Summary

This is an informational guide published by the Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) in March 2014 that provides standardized 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 derived from current government packaging documents, pamphlets, and technical manuals. Packaging requirements are located across multiple sections of solicitations and contracts, including the Solicitation/Contract Form (Section A), Supplies & Services (Section B), Description/Specs/Statement of Work (Section C), Packaging & Marking (Section D), Inspection & Acceptance (Section E), Deliveries or Performance (Section F), Contract Clauses (Section I), and Attachments (Section J), with additional references found in CIDs, Military or Federal Specifications, Aperture Cards & Drawings, Special Packaging Instructions, DLA Master Solicitations, FAR & DFARS clauses, Product Specifications, Military Standard Drawings, Industry Standards (ASTM), and Packaging Requirement Codes.

The guide establishes five basic methods of military preservation (Methods 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50) with varying levels of protection from physical damage and environmental exposure, along with specific packing techniques including waterproofing, watervaporproof protection, and desiccant requirements. Hazardous materials must be packaged according to Title 49 CFR for land transport, IMO/IMDG for water transport, ICAO/IATA for commercial air, and AFMAN 24-204 for military air, with markings compliant to MIL-STD-129. The document provides detailed illustrations of Methods 31-52 showing unit pack configurations, container selections, cushioning applications, and heat-sealing procedures. Standard markings include identification markings (NSN, CAGE Code, PN, contract number, military method and preservation date, gross weight, shelf life, serial numbers), bar code markings, address markings using Military Shipping Labels with Transportation Control Numbers, and special markings for hazardous materials, shelf-life items, project codes, fragile goods, Method 50 packaging, expedited handling, and electrostatic discharge sensitive items. Additional requirements address wood packaging material heat treatment compliance, palletization standards per MIL-STD-147, RFID tag application per DFARS Clause 252.211-7006, quality assurance provisions including preservation and leakage testing, and references to applicable ASTM standards for commercial packaging and box closure methods.