Examples of SuDoc Classification

All the information necessary to assign authoritative SuDocs classification is available on the face of the document itself. The scheme provides a logical, abstract structure which has been useful for collocation of physical publications in library collections, and is proving adaptable to the "virtual collocation" or characterization of online collections of Government information.

Guidelines for Sorting in SuDoc Order

SuDoc classes are arranged alphabetically based on the leading letter(s). The number between the period and colon is a whole number (ex. HS 1.2: comes before HS 1.15:). The colon is the break between the SuDoc stem and its suffix. After the colon, the hierarchy of sorting is as follows:

Date
Letters
Numbers
Word

Both before and after the colon, an empty space will file before a space that has a letter or number (i.e. “nothing” before “something”).

Example of a SuDoc Sort

A 13.2:T 73/4
A 93.2:N 95/3
A 93.73:76
A 93.73:89
A 93.73/2:62
C 13.58:7564
C 13.58:7611
HE 20.4002:AD 9/2
HE 20.4002:AD9/5
HE 20.4002:F 94
L 36.202:F 15/2
L 36.202:F 15/2/980
L 36.202:F 15/3
Y 1.1/7:109-118
Y 1.1/7:109-131
Y 1.1/7:110-6
Y 1.1/7:110-20
Y 4.EC 7:C 73/7
Y 4.EC 7:C 73/10
Y 4.EC 7:S.HRG.110-646
Y 4.EC 7:SA 9/2
Y 4.EC 7:SCH 6
Y 4.EC 7:SE 2