WebFLIS — Federal Logistics Information System (Complete Reference)

WebFLIS is the web window into the Federal Logistics Information System (FLIS) — the master catalog of every standardized item of supply in the federal inventory. Operated by DLA Logistics Information Services (DLA LIS) from Battle Creek, Michigan, it is the authoritative on-demand lookup for National Stock Numbers (NSN), National Item Identification Numbers (NIIN), manufacturer part numbers, CAGE codes, item characteristics, management data, and the cross-references that tie them together. Where the Federal Catalog System sets the rules for naming, classifying, and numbering items, and FLIS holds the resulting data, WebFLIS is the front end that lets a logistician, supply technician, contracting specialist, or maintainer pull a single item's record in seconds. This page is the canonical reference for what FLIS is, what WebFLIS does, how NSNs and CAGE codes are structured, how WebFLIS compares to FedLog and PUB LOG, and how to use it.

What it is

WebFLIS is a catalog query interface. It does not manage inventory, generate requisitions, or move materiel — it answers identification and management questions about items of supply with authority. Given a few common inputs, it returns the consolidated catalog record FLIS holds for an item:

• By NSN or NIIN — resolve a stock number to its item name, Federal Supply Classification, approved item characteristics, and full management coding.
• By manufacturer part number — cross-reference a commercial or government part number (optionally with a CAGE code) to the standardized NSN(s) it maps to.
• By CAGE code — resolve a Commercial and Government Entity code to the manufacturer or supplier it identifies, and to the items and part numbers associated with it.

A WebFLIS item record consolidates three broad classes of data that FLIS maintains for each item: identification data (what the item is — NSN/NIIN, item name, FSC, the approved characteristics that define it), reference/part-number data (the manufacturer part numbers and their CAGE codes that point to this item), and management data (the codes that govern how the item is managed across the supply chain — source of supply, unit of issue, acquisition advice code, shelf-life code, demilitarization code, and similar coding).

Because WebFLIS reads the live FLIS catalog, it is the most current view of an item available — the same data distributed offline through FedLog and PUB LOG, but without the refresh lag those offline products carry.

Why it exists

The federal government buys, stores, ships, and maintains millions of distinct items, sourced from tens of thousands of manufacturers, each with its own commercial part numbers. Without a single uniform way to identify an item, the same bolt, filter, or circuit card would carry a dozen incompatible identities across services, depots, and contracts — making it impossible to consolidate demand, cross-level stock, or compete procurement. The Federal Catalog System exists to impose one identity per item: one NSN, one approved name, one set of characteristics, regardless of how many manufacturers make it or what they call it.

FLIS is the information system that holds that catalog, and WebFLIS is how people reach it. The problem WebFLIS solves is fast, authoritative item identification and cross-referencing: turning a part number stamped on a component into the NSN that lets you requisition it; confirming the source of supply that manages an item before you route a requirement; verifying that a NIIN is active and its management data is current; or resolving an unfamiliar CAGE code on a drawing to the manufacturer behind it. These are everyday questions in supply, maintenance, and contracting, and WebFLIS answers them against the authoritative catalog rather than a local spreadsheet or a vendor's marketing site.

It is read-only by design. The catalog data is built and maintained through governed cataloging processes — item entry, characteristics approval, and management-data assignment performed by the responsible activities under DoD 4100.39-M — not through the query screen. WebFLIS exposes the result of that cataloging for inspection; it does not let a query user change it.

History and lineage

The cataloging mission behind FLIS predates the system by decades, and WebFLIS is the most recent layer on a long stack.

• Federal Catalog System origins. The drive for a single federal item-identification system grew out of the supply chaos of World War II and the postwar unification of the armed services, formalized through the Defense Cataloging and Standardization Act of 1952 and the establishment of a uniform Federal Catalog System. The National Stock Number and its predecessor Federal Stock Number are products of that program.

• DLIS era. For most of its institutional life the cataloging data activity was the Defense Logistics Information Service (DLIS), based in Battle Creek, Michigan. DLIS maintained the FLIS master data and produced the distribution products logisticians relied on — including the offline FedLog application and its public counterpart PUB LOG.
• Redesignation to DLA Logistics Information Services. As part of DLA's consolidation and rebranding of its information activities, DLIS was redesignated DLA Logistics Information Services (DLA LIS). The cataloging mission — maintaining and distributing the federal item catalog — carried over intact under the Battle Creek operation.

