Plenty of lanyards borrow military language. Very few have been through NATO codification. The Koiled kevlar coiled lanyard is NATO codified under NATO Stock Number (NSN) 4020-99-568-5641 — a status earned through formal assessment, not marketing — and it has been in professional service with police, military, prison services and special forces for over 30 years.

What NATO codification actually means

The NATO Codification System (NCS) is the alliance's shared supply language, used by NATO members and dozens of partner nations. When an item is codified, it is formally identified, assessed and catalogued so that any member nation's armed forces can specify, procure and re-order exactly that item with confidence in what they are getting. Codification requires a real manufacturer, a defined and consistent specification, and traceability — it is a status that cannot be bought, only earned through supplying the system.

For a buyer, that means one thing: the product has been vetted for genuine service use, and the specification you order is the specification you receive, every time.

Reading the NATO Stock Number

Every NSN is a 13-digit identifier with a defined structure, and ours reads as follows: 4020 is the NATO supply classification for fibre rope, cordage and twine — the equipment class the lanyard is catalogued under. 99 is the national codification bureau code for the United Kingdom, reflecting the lanyard's British design origins. 568-5641 is the unique item identification number assigned to this specific product. Procurement teams can specify, requisition and re-order the Koiled lanyard through standard defence and government supply channels using this number alone.

Proven in service, not just in testing

The Koiled lanyard was originally developed to prevent weapon loss in police service, and the same design is now used worldwide by police forces, military and para-military units, prison services and special forces — environments where a failed lanyard is a security incident, not an inconvenience. It has also been used by NASA. That service history, across three decades and every climate, is the specification's real proof.

The codified specification

Braided DuPont™ Kevlar® core — 265 lb / 120 kg breaking strain — packed coil length 6" / 150 mm — stretches to 43" / 1,100 mm — returns to its original coil shape after every extension — does not fray, kink or tangle like plastic-coated cable.

For procurement and institutional buyers

We supply police forces, prison and corrections services, military units and government agencies at volume, with custom lengths and fittings confirmed with our manufacturer before quotation. Quotations and orders may reference NSN 4020-99-568-5641 directly.

See our Wholesale & Bulk Orders page for volume pricing, or our Custom Design service for specification changes. For background on what separates genuine duty-grade construction from marketing claims, read What Makes a Military-Grade Lanyard.