Unlike consumables such as food and water there was no way of knowing how quickly, or if at all, Ordnance stores were going to be used. Gunpowder was one of the most difficult to manage because it degraded with age and magazines only held a finite amount of powder.

These storage problems were exacerbated by the existence of different types of gunpowder. The years of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars saw the use of many different types, of which the three main were called by the Royal Navy blue, white and red. Blue powder was powder made using traditional pit charcoal; white powder was older powder that had been dusted and restored and then mixed with the new type of powder, cylinder powder; red powder was the cylinder powder in its pure form. In the early years of the war the navy's ships also received two other types of powder that were known as restored and old store. At times, even foreign powder was issued. It does appear from the records, however, that if any French Powder was kept in the magazines then it was not issued to the navy.

The Administrative Structure of Gunpowder Supply

During the period of the Great Wars the supply of powder to the Royal Navy (and the army) was coordinated through the office of the Comptroller of the Royal Laboratory.