Merit Badge Numbering System (BSA Advancement ID)

From MeritBadgeDotOrg

Shortcut: MBID

Like most things in Scouting, the BSA numbering system came about to fill a need. The need was to be able to chart a Scout's progress without having to write out the full names of merit badges in very small spaces.

The first fourteen merit badges, numerically speaking, were the Eagle required merit badges at the time the numbering system originated. The Safety and Sports merit badges are no longer Eagle required while Family Life, Cycling, and Hiking have been added. The remainder of the badges are basically in alphabetical order with newer badges added at the end.

This list also includes discontinued merit badges which were part of the numbering system. These merit badges are provided for reference purposes only. Current merit badges are linked to their requirements pages, discontinued merit badges are not linked.

BSA ID	Merit badge	year
001	Camping	1911
002	Citizenship in the Community	1952
003	Citizenship in the Nation	1951
004	Citizenship in the World	1972
005	Communications	1965
006	Emergency Preparedness	1972
007	Environmental Science	1972
008	First Aid	1911
009	Lifesaving	1911
010	Personal Fitness	1952
011	Personal Management
012	Safety
013	Sports
014	Swimming
015	American Business
016	American Heritage
017	American Cultures
018	Animal Science
019	Archery
020	Architecture
021	Art
022	Astronomy
023	Athletics
024	Nuclear Science
025	Aviation
026	Backpacking
027	Basketry
028	Beekeeping
029	Bird Study
030	Bookbinding
031	Botany
032	Bugling
033	Canoeing
034	Chemistry
035	Coin Collecting
036	Computers
037	Consumer Buying
038	Cooking
039	Cycling
040	Dentistry
041	Dog Care
042	Drafting
043	Electricity
044	Electronics
045	Energy
046	Engineering
047	Farm and Ranch Management
048	Farm Mechanics
049	Fingerprinting
050	Fire Safety
051	Fish and Wildlife Management
052	Fishing
053	Food Systems
054	Forestry
055	Gardening
056	Genealogy
057	General Science
058	Geology
059	Golf
060	Disabilities Awareness
061	Hiking
062	Home Repairs
063	Horsemanship
064	Indian Lore
065	Insect Study
066	Journalism
067	Landscape Architecture
068	Law
069	Leatherwork
070	Machinery
071	Mammal Study
072	Masonry
073	Metals Engineering
074	Metalwork
075	Model Design and Building
076	Motorboating
077	Music
078	Nature
079	Oceanography
080	Orienteering
081	Painting
082	Pets
083	Photography
084	Pioneering
085	Plant Science
086	Plumbing
087	Pottery
088	Printing
089	Public Health
090	Public Speaking
091	Pulp and Paper
092	Rabbit Raising
093	Radio
094	Railroading
095	Reading
096	Reptile and Amphibian Study
097	Rifle and Shotgun Shooting
098	Rowing
099	Salesmanship
100	Scholarship
101	Sculpture
102	Signalling
103	Skating
104	Skiing
105	Small-Boat Sailing
106	Soil and Water Conservation
107	Space Exploration
108	Stamp Collecting
109	Surveying
110	Textile
111	Theater
112	Traffic Safety
113	Truck Transportation
114	Veterinary Medicine
115	Water Sports
116	Weather
117	Wilderness Survival
118	Wood Carving
119	Woodwork
120	Agribusiness
121	American Labor
122	Graphic Arts
123	Rifle Shooting
124	Shotgun Shooting
125	Whitewater
126	Cinematography
127	Auto Mechanics
128	Collections
129	Family Life
130	Medicine
131	Crime Prevention	1996
132	Archaeology	1997
133	Climbing	1997
134	Entrepreneurship	1997
135	Snow Sports	1999
136	Fly Fishing	2002
137	Composite Materials	2006
138	Scuba Diving	2009
139	Carpentry (Centennial merit badge)	2010
140	Pathfinding (Centennial merit badge)	2010
141	Signaling (Centennial merit badge)	2010
142	Tracking (Centennial merit badge)	2010
143	Scouting Heritage	2010
144	Inventing	2010
145	Geocaching	2010
146	Robotics	2011
147	Chess	2011
148	Welding	2012
149	Kayaking	2012
150	Search and Rescue	2012