US Markings
These markings are specific to the US but may also be used by other nations.
Body and marking colours
| Colour of Body |
Meaning |
Notes |
| Olive Green Body | Normally used for operational purposes (Camoflage), Can be found on HE, Anti tank, smoke, and other munitions | |
| Grey body | In early grenades (WWI and shortly after) indicated a filled grenade, thereafter denotes a chemical filled munition | |
| Light Red Body | Incendiary grenade | |
| Black Body | Offensive grenade, early training grenades, may indicate Armour defeating munition | |
| Yellow Body | Prior to 1942 indicated an HE filled munition. | old marking |
| Blue Body | Indicates a Practice munition | |
| White or unpainted body | Initially used for illumination grenades or ammunition | |
| Bronze body | Indicates completely inert munitions | |
| Light Green body | Indicates a smoke filled munition | |
| Silver/Aluminum | Identifies countermeasure ammunition | |
| Colour of Markings |
Meaning |
Notes |
| Yellow | Indicates HE ammunition or the presence of HE. | |
| White | Found on Practice munitions | |
| Brown | Indicates a Low explosive item or components or presence of low explosive | |
| Violet | Indicates an incapacitating agent filling (Gas eg CN or CS) | old marking |
| Dark Green | Indicates a toxic agent filling | |
| Dark Red | Indicates a riot control filling | |
The colours Black or White, when used for lettering or marking have no colour coding significance.
Lot numbers defined
OLD
Lot number ABC-8-124
| ABC | 8 | 124 |
| Manufacturers ID Symbol | Interfix number | Serial number |
NEW
Lot number AMC 75 D 018 124 B
| AMC | 75 | D | 018 | 124 | B |
| Manufacturers ID Symbol | Year of Manufacture | Single digit for Month of manufacture | Lot interfix number | Lot sequence number | Ammunition Lot sequence |
Manufacturers Markings
| Marking |
Manufacturer |
Location |
| A | Apex Metal Stamping Co. | |
| AA | Alcan Aluminum Corp. | |
| AAD | Atlanta Army Depot | |
| ABJ | Allied Chemical Corp. | |
| ABP | Alabama Ord. Works | Sylacauga, AL |
| ADC | Accurate Die Casting Co. | Cleveland, OH |
| AF | American Fireworks Co. | New Jersey |
| AKT | Action Manufacturing | |
| ALA | Alabama Army Ammunition Plant | Sylacauga, AL |
| AMR | Amram Mfg. Corp. | Vineland, NJ |
| AOP | Arkansas Ordnance Plant | Jacksonville, AR |
| AR | American Radiator Co. | Buffalo, NY |
| B or B in a diamond | Bassick Company | Bridgeport, CT |
| BA | Benicia Arsenal | Benicia, California. |
| BB | Burnham Boiler Corp. | Zaneville, OH |
| BCA | Benicia Arsenal | Benicia, California. |
| BEA | Benecia Army Depot | |
| BFW | Brocks Fireworks Ltd. | England |
| BEC | ||
| BGI | Borg Ordnance Inc. | |
| BII | Bradar Industries Inc. | New Hyde Park, NY |
| BMC | Budd Mfg. Co. | |
| BOI | Bay Ordnance Inc. | |
| BOP | Bluebonnet Ordnance Plant | McGregor, TX |
| BTA | Aerojet Ordnance Mfg. Corp. | |
| BWD | Brunswick Corp, Defense Products | Lincoln, NE |
| BWG | Brunswick Corp, Tech Products | Sugar Grove, VA |
| C | Crane | Burns City, IN |
| CAD | US Army Ammo Depot | |
| CBOD | Curtis Bay Ordnance Depot | |
| CME | Camden Mfg Co. | Camden, AR |
| COD | Charleston Ordnance Depot | |
| COL | Colt Firearms, Pyrodynamics | Atglen, PA |
| COP | Cornhusker Army Ammunition Plant | |
| CRA | Crane Army Ammunition Activity | Crane, IN |
| CWS | ||
| D | Dupont | |
| DAG | Dynamit Nobel | |
| DAQ | Canadian Arsenal Ltd (Dominion Arms, Quebec) | |
| DCO | Dow Chemical Co. | |
| DEI | Defense Industries | |
| DO | ||
| DOD | Delaware Ordnance Depot | |
| DUQ | Dupont Corp, Newport Army Ammunition Plant | Newport, IN |
| E | Earle Ammunition Plant | Colt's Neck, NJ |
| EA | Edgewood Arsenal | Edgewood, MD |
| ECN | Explosives Corp of America | |
| EDI | Explosive Devices Inc. | |
| EK | Eastman Kodak | |
| EKK | Eastman Kodak | |
| ENB | Ensign and Bickford Aerospace Inc. | |
| EMZ | Eurometaal | Netherlands |
| EOP | Elwood Ordnance Plant | Joliet, IL |
| ETI | Explosive Technology Inc. | |
| F in a diamond | Flagg Fittings (Stanley G. Flagg & Co.) | Philadelphia, PA |
| FA | Frankford Arsenal | Philadelphia, PA |
| FCC | Federal Cartrridge Corp | Anoka, MN |
