Editing Part number (section)

{{Short description|Identifier of a particular part design in engineering}}
{{more footnotes|date=September 2011}}
[[File:MSP430 part number large.png|thumb|400px|Example of a part number for a microcontroller]]
A '''part number''' (often abbreviated '''PN''', '''P/N''', '''part no.''', or '''part #''') is an [[identifier]] of a particular part design or material used in a particular industry. Its purpose is to simplify reference that item. A part number unambiguously identifies a part design within a single corporation, sometimes across several corporations.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Common Support Data Dictionary (CSDD)|url=https://publications.airlines.org/CommerceProductDetail.aspx?Product=297|access-date=2021-07-07|website=[[Airlines for America|ATA]]}}</ref>
For example, when specifying a [[screw]], it is easier to refer to "HSC0424PP" than saying "Hardware, screw, machine,''' 4-40, 3/4" long''', pan head, Phillips". In this example, "HSC0424PP" is the part number. It may be prefixed in database fields as "PN&nbsp;HSC0424PP" or "P/N&nbsp;HSC0424PP". The "Part Number" term is often used loosely to refer to items or components (assemblies or parts), and it's equivalent to "Item Number", and overlaps with other terms like [[SKU]] (Stock Keeping Unit).