Item of supply

An item of supply is an item of production (part, article) which a supply or replication management authority has determined as being required to meet a specific logistics requirement.

This part or item has to be defined in compliance with logistical or relocation needs (transport, usage, features, etc.) to meet all logistics requirements with the possibility of repeated usage. One item of supply may represent several items of production, for example made by various producers, which do not have to be distinguished between each other from the viewpoint of logistics requirements.

Within the Starfleet Codification System an item of supply is identified by use of a unique 14 digit Federation Stock Number, often referred to Fleet Stock Number, or simply FSN for short.

An item is often itself an assembled item which in turn is composed of various components or sub-components that are themselves identified as an item of supply—with their own FSN—during the manufacture, assembly or replication process.

Different suppliers, manufacturers, production sources, can be responsible for creation of the item or part as long as they meet the specifications of the items design or logistical requirements and are within the specified manufacturing tolerances or codified performance needs as outlined by the Federation Codification Bureau or codification authority for the item when it is first issued its FSN.