| FCK | Federal Cartridge Corp | |
| FDL | Federal Laboratories Inc. | Saltzberg, PA |
| FL | ||
| FLI | Flight Systems Inc. | |
| FSA | US Armaments Corp. | |
| G | Grabler Co. | |
| GAW | Gateway Army Ammunition Plant | St. Louis, MO |
| GDM | Martin Marietta Ordnance Systems Inc. | |
| GOI | Gerhart-Owens Industries | Fort Worth, TX |
| GOP | Gulf Ordnance Plant | Praire, MS |
| GR | Green River Ordnance Plant | Lee County, IL |
| GSF | Golden State Fireworks Co. | Saugus, CA |
| H | Hornestake Mine Corporation | Lead, South Dakota |
| HA | Hawthorne Naval Ammunition Depot | Hawthorne, NV |
| HA | Harvey Aluminum Inc. | |
| HAW | Hawthorne Naval Ammunition Depot | Hawthorne, NV |
| HI | Hawaiian Ordnance Plant | Ft. Shafter, HI |
| HMC | Hornestake Mine Corporation | Lead, South Dakota |
| HOL | Holston Army Ammunition Plant | Kingsport, TN |
| HOW | Holston Army Ammunition Plant | Kingsport, TN |
| HPC | Hercules Powder Co. | |
| HRV | Harville-Kilgore Corp. | Bolovar, TN |
| IA | Indiana Army Ammunition Plant | Charleston, IN |
| ID | ||
| IL | Illinois Ordnance Plant | Marion, IL |
| IOP | Iowa Ordnance Plant | Burlington Iowa |
| JA | Joliet Army Ammunition Plant | Joliet, IL |
| K | Eastman Kodak | |
| KN | Kansas Ordnance Plant | Parsons, KS |
| KOP | Kingsbury Ordnance Plant | Kingsbury, IN |
| L | Littlestown Foundry | Littlestown, PA |
| L (in diamond) | Littlestown Foundry and Hardware | Littlestown, PA |
| LNX | Lynx Incorporated | Elkton, MD |
| LOP | Louisiana Ordnance Plant | Shreveport, LA |
| LOW | Longhorn Ordnance Works | Marshall, TX |
| LS | Lone Star Ordnance Plant | Texarkana, TX |
| MA | Milan Army Ammunition Plant | Milan, TN |
| MAI | Maryland Assemblies Inc. | Perry, FL |
| MC | ||
| MDC | Dynamic Corp. of America | Hingham MA |
| MECAR | S.A. Belge de Mecanique et d'Armement | Belgium |
| MEI | Martin Electronics Inc. | Perry, FL |
| MSO | Maxson Electric Corp. | Macon, GA |
| N | ||
| NC | New Cumberland Army Depot | New Cumberland, PA |
| NCI | Northrop Carolina Inc. | Ashville, NC |
| NF | National Fireworks Co. | West Hanover, MA |
| NFO | National Forge and Ordnance | Irvine, PA |
| NOD | Nansemond Ordnance Plant | Suffolk, VA |
| NOP | Nebraska Ordnance Plant | Mead, NB |
| NY | ||
| NYI | ||
| O | Springfield Arsenal | |
| OA | Ogden Arsenal (WWII) | Ogden, UT |
| OA | Ordnance Associates Inc. | South Pasadena, CA |
| OOP | Oak Ordnance Plant | Illiopolis, IL |
| OPI | Ordnance Associates Inc. | Northeast, MD |
| OTM | ||
| PA | Picatinny Arsenal | Dover, NJ |
| PAL | Penguin Associates Inc. | Parkesburg, PA |
| PB | Pine Bluff Arsenal | Little Rock, AR |
| PBA | Pine Bluff Arsenal | Little Rock, AR |
| PCD | Panama Canal Depot | |
| PMC | Practical Mfg, Co. | Hopkins, MN |
| POP | Pantex Ordnance Plant | Panhandle, TX |
| PP | Portland Penninsula | Portland OR |
| RA | Raritan Arsenal | Raritan, NJ |
| RD | Redstone Ordnance Plant | Huntsville, AL |
| RFX | Richmond Foudry & Mfg Co. Inc. | Richmond, VA |
| RIA | Rock Island Arsenal | Rock Island, IL |
| RMA | Rocky Mountain Arsenal | Denver, CO |
| ROP | Ravenna Ordnance Plant | Ravenna, OH |
| RPB | ||
| stylized "S" | Shumaker Naval Ammunition Depot | Camden, AR |
| S (in oval) | ||
| S | Spacke Machine and Tool Co. | Indianapolis, IN |
| SAOD | San Antonio Ordnance Depot | |
| SC | Scioto Ordnance Plant | Marion County, OH |
| SF | ||
| SOD | Savanna Ordnance Depot | Savanna, IL |
| SOP | Sangamon Ordnance Plant | Illiopolis, IL |
| SWP | Smith and Wesson Pyrotechnics | Jefferson, OH |
| TAC | Talley Industries Inc. | Mesa, AZ |
| TE | ||
| U | Utah Ordnance Plant | Salt Lake City, UT |
| UAMCO | Universal Automatic Machine Co. | Marshall, TX |
| UCH | United Chemical Corp. | Lancaster, PA |
| UMO | Universal Match Corp. | Phoenix, AZ |
| UNV | Universal Match Corp | Phoenix, AZ |
| UOD | Umatilla Ordnance Depot, | Hermiston OR |
| VOP | Vigo Ordnance Plant | Honey Creek Township, Vigo County, IL |
| UPC | Universal Welder Corp. | |
| UPCO | Universal Propulsion Corp | Fairfield CA |
| WAD | ||
| WC | Wolf Creek Ordnance Plant | Milan, TN |
| WE | Weber Engine | |
| WEC | ||