MIL-STD-2073.pdf

This is an informational guide for packaging and marking requirements in Department of Defense (DoD) contracts and solicitations, published by the Defense Contract Management Agency in March 2014.

The guide provides comprehensive instruction on military packaging and preservation standards applicable to DoD contracts. It details locations where packaging requirements appear in solicitations (Section D covers packaging and marking specifically), and explains the five basic military preservation methods: Method 10 (physical protection), Method 20 (preservative coating only), Method 30 (waterproof protection), Method 40 (watervaporproof protection), and Method 50 (watervaporproof with desiccant). The guide specifies two military packing levels—Level A for severe worldwide conditions and Level B for moderate conditions—with guidance on appropriate containers and materials for each. It references MIL-STD-2073-1E as the primary military packaging standard and ASTM D-3951 for commercial packaging alternatives. The document includes detailed illustrations of specific packing methods (31-45, 50-52), packaging requirement codes per MIL-STD-20731E(1), quality assurance provisions from Appendix G, and marking standards per MIL-STD-129. Special requirements are addressed for hazardous materials, electrostatic discharge (ESD) sensitive items, wood packaging materials requiring heat treatment certification, palletization per MIL-STD-147, and radio frequency identification (RFID) tags. The guide includes sample worksheets, label examples, and references to applicable military specifications and industry standards required for compliance with DoD packaging and marking contractual obligations.