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The Codex Astartes has a large section devoted to the organisation of a Space Marine Chapter. It states that a Chapter should consist of ten fighting companies each numbering a hundred Space Marines. Each Company consists of ten squads of ten warriors of which one is a Sergeant. In addition to the squads each Company has its own Captain, Chaplain, Apothecary and Standard Bearer.

Every Company is also expected to maintain and crew a number of vehicles, in particular ubiquitous Rhino and Razorback armoured transports, for the officers and squads. Most Companies will also have some Dreadnoughts attached to bolster the fighting capability of the unit.

In theory, the actual number of combatants in a Company can exceed the notional one hundred Space Marines noted by the Codex. However in practice the Companies are rarely at full strength as constant battle takes its toll and replacements are not always available to fill the ranks.

The Codex stipulates that a Chapter should reserve one of its Companies for its most experienced warriors and that they should be exclusively trained in the use of Terminator armour. Although the Codex is not clear about which Company this should be, the Eirst Company is invariably chosen for this honour. The Company can be deployed as Veteran Squads or as Terminator Squads. This is the Chapter's most awesome combat element and it is rare for the entire Company to be fielded en masse. Most often the elite units of Veteran and Terminator Squads are attached to the other Companies or formed into smaller task forces for special operations.

Of the remaining Companies the Codex states that eight shall be divided into the 'Companies of Battle' and the 'Companies of Reserve'. Again the ancient tome is not clear about how many of each type of Company there should be or rather the various copies of the Codex do not agree on this point. In some versions the Companies are referred to as 'Companies of the First Line' and 'Companies of the Second Line' and in others as the 'Companies of the Van' and 'Companies of the Rear'. Traditionally, however, the Codex Chapters organise the eight main units into four Battle Companies and four Reserve Companies.

Battle Companies comprise a mix of squad designations, usually six Tactical Squads, two Assault Squads and two Devastator Squads. This can vary however and some Chapters may organise include more or less Assault and Devastator Squads but never more than the number of Tactical Squads in the Company. The Battle Companies form the main battle lines and generally bear the brunt of the fighting. A single Battle Company acts as the core of a battlefield formation that may include attached elements from the Veteran, Scout and Reserve Companies as well as, armoured units from the Chapter's Armoury. The Battle Company Captains are incredibly adept at incorporating these ancillary troops into their formations and maximising their effectiveness. This flexibility and adaptability gives the Space Marines a great advantage and means that they are able to meet almost any threat and react quickly and efficiently.

The Reserve Companies are comprised entirely of squads of the same designation. Two of the Reserve Companies are Tactical Companies each often Tactical Squads. These are intended to act as a general reserve for the Chapter and may be used to reinforce the main line, launch diversionary attacks or counter enemy manoeuvres. In addition, one of the Companies is also trained to fight as Bike Squadrons and the other is trained to fight from Land Speeders. This increases the flexibility of the reserve and provides the Chapter with mass light vehicle formations if required. Elements of the Tactical Reserve may be seconded to the main Battle Companies to act as reinforcements.

One of the Reserve Companies is an Assault Company comprising of ten Assault Squads. This is the Chapter's most mobile unit and is deployed in situations where a lot of hand-to-hand combat is anticipated or where speed of deployment is advantageous. The entire Company may be equipped with jump packs.

The last Reserve Company is the Devastator Company. This unit comprises ten Devastator Squads. The Devastator Company is used to anchor defence points and to provide long range fire support. It is also useful in countering enemy armoured vehicles formations.

The Reserve Companies also provide the Battle Companies with a source of ready replacements for casualties. This enables the Chapter to keep its main line at full fighting strength as fully trained and experienced Space Marines are readily available to the main line Squads.

The last or tenth Company is referred to in the Codex as the Scout Company. In some Chapters this Company acts as a training battalion since their Scouts are generally younger, less experienced warriors who are in the process of becoming fully fledged Space Marines. However, in other Chapters the Scout Company includes troops who are every bit as experienced as their more armoured brethren in the main Companies. Not withstanding this all of the Tenth Company's squads are armed and armoured as Scouts. There is no formal size for a Scout Company as the rate of recruitment to a Chapter is not fixed. Scouts are relatively lightly armed and armoured and have a variety of combat roles. They provide the main line Companies with recon capability and can infiltrate the enemy lines, sabotaging supply lines and disrupting communications.

A Space Marine Chapter also includes the Headquarters. This section of the Chapter contains all of the higher command officers and specialist support staff. These may be assigned to fight with a Company in battle. The Headquarters includes the important Armoury and Librarius divisions.

The Headquarters officers include the Chapter Master and a number of other Marines of various ranks and responsibilities. Not all of these are combatants and also included will be aged or infirm officers whose roles are to oversee recruiting, training and general administration. Some of the specific officer ranks described by the Codex include the Chapter's Ancient (or Standard Bearer), the Master's Secretarius, the Lord of the Household, the Chapter's Armourer, the Commander of the Fleet, Victuallers, the Commander of the Arsenal, the Commander of Recruits and the Commander of the Watch. Some of these are honorific titles bestowed on the most experienced of the Company Captains. It is perfectly possible therefore that the Captain of a Battle Company may also have the rank of Commander of the Watch for example. In addition to these officers the Headquarters includes a host of non-Marine human serfs who perform as non-combatant administrators and workers.

The Armoury comprises all of the Chapter's Techmarines and Servitors. The Techmarines are responsible for maintaining all of the Chapter's wargear and war machines. This includes the Chapter's armoured vehicles, transports and the various ships of the Fleet. They oversee the work of the Artificers, yet more non-combatant human serfs of the Chapter. The Artificers fabricate, maintain and repair weapons, armour and banners for the Chapter. They are particularly adept at modifying wargear to incorporate badges, icons and other honours.

The Librarius is the home of the psychic Librarians. The Chief Librarian reports directly to the Master of the Chapter and is considered to be one of the highest ranking Marines in the Chapter. The Librarians have many duties within the organisation. Apart from their vital battlefield role they are also responsible for communications and have a large staff of non-combatant Astropaths (inter-stellar communications) and other low level psychic helpers.

ARMOURY

Techmarines
Servitors

HEADQUARTERS STAFF

Master of the Chapter
Senior officers
Administrative staff
Support personnel

LIBRARIUS

Chief Librarian
Epistolaries
Codiciers
Lexicaniums

VETERANS

1ST
(VETERAN)
COMPANY