MIL-STD-2073.pdf

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

The guide details packaging requirement locations within contract documents, spanning Section A (Solicitation/Contract Form) through Section J (Attachments), and identifies key specification sources including Commercial Item Descriptions (CIDs), Military and Federal Specifications, aperture cards, special packaging instructions, DLA Master Solicitations, FAR and DFARS clauses, product specifications, Military Standard Drawings (MS), industry standards (ASTM), and Packaging Requirement Codes. For hazardous materials, the guide mandates compliance with Title 49 CFR (land transport), IMO/IMDG (water), ICAO/IATA (commercial air), and AFMAN 24-204_IP (military air) regulations, with markings per MIL-STD-129 and appropriate modal regulations taking precedence in case of conflicts. The document provides detailed explanations of five basic military preservation methods (10, 20, 30, 40, and 50), with Method 10 offering physical protection only, Method 20 adding preservative coating, Methods 30-40 providing waterproof and watervaporproof protection respectively, and Method 50 including desiccant and humidity indicators. It includes visual diagrams of Methods 31-33 (waterproof and grease-proof bag variations), Methods 41-43 (watervaporproof bag options with varying container levels), and Methods 44-45 (rigid non-metal and metal container options), along with specifications for unit pack weights, sizes, and cube measurements. The guide covers packaging code structure per MIL-STD-207311E(1), quality assurance provisions from Appendix G including preservation and leakage testing procedures, and detailed marking requirements for identification, bar codes, address labels using Military Shipping Labels (MSL), and special markings for shelf-life, project codes, fragile items, Method 50 packages, expedited handling, hazardous materials, heat-treated wood packaging materials, palletization standards (MIL-STD-147), and RFID tag placement. Supporting specifications referenced include MIL-STD-2073-1E (military packaging standard), MIL-STD-129 (military marking), MIL-DTL-117 (heat-sealable bags), MIL-DTL-6060 (complex watervaporproof bags), MIL-STD-3010 (packaging material test procedures), and ASTM standards D3951, D1974, and D5168 for commercial and specialized packaging practices.