• From offline to web. The catalog was distributed for years primarily as an offline product (microfiche, then CD/DVD FedLog, then downloadable datasets). WebFLIS is the web-query layer that gave users live, on-demand access to the same master data without waiting for the next FedLog cut. Hosting, the gateway URL, and any registration requirements have shifted across the DLIS-to-DLA-LIS transition and DoD's broader cloud migration — which is the practical reason old bookmarks to WebFLIS frequently break.

The throughline: the item-identification mission and the NSN are remarkably stable across seventy-plus years; the brand name on the data activity, the delivery medium, and the access URL are not. When in doubt, reach the current tool through the DLA Logistics Information Services site rather than a saved link.

How FLIS is structured

To use WebFLIS well, it helps to understand the catalog behind it.

The Federal Catalog System and FLIS

The Federal Catalog System is the program: the uniform set of policies and procedures, governed by DoD 4100.39-M, for naming, describing, classifying, and numbering items of supply so that each item carries one identity government-wide. FLIS — the Federal Logistics Information System — is the master database that holds the catalog data the program produces, plus the tools that distribute it. The Federal Catalog System is the rulebook; FLIS is the data and the delivery.

What FLIS holds per item

For each catalogued item, FLIS maintains a structured record built from several data classes:

• Identification data — the NSN/NIIN, the approved item name, the Federal Supply Classification, and the item characteristics (the standardized attributes — dimensions, material, ratings — that define the item and distinguish it from similar items).
• Reference number data — the manufacturer/vendor part numbers and their CAGE codes that point to this item, enabling part-number-to-NSN cross-reference.
• Management data — the coding that governs how the item is managed: source of supply, unit of issue, acquisition advice code, shelf-life code, demilitarization code, controlled-inventory item code, and related management attributes, often differing by the service or agency that manages the item.

The delivery layer

WebFLIS, FedLog, and PUB LOG all sit on top of this same master data as distribution products. WebFLIS queries it live; FedLog and PUB LOG package periodic extracts for offline use. There is no separate "WebFLIS database" that can drift from the master — the web query reflects the current authoritative catalog, which is what makes it the most trustworthy view for verification.

NSN, NIIN, and CAGE structure

A logistician should be able to read these identifiers on sight. The table below breaks down the National Stock Number and the related identifiers WebFLIS resolves.

The key relationships to internalize: the NSN is the FSC plus the NIIN, so a NIIN uniquely identifies an item even without the commodity class in front of it; the first two digits of the FSC are the Federal Supply Group and the last two narrow it to a class; the NIIN's leading digits indicate the National Codification Bureau (the country/activity that assigned the number, which is why NATO and allied items appear in the catalog); and part numbers and CAGE codes are the bridge from a manufacturer's world into the standardized NSN.

Who can access WebFLIS

The official WebFLIS service is not public. Access is restricted to DLA, the Military Services, and U.S. Government-sponsored contractors doing business with the U.S. Government. WebFLIS is managed by DLA Information Operations (J6) as a Logistics Information Services capability, and it sits behind DoD authentication — there is no open, no-login catalog lookup.

If you need publicly releasable catalog data without an account, use PUB LOG instead — the free, publicly distributed Logistics Information Services product that carries NSN, Federal Supply Classification (FSC), and CAGE data, refreshed monthly. PUB LOG is the public counterpart to the restricted WebFLIS/FedLog distribution.

How to get access

To use WebFLIS you must be provisioned and authenticated; there is no public lookup path. The process follows DLA's standard pattern:

1. Confirm eligibility. WebFLIS is for DLA, Military Service, and U.S. Government-sponsored contractor users. (Public users without an account should use PUB LOG instead.)
2. Obtain an authentication credential. Hold one of: a DoD Common Access Card (CAC), an External Certificate Authority (ECA) certificate, a Federal Bridge Certification Authority (FBCA) certificate, or a Personal Identity Verification (PIV) credential.
3. Register through AMPS. Request the WebFLIS role through the DLA Account Management and Provisioning System (AMPS). External (non-DLA) customers must first request an AMPS account and provide supervisor and security-officer contact information.
4. Reach WebFLIS through the current DLA Information Operations entry point rather than a bookmarked legacy URL.

