Current Merit Badge Pamphlets
and Requirement Revision Dates

Each merit badge has been assigned an ID number, which has been used in the BSA Advancement system, and now has been assigned an ID number for use with Scoutbook. Each merit badge pamphlet is assigned a 5 digit publication number which,. and a 5 or 6 digit inventory (SKU - Stock Keeping Unit) number to the booklet. The SKU number changes when a new edition is released. The publication number appears in the copyright statement typically on page 2, and below the UPC bar code on the back cover. The SKU appears on the back cover, above the UPC Code, and is used as the item number for ordering from Scoutshop.org. In some cases, the publication number and SKU are the same, because no revisions have been made since the pamphlet was first issued.

For each merit badge currently available, the first table below shows (in alphabetical order) the ID Numbers, the most recent year that the requirements were changed or the year the badge was added to the requirements booklet, along with the BSA Publication Number, the current SKU number for the printed pamphlet and the SKU number for the "Digital Download" (E-book) copy of the pamphlet. In addition, for many of the merit badges, we have included the Copyright date for the current pamphlet.

The Requirements Revision Dates in the tables below reflect the year the revisions (or the requirements for a new badge) first appear in Scouts BSA Requirements, which is typically the year after the new or revised requirements appear in a new edition of the merit badge pamphlet.

After the first table is a list of the merit badges, arranged by year (from most recent to oldest) of the last revision to the requirements. Following that table is a similar list of those pamphlets for which we have verified the the copyright date of the current pamphlet.

As new pamphlets are issued, when they contain new requirements, Scouts have the option of starting with the new requirements as soon as the pamphlets are issued, or they may start work using the old requirements until the next edition of Scouts BSA Requirements is issued. When Scouts start work after a new edition of Scouts BSA Requirements is issued, they must use the new requirements. In any case, once a Scout starts with a set of requirements they can continue using them until they complete the badge or turn 18. If they started using the old requirements, they also have the option of switching to the new requirements (which may in fact mean starting over in some cases). So long as they meet all of the requirements (either old or new) they can earn the badge. However, they can't use, for example, old requirements 1, 3, and 5 and new requirements 2, 4, and 6-8.

If you find a pamphlet with a later publication or copyright date or a stock (SKU) number higher than what we have listed below, or a copy of a current pamphlet where we have not listed the Copyright date, please write us, with the Merit Badge name, BSA publication and stock (SKU) numbers (e.g.. 35859 - 610461) and the Copyright date. If the booklet also has revised requirements, a copy of those requirements would also be appreciated so we can update this site. If it pamphlet lists a printing date more recent than the Copyright date, such as "Copyright 2020, 2023 Printing", that just means it's a new printing with no changes to the text.

To our knowledge, there is NOWHERE on the web where you can legally find FREE complete copies of merit badge pamphlets published by BSA (except for the Citizenship in Society merit badge which is available ONLY as a free PDF). The contents of all of the pamphlets are copyright by BSA, and they use the proceeds from the sale of the pamphlets to defray the cost of revising them periodically. If you do find a copy on line in PDF form, it was scanned and posted illegally. However, the merit badge pamphlets and many other BSA handbooks and guides are available for purchase as Kindle books, through Amazon.com, and/or as Digital Download E-books from Scoutshop.org.

Always check the current edition of Scouts BSA Requirements, or this site, when starting a merit badge, to be sure you have the most up to date requirements, as they may have changed since the pamphlet was printed.

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Architecture and Landscape Architecture, which are separate Merit Badges, with separate requirements, are now covered in a single pamphlet - Architecture and Landscape Architecture. Prior to 2008, there were separate pamphlets for each badge. Music and Bugling, while separate Merit Badges, with separate requirements, are also covered in one pamphlet - Music and Bugling.

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Key to the colors used in the tables below:
Green text on a yellow background = Recent Change to pamphlet, requirements, or new merit badge name
Red Text = unverified or missing information

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The information on current requirements in the tables below reflects requirements issued through January 1, 2023. Copyright dates and SKU numbers are, as far as possible, correct as of December 1, 2022.

We formerly included information on current publication dates, based on the Merit Badge Library listing on the inside back cover of the annual Scouts BSA Requirements booklet. However, starting with the 2023 edition, that table now indicates that the dates are supposed to represent the last time the requirements changed. When we are able to determine the most recent Copyright date, we now show that date.

