Packaging and Marking Guide for DoD

This is an informational guide published by the Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) in March 2014 that provides standardized packaging and marking requirements for Department of Defense contracts and solicitations. The guide is not officially adopted by DoD but serves as an instructional reference for contractors and procurement personnel.

The guide details packaging requirements across multiple standards and specifications. Hazardous materials must comply with Title 49 CFR for land transport, IMO/IMDG for water transport, ICAO/IATA for commercial air transport, and AFMAN 24-204_IP for military air transport. All packaging must be marked and labeled per applicable modal regulations and MIL-STD-129 when specified. For commercial packaging, ASTM D-3951 (latest revision D3951-10) applies to items for immediate use, depot consumption, or not-for-stock shipments. For military packaging, MIL-STD-2073-1E with Change 1 (effective January 7, 2011) applies to items requiring operational preservation, reusable containers, sea delivery, or Defense Transportation and Distribution System entry with storage exceeding six months.

The guide describes five basic military preservation methods (Methods 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50) and multiple packing methods (Methods 31, 32, 33, 41, 42, 43, 44, and 45) with detailed visual examples showing application of preservation materials, wrapping, cushioning, and container selection. Quality assurance requirements include visual preservation examinations, leakage testing, heat-sealed seam testing, and comprehensive packing inspections per Appendix G. Packaging requirement codes (PRCs) are used to specify preservation methods, cleaning procedures, preservative materials, wraps, cushioning, container types, and special markings. The guide includes sample worksheets, marking examples for unit/intermediate/exterior containers, and references to related standards including MIL-STD-129 (military marking), MIL-STD-147 (palletization), MIL-DTL-117 (heat-sealable bags), RFID tagging requirements, and heat-treated wood packaging material specifications.