PSC H394

Overview

The Product Service Code (PSC) taxonomy is the federal government’s standardized system for classifying what is procured in contract actions; PSCs are used in FPDS and SAM reporting, support spend analysis and category management, and are maintained via the PSC Manual on Acquisition.gov. Agencies rely on PSC assignments to reflect the predominant product or service purchased and to enable consistent reporting across agencies. ¹

The PSC H394 is part of the Inspection service group and is described in the PSC Manual entry as “Inspection- Nonmetallic Crude Materials.” The official entry notes that the code includes commercial testing and laboratory services associated with inspection activities and explicitly excludes medical and dental laboratory services. ²

What this PSC covers

• Inspection services for nonmetallic crude materials; intended as a general inspection designation for raw, nonmetallic feedstocks and bulk materials. ²
• Commercial testing and laboratory services directly associated with inspection of nonmetallic crude materials. ²
• Quality-control, conformity assessment, and sampling services performed on-site or in associated laboratories for nonmetallic raw materials. ²
• Contract actions reported in FPDS where inspection/testing is the predominant purchase and the subject matter is nonmetallic crude materials. ²
• Excludes medical and dental laboratory services; such clinical testing must be reported under medical PSCs. ²

Related NAICS and PSC codes

Type	Code	Descriptor
PSC	H393	Inspection- Nonmetallic Fabricated Materials
PSC	H395	Inspection- Metal Bars, Sheets, and Shapes
PSC	H396	Inspection- Ores, Minerals, and Their Primary Products

Entries above are verified in the PSC Manual. ²

Acquisition reporting & FPDS coding

• PSCs are entered in FPDS as data element 8A (“Product or Service Code”); selecting the PSC that reflects the predominant product or service for the contract action is the standard practice for reporting. ¹
• Environmental attributes, recovered-material indicators, and additional commodity descriptors are recorded in separate FPDS data elements (for example, data element 8L for environmental attributes); these selections are independent of PSC assignment. ¹

Frequently asked questions

• Q: How is H394 used in FPDS reporting?
  A: Agencies record H394 in FPDS data element 8A when inspection and related commercial testing of nonmetallic crude materials are the predominant purchase on a contract or order. The PSC should reflect the primary service procured. ¹

• Q: Does H394 include laboratory analysis for medical samples?
  A: No. The PSC Manual explicitly excludes medical and dental laboratory services from inspection codes such as H394. Medical or clinical testing must be reported under the appropriate medical PSCs. ²

• Q: Are specific material examples (for example, clays or minerals) enumerated for H394?
  A: The PSC Manual entry for H394 defines the category and notes inclusion of commercial testing services but does not provide a comprehensive list of specific materials. Not specified by official sources. ²

• Q: Where should a contracting officer confirm whether a solicitation should be coded as H394?
  A: Contracting officers should use the PSC Manual and FPDS coding guidance to determine the predominant product or service and to apply includes/excludes guidance; these are the authoritative references for PSC assignment. ¹

Useful resources

• PSC entry on G2X — H394
• Product and Service Code Manual — Acquisition.gov. ¹
• PSC Manual (PDF, April 2025 edition) — Acquisition.gov. ²

References

1. Product and Service Code (PSC) Manual — Acquisition.gov: https://www.acquisition.gov/psc-manual
2. Product and Service Code Manual (PDF, April 2025) — Acquisition.gov: https://www.acquisition.gov/sites/default/files/manual/PSC%20Manual%20April%202025.pdf