To obtain FedLog (the offline/installable distribution) or PUB LOG (the publicly releasable offline dataset) rather than querying WebFLIS live, follow the distribution path through DLA Logistics Information Services — a downloadable dataset on a periodic (monthly for PUB LOG) refresh cycle. The offline products and the web lookup serve different needs; see "When to use this vs. alternatives" below.

Complete task reference

WebFLIS supports a handful of high-frequency catalog tasks. The canonical step-by-step workflows for each are presented on this page as structured HowTo procedures; the prose below frames when and why you would run each one.

Looking up an item by NSN

The most common task. You have a 13-digit NSN — from a requisition, a technical manual, an allowance list, or a property record — and you need the item's identity and management data. The NSN search returns the item name, Federal Supply Classification, characteristics, reference part numbers, and management coding including the source of supply. A NIIN search does the same while ignoring the commodity-class prefix, which is convenient when you have the 9-digit NIIN alone.

Finding the NSN for a part number

You have a manufacturer part number — stamped on a component, listed in a drawing, or quoted by a vendor — and you need the NSN so you can requisition the standardized item rather than buy it commercially. The part number (reference number) search cross-references the part number, optionally narrowed by the manufacturer's CAGE code, to the NSN(s) it maps to. Because one part number can resolve to more than one NSN, and one NSN carries many part numbers, review the full reference set and confirm the item characteristics match the part you actually have.

Resolving a CAGE code

You have a five-character CAGE code from a drawing, a contract, or an item record and need to know which entity it identifies. The CAGE search returns the manufacturer/supplier and its associated data, and lets you confirm that the entity is the correct source for the item you are cataloging or buying.

Reading the management data

Beyond identity, an item's management data tells you how the supply system handles it — the source of supply that manages it, the unit of issue, and the management codes (acquisition advice, shelf-life, demilitarization, controlled-inventory) that govern how it is acquired, stored, and disposed. Reading this view is how you determine the correct requisitioning or procurement channel and avoid ordering against a wrong or inactive source of supply.

Reference tables

Beyond the NSN/NIIN/CAGE structure table above, the WebFLIS item record surfaces several management code families a logistician encounters constantly. The table below summarizes the principal management identifiers WebFLIS returns and where each is governed; logtool maintains dedicated reference pages for the full code lists.

WebFLIS returns far more management coding than the few families above; this table is an orientation, not the complete management-data dictionary. The full code references live on their own logtool reference pages, linked where available.

Common gotchas and advanced tips

• An old WebFLIS bookmark is your enemy. The entry point has moved across the DLIS-to-DLA-LIS transition and DoD's cloud/hosting migrations. A saved direct URL is the single most common reason people think "WebFLIS is down." Reach it through the current DLA Logistics Information Services site.
• NIIN, not NSN, is the unique key. The 9-digit NIIN identifies the item; the 4-digit FSC in front is the commodity class. If you only have the NIIN, search by NIIN — you do not need to reconstruct the full NSN.
• One part number can resolve to several NSNs — verify the characteristics. A reference-number search can return multiple items. Don't grab the first NSN; open the record and confirm the item name and characteristics describe the part in your hand. Picking the wrong NSN propagates a wrong order downstream.
• WebFLIS is current; FedLog and PUB LOG lag. The offline products are periodic snapshots. When the catalog has changed recently — a new item, a reassigned source of supply, a cancelled NSN — WebFLIS shows it first. For freshness-critical checks, prefer the live web query over an offline cut.
• A cancelled or replaced NSN still tells a story. WebFLIS reflects the current catalog status, including cancellation and replacement (superseding) relationships. If an NSN resolves as cancelled, look for the replacement reference rather than assuming the item is gone.
• Management data can differ by managing activity. The same item can carry service- or agency-specific management coding. Read the management data for the activity relevant to your requirement, not just the first set returned.
• Pair WebFLIS with DAASINQ for routing questions. WebFLIS gives you the item's source of supply; DAASINQ / eDAASINQ resolves the routing identifiers and DoDAAC/RIC addressing behind where a requisition for that source will actually go.

