MIL-STD-2073.pdf

This is an informational guide prepared by the Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) to provide comprehensive guidance on packaging and marking requirements for Department of Defense contracts and solicitations.

The guide addresses packaging requirements across multiple contract sections, including solicitation/contract forms, supplies and services, descriptions/specifications/statements of work, packaging and marking, inspection and acceptance, deliveries, contract clauses, and attachments. It details two primary packaging standards applicable to DoD: ASTM D-3951 (Standard Practice for Commercial Packaging) for items intended for immediate use, depot consumption, not-for-stock items, and small parcel post shipments; and MIL-STD-2073-1E (Standard Practice for Military Packaging) for items requiring military preservation to meet operational demands, including those for wartime deployment, reusable containers, delivery-at-sea, and Defense Transportation and Distribution System entry with storage exceeding six months. The guide defines five basic military preservation methods (Methods 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50) with increasing levels of protection, ranging from physical protection only to watervaporproof protection with desiccant. It provides detailed visual illustrations of each method, specifies required containers and materials, and establishes two packing levels—Level A for severe worldwide conditions and Level B for moderate conditions. The document includes comprehensive information on packaging requirement codes (PRC), quality assurance provisions including preservation and leakage testing, marking specifications per MIL-STD-129, special markings for hazardous materials, and references to relevant standards including MIL-STD-147 for palletization, RFID requirements, and heat-treated wood packaging material requirements with appropriate certification markings.