MIL-STD-2073.pdf

This is an informational guide prepared by the Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) on packaging and marking requirements for Department of Defense contracts and solicitations. The guide is not officially adopted by DoD but serves as an instructional resource for familiarization purposes.

The guide provides comprehensive guidance on military packaging and preservation standards applicable to shipments requiring protection during transport and storage worldwide. It establishes that hazardous materials must be packaged in accordance with modal regulations including Title 49 CFR for land transport, IMO/IMDG for water, ICAO/IATA for commercial air, and AFMAN 24-204_IP for military air transport, with appropriate marking per MIL-STD-129. The document outlines five basic preservation methods (Methods 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50) and multiple packing methods (Methods 31-45) with varying levels of protection from minimal to maximum, designated for items ranging from immediate use through long-term overseas deployment storage. Military packaging applies to items requiring operational readiness, reusable containers, delivery-at-sea requirements, and extended storage exceeding six months in the Defense Transportation and Distribution System. The guide details packaging requirement codes (PRC) used in contracts, container types and specifications, marking and labeling standards per MIL-STD-129, quality assurance inspection provisions including visual examinations and leakage testing, special markings for shelf-life and hazardous materials, wood packaging material heat-treatment requirements, palletization standards per MIL-STD-147, and RFID tag requirements per DFARS clause 252.211-7006. References include MIL-STD-2073-1E for military packaging standards, ASTM D3951 for commercial packaging, and MIL-DTL-117 for heat-sealable bags, along with supporting specifications and industrial standards for packaging design validation and quality assurance provisions.