MIL-STD-2073.pdf

This is an informational guide for packaging and marking procedures applicable to Department of Defense contracts and solicitations. Published by the Defense Contract Management Agency in March 2014, the guide is not officially adopted by DoD but serves as an instructional reference for familiarization purposes only.

The guide covers packaging requirements located across multiple sections of solicitations and contracts (Sections A through J), including commercial item descriptions, military and federal specifications, aperture cards, special packaging instructions, DLA master solicitations, FAR and DFARS clauses, product specifications, military standard drawings, industry standards (ASTM), and packaging requirement codes. Hazardous materials must be packaged in accordance with modal regulations: Title 49 CFR for land transport, IMO/IMDG for water, ICAO/IATA for commercial air, and AFMAN 24-204_IP for military air. All markings and labeling must comply with applicable modal regulations and MIL-STD-129. The guide addresses commercial packaging (ASTM D-3951) appropriate for items intended for immediate use, not-mission-capable supply, depot consumption, and small parcel post shipments. Military packaging per MIL-STD-2073-1E applies to items requiring operational preservation during wartime deployment, those requiring reusable containers, delivery at sea, or storage exceeding six months. Five basic military preservation methods are detailed: Method 10 (physical protection), Method 20 (preservative coating), Method 30 (waterproof protection), Method 40 (watervaporproof protection), and Method 50 (watervaporproof protection with desiccant). The guide includes comprehensive sections on packaging methods (31-45), marking requirements, special handling designations, labeling examples for unit and intermediate containers, exterior container markings, Military Shipping Labels (MSL), quality assurance provisions, inspection procedures, and palletization standards per MIL-STD-147.