The unit of issue (abbreviated as U/I or UI) refers to the amount of material provided a specific cost.
Defined in Ref 2 as 'A code indicating the physical measurement, the count [or when neither is applicable], the container or shape, of an item for purposes of requisitioning by and issue to the end-user. This code is that element of management data to which the unit price is ascribed.'
The format is two alphanumeric characters
Unit Name | MILSTRIP Code | ANSI Code | Short Description |
---|---|---|---|
Ampoule | AM | AM | A small glass or plastic tube sealed by fusion after filling. |
Assortment | AT | AS | A collection of items that fall into a category, class-packaged as a small unit, and constituting a single item of supply. Use only when the term "assortment" is part of the item name. |
Assembly | AY | AY | A collection of parts assembled to form a complete unit, constituting a single item of supply, for example, hose assembly. Use only when the term "assembly" is part of the item name. |
Ball | BA | AA | A spherical-shaped mass of material such as twine or thread. |
Bundle | BD | BD | A quantity of the same item tied together without compression. |
Bale | BE | BA | A shaped unit of compressible materials bound with cord or metal ties and usually wrapped, for example, paper and cloth rags. |
Board Foot | BF | BF | A unit of measure for lumber equal to the volume of a board 12 feet by 12 feet by 1 foot. |
Bag | BG | BG | A flexible container, fabricated from such materials as paper, plastic, or textiles. Size and material can vary. Includes "sack" and "pouch." |
Book | BK | BK | A book-like package, such as labels or tickets, fastened together along one edge, usually between protective covers. |
Barrel | BL | BR | A cylindrical container, metal or wood, with sides that bulge outward and flat ends or heads of equal diameter. Includes "keg." |
Bolt | BO | BM | A flat fold of fabric having a stiff paperboard core. |
Bar | BR | BI | A solid piece or block of material, with its length greater than its other dimensions, for example, solder. Not applicable to items such as soap, beeswax, or buffing compound. |
Bottle | BT | BO | A glass, plastic, or earthenware container. Sizes and material can vary. Includes "case," "carton," "tray," and "crate." |
Box | BX | BX | A rigid, three-dimensional container. Size and material can vary. Includes "case," "carton," "tray," and "crate." |
Cartridge | CA | CQ | Usually a tubular receptacle containing loose or pliable material and designed to permit ready insertion into an apparatus for dispensing the material. Usually associated with adhesives and sealing compounds. |
Carbuoy | CB | CB | A heavy duty, bottle-type container used for transportation and storage of liquids. Usually designed to be encased in a rigid protective outer container for shipment. |
Cone | CE | CJ | A cone-shaped mass of material such as twine or thread, wound on a conical core. |
Cubic Foot | CF | CF | A unit of cubic measure. |
Cake | CK | KA | A block of compacted or congealed matter. Applicable to such items as soap or buffing compound. |
Coil | CL | CX | An arrangement of material (such as wire, rope, or tubing) wound in a circular shape. |
Can | CN | CN | A rigid receptacle made of fiber, metal, plastic, or a combination thereof. Cans may be cylindrical or any number of irregular shapes and are restricted to items that cannot be issued in less-than-container quantity. Includes "pail" and "canister." Do not use when the packaged quantity equates to a unit of measure, that is, pint, quart, gallon, ounce, or pound. |
Container | CO | CH | A general term for use only when an item is permitted to be packaged for issue in optional containers, for example, bottle or tube for a single National Stock Number. |
Cubic Yard | CD | CY | A unit of cubic measure. |
Cylinder | CY | CL | A rigid, cylindrical, metal container designed as a portable container for storage and transportation of compressed gasses, generally equipped with a protected valve closure and pressure-relief safety device. |
Cubic Meter | CZ | CR | A unit of cubic measure expressed in the metric system of measurement. Limited in application to locally assigned stock numbers used in the local procurement of items such as ready-mix concrete and asphalt in overseas areas where the metric system prevails. |
Drum | DR | DR | A cylindrical container designed as an exterior pack for storing and shipping bulk materials, for example, fuels, chemicals, powders, and so forth. Drums may be made of metal, rubber, polyethylene or plywood, or fiber with wooden, metal, or fiber ends. |
Dozen | DZ | DZ | Twelve (12) of an item of supply. |
Each | EA | EA | A numeric quantity of one item of supply. Do not use if a more specific term applies (such as kit, set, assortment, assembly, group, sheet, plate, strip, or length). |
Foot | FT | FT | Unit of linear measurement, sometimes expressed as "linear foot." |
Five | FV | P5 | Five (5) of an item. |
Fifty | FY | Q4 | Fifty (50) of an item. |
Gallon | GL | GA | Unit of liquid measurement. |
Group | GP | 10 | A collection of related items issued as a single item of supply, for example, test set group. Use only when the term "group" is part of the item name. |
Gross | GR | GS | One hundred and forty-four (144) of an item. |
Hundred | HD | HU | One hundred (100) of an item. |
Hank | HK | HA | A loop of yarn or roping containing definite yardage, for example, cotton, 840 yards; worsted, 560 yards. See "skein" for comparison. |
Inch | IN | IN | Unit of linear measurement, equivalent to one-twelfth of a foot and sometimes expressed as "linear inch." |
Jar | JR | JR | A rigid container having a wide mouth and often no neck, typically made of earthenware or glass. Excludes "bottle." |
