MIL-STD-2073.pdf

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

The guide covers the locations of packaging requirements across contract sections (A through J), with detailed specifications for hazardous materials, military packaging standards, and preservation methods. Key standards referenced include MIL-STD-2073-1E for military packaging, ASTM D-3951 for commercial packaging, and modal regulations (Title 49 CFR for land, IMO/IMDG for water, ICAO/IATA for commercial air, and AFMAN 24-204_IP for military air). The document outlines five basic preservation methods: Method 10 (physical protection), Method 20 (preservative coating), Method 30 (waterproof), Method 40 (watervaporproof), and Method 50 (watervaporproof with desiccant). It provides visual examples of packaging methods 31-45 showing unit pack containers, intermediate containers, and exterior shipping containers with various protection levels. The guide includes sections on packaging requirement codes (PRC), quality assurance provisions, inspection methods (visual examination, leakage testing, heat-sealed seam testing), marking types (identification, bar code, address, and special markings), military shipping labels, and supplementary requirements such as shelf-life dating, hazardous material labeling, RFID tag placement, heat-treated wood marking (ISPM 15 compliance), and pallet load standards per MIL-STD-147.