The SKU numbers were obtained from the listing on Scoutshop.org as of December 1, 2022.

Spanish versions of all 18 of the Eagle Required merit badges were published a number of years ago, but only six (Camping, Citizenship in the Community, Communication, Family Life, Hiking, and Personal Fitness) are currently listed on Scoutshop.org, and they are also available as Digital Download (E-book) editions. The pamphlet for Citizenship in Society is available in both English and Spanish as a free PDF file from Scouting.org. As far as we know, the others are not currently available in print nor as Digital Downloads, and we do not know if the Spanish versions have been reissued to correspond with changes made to the current English versions.

The following list shows the most recent year that the requirements for each merit badge were issued or revised in the annual Scouts BSA Requirements book, sorted by Date (newest to oldest) . Keep in mind that the actual release of the changes is usually during the preceding year.

Year that Current Requirements were first published in the Scouts BSA Requirements book
American Business 2023 Animal Science 2023 Archery 2023  Architecture 2023 Composite Materials 2023 Cooking 2023 Cycling 2023 Digital Technology 2023 Disabilities Awareness 2023 Emergency Preparedness 2023 Environmental Science 2023 Family Life 2023 Farm Mechanics 2023 Game Design 2023 Genealogy 2023 Geology 2023 Golf 2023 Hiking 2023 Inventing 2023 Mammal Study 2023 Nature 2023 Personal Fitness 2023 Plant Science 2023 Programming 2023 Reptile and Amphibian Study 2023 Salesmanship 2023 Small Boat Sailing 2023 Snow Sports 2023 Sports 2023 Swimming 2023 Animation 2022 Astronomy 2022 Athletics 2022 Canoeing 2022 Citizenship in Society 2022 Citizenship in the Nation 2022 Climbing 2022 Coin Collecting 2022 Dentistry 2022 First Aid 2022 Health Care Professions 2022 Mining in Society 2022 Pioneering 2022 Railroading 2022 Reading 2022 Traffic Safety 2022		Archaeology 2021 Collections 2021 Electricity 2021 Electronics 2021 Fish & Wildlife Management 2021 Fishing 2021 Fly Fishing 2021 Lifesaving 2021 Motorboating 2021 Photography 2021 Public Health 2021 Rowing 2021 Theater 2021 Woodwork 2021 American Heritage 2020 Bugling 2020 Chemistry 2020 Crime Prevention 2020 Kayaking 2020 Model Design and Building 2020 Painting 2020 Safety 2020 Space Exploration 2020 Sustainability 2020 Whitewater 2020 American Labor 2019 Bird Study 2019 Communication 2019 Forestry 2019 Geocaching 2019 Law 2019 Personal Management 2019 Rifle Shooting 2019 Scouting Heritage 2019 Search and Rescue 2019 Soil & Water Conservation 2019 Welding 2019 Camping 2018 Energy 2018  Gardening 2018 Insect Study 2018 Radio 2018 Sculpture 2018 Weather 2018 Wilderness Survival 2018		Automotive Maintenance 2017 Dog Care 2017 Exploration 2017 Fire Safety 2017 Indian Lore 2017 Journalism 2017 Landscape Architecture 2017 Leatherwork 2017 Music 2017 Nuclear Science 2017 Plumbing 2017 Pulp & Paper 2017 Scholarship 2017 Wood Carving 2017 Citizenship in the Community 2016 Citizenship in the World 2016 Skating 2016 Water Sports 2015 Backpacking 2015 Basketry 2015 Drafting 2015 Signs, Signals, and Codes 2015 Art 2014 Aviation 2014 Entrepreneurship 2014 Horsemanship 2014 Moviemaking 2014 Shotgun Shooting 2014 Chess 2013 Home Repairs 2013 Oceanography 2013 Orienteering 2013 Pets 2013 Graphic Arts 2012 Robotics 2011 Engineering 2009 Pottery 2009 Scuba Diving 2009 Metalwork 2008 Stamp Collecting 2007 American Cultures 2006 Truck Transportation 2006 Veterinary Medicine 2006 Surveying 2005 Fingerprinting 2004 Textile 2004

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Page updated on: December 22, 2022

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