY

Sub-Group R8 (Ammunition, complete, nonstandard)

Sub-Group R9 (?)

Sub-Group R10 (Packing materials used by field service)

Group "S" Material (''Bombs, grenades, pyrotechnics'')

Sub-Group S1 (Bombs, aircraft, all types)

Sub-Group S2 (Fuzes and miscellaneous explosive components for aircraft bombs)

AN- stands for "Army / Navy", meaning it is a common supply item for both the War and Navy departments.

Sub-Group S3 (Fin assemblies, and miscellaneous inert components for aircraft bombs)

Sub-Group S4 (Grenades, hand and rifle, and fuzing components)

Class S4F (Rifle Grenades, Signal, Colored Smoke, Ground, for Grenade Launchers M1, M2, M7, & M8">M7 grenade launcher">Grenade Launchers M1, M2, M7, & M8)

;S4FH

Class S4G (Mk.II Fragmentation Grenade">Mk 2 grenade">Mk.II Fragmentation Grenade)

Class S4K (Mk.III Offensive Grenade">MK3 grenade">Mk.III Offensive Grenade)

Note: Since it was a high explosive grenade, they were shipped without fuzes to prevent accidental detonation during shipping.

Class S4N (M9 Anti-Tank Rifle Grenade)

Class S4Q (Adapter, Grenade Projection)

;S4QF
Note: The M1A1 Grenade Projection Adapter converted a Mk.II fragmentation grenade into a rifle grenade.

Sub-Group S5 (Pyrotechnics, military, all types)

Class S5P (Signal, Illumination, Aircraft, for Pyrotechnic Pistol AN-M8)

;S5PD

Class S5R (Signal, Illumination, Ground, for Grenade Launchers M1, M2, M7, & M8)

;S5RM
;S5RO
;S5RP
;S5RQ
;S5RR
;S5RS
;S5RT
;S5RU

Sub-Group S6 (Ammunition instruction material for grenades, pyrotechnics, and aircraft bombs)

Sub-Group S7 (Guided missile complete rounds, all types)

Sub-Group S8 (Guided missile explosive components, all types)

Sub-Group S9 (Rockets, all types)

Class S9A (2.36" Rocket for Anti-Tank Rocket Launchers M1">Bazooka#Rocket Launcher, M1 "Bazooka"">M1, M1A1">Bazooka#Rocket Launcher, M1A1 "Bazooka"">M1A1, M9">Bazooka#Rocket Launcher, M9 "Bazooka"">M9, & M9A1">Bazooka#Rocket Launcher, M9A1 "Bazooka"">M9A1)

Note = The fiberboard packing tubes are sealed with colored tape. The color of the tape indicates what type of rocket it is: yellow is HEAT, gray is Smoke, and blue is Practice. Early M6 HE and M7 Practice rockets can only be fired out of M1 launchers because they have an earlier ignition system that cannot be activated out of an M1A1, M9, or M9A1 launcher.

Sub-Group S11 (Materials for renovating and packaging of Group "S" ammunition and miscellaneous items)

Group "T" Material (''Small Arms Ammunition'')

Sub-Group T1 (''Ammunition for Rifle, Carbine and Automatic Gun'')

After 1948, the AIC number "1" was replaced by the letter "A" to indicate the small arms ammunition was packed in the new M20 or M21 ammo cans instead of the myriad WWII-era packing boxes and cans.

Class T1A (''[.22 Long Rifle]''; ''Gallery Practice Ammunition'')

The military used.22-caliber training rifles to teach basic marksmanship before transitioning to full-bore service rifles.

Class T1C ([.30 Carbine]; ''Ammunition for .30-caliber Carbine M1'')

This ammunition was for use with the M1 Carbine, a different weapon than the M1 Garand Rifle. The primers for the cartridges were non-corrosive because the M1 carbine's gas-system would have fouled or corroded if standard corrosive primers were used. It only came in Grade R because the M1 Carbine was semi-automatic only, dispensing with the use for Grade 2 for an automatic weapon.
Cartons
Cartons
Bandoleers

Class T1E (Caliber .30">.30-06 Springfield">Caliber .30; ''Ammunition for .30-caliber Rifles and Machine Guns'')

This ammunition was used in the M1903 Springfield, M1917 Enfield, and M1 Garand rifles, the Browning Automatic Rifle, and the Browning M1917 water-cooled and Browning M1919 air-cooled machine guns.
There were three cartridge grades based on accuracy and reliability: "AC/R", "MG", and "3". Test batches would be randomly drawn from a lot and they would be chambered and fired individually from a fixed bench-rested barrel and mechanism at a stationary round "bullseye" target 600 feet away. "AC", the most accurate and reliable, was similar to the RAF's "Red Label" ammunition used in their synchronized aircraft machine guns. It had to be grouped within a 5-inch circle and not exceed a specified maximum number of stoppages to be acceptable. It came in metal linked belts and was suitable for aircraft and anti-aircraft machine-guns. "R" had to be grouped within a 5-inch circle; it came packed in cartons or bandoleers and was suitable for use in rifles. "MG", the least accurate, had to be grouped within a 7.5-inch circle; it came in woven belts and was suitable for use in ground machine-guns. Class 3 was rejected for not meeting standards.
Ammunition Lot Numbers had a code letter prefix in-between the Manufacturer code and Lot Number to indicate how it was packed: "C" indicated rifle ammunition preloaded in clips, "B" indicated Belted machine gun ammunition, and "L" indicated Linked machine gun ammunition.
Cartons
Cartons
Bandoleers

