It was designed to simplify and standardize the cataloging of common items in use by the Department of Defense.
The Ammunition Identification Code (AIC) was a subset of the SNL concerning munitions and explosives that was used from January, 1942 to 1958.
The first attempt at an inter-service system was the Army-Navy Munitions Board, which would procure common items for the Army, Navy, and Marine Corps.
The use of a centralized system for defense procurement and issue was approved on July 1, 1952 with the passing of the Defense Cataloging And Standardization Act (Public Law 82-436)[2] The first comprehensive Federal Catalog, which listed items by their FSN, was created in 1957.
In 1958, the Armed Forces Supply Support Center (AFSSC) was created to manage the Federal Catalog.