UNSPSC

The UNSPSC® is an open global coding system that classifies products and services. The UNSPSC is used extensively around the world in electronic catalogs, search engines, procurement application systems, and accounting systems. The UNSPSC allows trading partners worldwide to consistently classify products and services, resulting in greater accuracy and efficiency throughout the supply chain. The UNSPSC is a hierarchical set of product categories.

The UNSPSC was released as an open standard in April 1999. As an open standard, use of the code is free of licensing fees. There is a nominal fee to participate in the development of the code, only as is required to cover the administration costs of the non-profit code management organization.

UNSPSC Example:

Hierarchy: Category Name (Code)
Segment: Medical Equipment, Accessories, and Supplies (42.00.00.00)
Family: Wound care products (42.21.00.00)
Class: Wound packing products (42.21.04.00)
Commodity: Packing strips for wound care (42.21.04.02)