Kit | KT | KT | A collection of related items issued as a single item of supply, such as the tools, instruments, repair parts, instruction sheets, and often supplies typically carried in a box or bag. Also includes selected collections of equipment components, tools, and/or materials for the repair, overhaul, or modification of equipment. Use only when the term kit" is part of the item name. |
Pound | LB | LB | A unit of avoirdupois weight measure equivalent to 16 ounces. |
Length | LG | LN | Term applies to items issued in a fixed or specific linear measurement, without deviation. This term no longer applies to random lengths that will be expressed in definitive units of linear measure such as foot or yard. Excludes "strip." |
Liter | LI | LT | A unit of liquid measure expressed in the metric system of measurement |
Thousand Cubic Feet | MC | FC | A unit of cubic measure expressed in one thousand (1,000) increments. |
Meal | ME | ME | The measure of food generally taken by an individual at one time. |
Meter | MR | MR | A unit of linear measure expressed in the metric system of measurement, equivalent to 39.37 inches. |
Thousand | MX | TH | One thousand (1,000) of an item. |
Outfit | OT | 11 | A collection of related items issued as a single item of supply, such as the tools, instruments, materials, equipment, and/or instruction manual(s) for the practice of a trade or profession or for the carrying out of a particular project or function. Use only when the term "outfit" is part of the item name. |
Ounce | OZ | OZ | A unit of liquid or avoirdupois weight. |
Pad | PD | PD | Multiple sheets of paper stacked together and fastened at one end by sealing. |
Package | PG | PK | A form of protective wrapping for two or more of the same item of supply. To be used only when a unit of measure or container-type term is not applicable. Includes "envelope." |
Plate | PM | PP | A flat piece of square or rectangular metal of uniform thickness, usually ΒΌ inch or more. Use only when "plate" (Federal Supply Classes [FSCs] 9515 and 9535) is used in an item name to denote shape. |
Pair | PR | PR | Two similar corresponding items, for example, gloves, shoes, or bearings, or items integrally fabricated of two corresponding parts, for example, trouser, shears, or goggles. |
Pint | PT | PT | A unit of liquid or dry measure. |
Packet | PZ | 12 | A container used for subsistence items. Use only when "food packet" is part of the item name (Federal Supply Group [FSG] 89). |
Quart | QT | QT | A unit of liquid or dry measure. |
Ration | RA | 13 | The food allowance of one person for 1 day. Use only when "ration" (FSC 8970) is part of the item name. |
Reel | RL | RE | A cylindrical core on which a flexible material, such as wire or cable, is wound. Usually has flanged ends. |
Ream | RM | RM | A quantity of paper varying from 480 to 516 sheets, depending on grade. |
Roll | RO | RL | A cylindrical configuration of flexible material that has been rolled on itself such as textiles, tape, abrasive paper, photosensitive paper and film. This may utilize a core with or without flanges. |
Skid | SD | SV | A pallet-like platform consisting of a load-bearing area fastened to and resting on runner-type supports. |
Set | SE | ST | A collection of matched or related items issued as a single item of supply, that is, tool sets, instrument sets, and matched sets. Usually only when the term "set" is part of the item name. |
Square Foot | SF | SF | A unit of square measure (area). |
Sheet | SH | SH | A flat piece of rectangular-shaped material of uniform thickness that is very thin in relation to its length and width, such as metal, plastic, paper, and plywood. Use of this term is not limited to any group if items or FSCs. However, it will always be applied when "sheet" is used in the item name to denote shape, for example, aluminum alloy sheet, except items in FSC 7210. |
Skein | SK | SW | A loop of yarn 120 yards in length, usually wound on a 54-inch circular core. See "hank" for comparison. |
Spool | SL | SO | A cylindrical form with an edge or rim at each end and an axial hole for a pin or spindle on which a flexible material such as thread or wire is wound. |
Shot | SO | 14 | A unit of linear measurement, usually applied to anchor chain; equivalent to 15 fathoms (90 feet). |
Strip | SP | SR | A relatively narrow, flat length of material, uniform in width, such as paper, wood, and metal. Use only when the term "strip" is a part of the item name. |
Stick | SX | 15 | Material in a relatively long and slender, often cylindrical form for ease of application or use, for example, abrasives. |
Square Yard | SY | SY | A unit of square measure (area). |
Twenty-four | TD | QZ | Twenty-four (24) of an item; two dozen. |
Ten | TE | TP | Ten (10) of an item. |
Twenty-five | TF | Q5 | Twenty-five (25) of an item. |
Ton | TN | TN | The equivalent of 2,000 pounds. Includes short ton and net ton. |
Troy Ounce | TO | TO | A unit of troy weight, based on 12-ounce pound, generally applied to weights of precious metals. |
Thirty-six | TS | Q6 | Thirty-six (36) of an item. |
Tube | TU | TB | Normally a squeeze-type container, most commonly manufactured from a flexible material and used in packaging toothpaste, shaving cream, and pharmaceutical products. Also applicable as a form around which items are wound, such as thread. It is not applicable to mailing tube, pneumatic tube, or cylindrical containers of a similar type. |
Vial | VI | VI | A small container that is cylindrical in shape and flat-bottomed. Various neck finishes to accommodate any type of cap, cork, or stopper, are possible. |
Yard | YD | YD | A unit of linear measure, equivalent to 3 feet and sometimes expressed as "linear year." |
Refs. Ref 1 DoD Crossref Ref 2 US Army Material Supply End.