When to use this vs. alternatives

WebFLIS, FedLog, and PUB LOG all deliver the same FLIS catalog data — the choice is about how you need it. WebFLIS is also frequently confused with adjacent systems that handle ordering or routing rather than cataloging. The guide below sorts it out.

• Use WebFLIS when you need the live, current record for one item at a time and have a connection — the everyday item-identification and cross-reference tool.
• Use FedLog when you need offline access or local bulk queries — the downloadable/installable catalog application, refreshed on a periodic cycle. Same data, no live connection required.
• Use PUB LOG when you need the publicly distributed offline dataset — the public counterpart to FedLog for users outside the authenticated distribution.
• To actually buy or requisition an item, move to the procurement and ordering channels: DLA's DIBBS for DLA-managed bid-board procurement, or FedMall for catalog ordering. WebFLIS identifies the item and its source of supply; the procurement systems transact it.
• To resolve the routing/addressing behind a source of supply, use DAASINQ / eDAASINQ for DoDAAC and Routing Identifier Code lookups. WebFLIS gives you the source of supply on the item; DAASINQ resolves where transactions to it route.

In short: reach for WebFLIS (or FedLog / PUB LOG) to identify the item and read its catalog data, and reach for the procurement, ordering, and routing systems to act on it.

Training and authoritative references

The mechanics of WebFLIS are simple enough that most users learn them by searching, but the catalog data and coding behind them are governed by formal standards. The authoritative source is DoD 4100.39-M, the Federal Logistics Information System (FLIS) Procedures Manual, which defines the Federal Catalog System procedures — item identification, characteristics, reference numbers, and the management-data coding WebFLIS returns. The Federal Catalog System program context and the NSN/NIIN structure trace to the Defense cataloging statutes and the NATO codification system that the United States participates in. The CAGE program is maintained by DLA and is the authority for the entity codes WebFLIS resolves. The broader materiel-management context that drives why management coding and sources of supply are assigned as they are is set in DoD Manual 4140.01. Links to each are in the references list on this page.

Interesting context

The National Stock Number is one of the quiet triumphs of postwar logistics standardization. Before it, each service catalogued items its own way, so the same washer could carry a dozen incompatible identities and the Defense Department had no way to know how many it owned or where. The Federal Catalog System imposed a single rule: one item, one number, one approved name — and that discipline is why a 13-digit NSN read by a sailor, a soldier, and a contracting officer all point at exactly the same washer. The catalog now holds more than sixteen million supply items — roughly 7.4 million of them active — and is shared, through NATO codification, with allied nations who use the same NIIN structure, so an NSN is in a real sense an international identifier of materiel.

DLA Logistics Information Services has run this catalog from Battle Creek, Michigan for generations — a logistics-data town in the institutional memory of the supply community, the way Dayton is for transaction routing. The delivery medium tells its own technology history: the catalog moved from microfiche to CD-ROM to DVD (FedLog), then to downloadable datasets, and finally to the live web query that is WebFLIS — each step compressing the lag between a cataloging change and the moment a logistician in the field can see it. The "Web" prefix on WebFLIS marks the same modernization wave that swept DoD logistics applications onto the web in the 2000s, giving a decades-old master catalog an on-demand face. Underneath every interface, the job has never changed: take an item, give it one true identity, and let everyone in the supply chain find it by that identity.

Page metadata

This page has been source-verified against DLA Information Operations (J6), DAU Acquipedia, and DoD cataloging-statute sources (verification pass 2026-06-21). The access path is confirmed: WebFLIS is restricted (AMPS registration plus a CAC/ECA/FBCA/PIV credential), not public, with PUB LOG as the public alternative. The NSN/NIIN/CAGE structure, the WebFLIS item-record data views (identification, reference/part-number, management, freight, packaging, characteristics, phrase), the catalog size, and the cataloging-statute year (1952) are confirmed. One item remains conservatively framed rather than dated precisely: the exact effective date of the "Defense Logistics Information Service" to "DLA Logistics Information Services" redesignation (attributable to DLA's 2010 "We Are DLA" reorganization). Corrections and access-path updates can be submitted through the site's correction path.