Note: 5-round Mauser-style stripper clips were used by the M1903 Springfield and M1917 Enfield. 8-round Mannlicher-style en-bloc clips were used by the M1 Garand. The M1 Bandoleer had six pockets; each pocket could hold either two 5-round stripper clips or one 8-round en-bloc clip.
The symbol for ammunition packed in stripper clips was 5 bullets conjoined by a long rectangle across the base ; there were two symbols in a vertical column per side. The symbol for ammunition packed in en-bloc clips was a rectangular oval with 2 rows of 4 dots ; there were one or two symbols in a vertical column per side.
Bandoleers

Note: The ammunition now only came in 8-round en-bloc clips because the M1 Garand was the standard service rifle.
Belted

Note: The symbol for belted or linked 0.30-06 Springfield ammunition was a vertical string of cartridges pointing right. Most early 0.30-'06 machine gun ammunition manufactured during World War II was belted rather than linked due to a steel shortage. All metal-linked ammunition was reserved for the Army Air Force and Naval Aviation. When the US Army Air Force.30-caliber machine gun was superseded by the.50-caliber machine gun mid-war, all.30-caliber ammunition began to be belted in M1 250-round belts for infantry use or M3 100-round woven belts for use in vehicles and tanks. Post-World War II production used linked ammunition.
In a belt with mixture of ammunition types the number and type of rounds per 5- or 10-round segment is used. If different ammunition types were used in the segment, they were alternated, with the tracer round at the end. Usually one round in five or ten was tracer, to show the gunner the trajectory; pre-War belts used a 1-in-10 mix and War and Post-War belts used a 1-in-5 mix.

Class T1I (Caliber .50">.50 BMG">Caliber .50)

There were three grades of cartridges, based on accuracy and reliability. "AC" the highest, came in metal linked belts and was suitable for aircraft and Anti-Aircraft machine-guns. "MG" came in woven cloth or metal-link belts and was suitable for use in ground machine-guns. Class 3 was rejected as being under standards and was destroyed.
Cartons
Cartons
Belted

Note: The symbol for belted or linked 0.50-caliber BMG ammunition was a diagonal string of cartridges pointing from the lower left corner to the upper right corner. The type of ammunition was indicated by a code letter prefixed to the ammunition's Lot Number. "B" stood for Belted and "L" stood for Linked.
Due to a steel shortage, linked belts were originally reserved for the Army Air Force and Naval Aviation. Machine gun ammunition for ground use was supplied in 110-round M7 woven belts for infantry and 50-round woven belts for vehicles and tanks. After the Allies achieved air superiority over Europe around the fall of 1944, linked rounds began being issued to ground units.
In a belt with a mixture of ammunition types the number and type of rounds per 5- or 10-round segment is used. If different ammunition types were used in the segment, they were usually alternated, with the tracer round at the end. Usually one in five or one in ten cartridges were tracer.
Belted

Class T1J (Class T1 Defective Ammunition)

Details ammunition that was Class 3. All Unserviceable ammunition was to be destroyed but was sometimes used for training.

Class T1L (Experimental Ammunition)

Class T1U (Class T1 Blank Ammunition)

Class T1V (Class T1 "Dummy" Ammunition)

Sub-Group T2 (''Ammunition for Revolver, Pistol and Submachinegun'')

Pistol ammunition came in three grades. Grade 1 was suitable for revolvers and pistols, Grade 2 was suitable for pistols and submachine guns, and Grade 3 was Unsuitable for use.

Class T2A ([.45 ACP])

Ammunition with an "S" code letter prefix to its Lot Number was made with steel cases rather than brass. This was a wartime economy measure to conserve copper and zinc. They were made entirely at the Evansville Chrysler and Evansville Chrysler Sunbeam ammunition plants in Evansville, Indiana.

Class T2B ([.38 Special])

For use in Colt Commando revolvers. The Commando was issued by the US Army to Military Police and Counter-Intelligence Corps personnel. On the home front it was issued to armed security guards at government facilities and factories that were either drawn from the State Guards or were deputized as "auxiliary Military Police". Ammunition was civilian market production, used commercial markings, and came in commercial packaging with colored ink printing.

Class T2V (Class T2 "Dummy" Ammunition)

Sub-Group T3 (''Shells for Shotgun'')

Guard shells were used by sentries and military police. Combat shells were used by frontline troops. Sporting shells were used for competition trap shooting and hunting game. Chilled shot was ammunition manufactured by dropping measured drops of hot lead from the top of a tall structure into a tub of cold water below; it was denser and harder than regular lead shot.

Class T3A (12 Gauge 2.75" Shell)

Class T3G (.410 Gauge 3" Shell M35)

The M35 was a special.410 Bore shell with a full brass case used in compact survival weapons.

Sub-Group T4 ''(Miscellaneous service components of small arms ammunition, and instruction material for field service account)''

Sub-Group T5 ''(Shipping and packaging containers and materials, including such items as Bandoleers, Belts, Clips, Links, and odds and ends for small arms ammunition)''

Sub-Group T6 ''(Ammunition for obsolete and non-standard small arms)''

[8mm Lebel] Rifle