Packaging and Marking Guide for DoD - Summary

This is an informational guide prepared by the Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) in March 2014 to assist contractors with understanding Department of Defense packaging and marking requirements. The guide is not officially adopted by DoD and serves as a familiarization tool only, explicitly disclaiming intent to replace contractual requirements, specifications, or regulations. The document functions as a comprehensive reference resource compiled from existing government packaging documents, pamphlets, and technical manuals for instructional purposes.

The guide covers the locations of packaging requirements within solicitations and contracts (Sections A through J), hazardous materials handling protocols requiring compliance with modal regulations including Title 49 CFR for land, IMO/IMDG for water, ICAO/IATA for commercial air, and AFMAN 24-204_IP for military air transport. It addresses commercial packaging under ASTM D-3951 standards appropriate for items intended for immediate use, depot consumption, and small parcel shipments, and military packaging under MIL-STD-2073-1E, which applies to wartime deployment, reusable containers, sea delivery, and items entering the Defense Transportation and Distribution System with storage exceeding six months. The guide details five basic military preservation methods (Methods 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50) with accompanying visual examples and specifications for unit packing, intermediate containers, and exterior shipping containers. Additional sections cover packaging requirement codes (PRC), quality assurance provisions including visual examinations and leakage testing, package markings (identification, bar code, address, and special markings), and related military standards including MIL-STD-129 for marking, MIL-STD-147 for palletization, and provisions for RFID implementation and heat-treated wood packaging material requirements.