MIL-STD-2073.pdf

This is an informational guide for packaging and marking requirements applicable to Department of Defense contracts and solicitations. The guide is not officially adopted by DoD and serves only as an instructional reference derived from current government packaging documents, pamphlets, and technical manuals.

The guide covers packaging requirements organized by solicitation sections (A through J), hazardous materials handling requirements per modal regulations (Title 49 CFR for land, IMO/IMDG for water, ICAO/IATA for commercial air, and AFMAN 24-204_IP for military air), and military packaging standards under MIL-STD-2073-1E. Key packaging standards include ASTM D-3951 for commercial packaging applicable to items for immediate use, depot consumption, and not-for-stock items; and MIL-STD-2073-1E for military packaging addressing 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 (Method 10 through 50) with illustrated examples of proper application, including physical protection, preservative coatings, waterproof protection, watervaporproof protection, and watervaporproof protection with desiccant. Additional content includes packaging requirement codes (PRC) used in contracts, quality assurance provisions referencing visual examinations and leakage testing, four types of basic markings (identification, bar code, address, and special markings), unit and intermediate container labeling examples with linear and 2D barcode options, exterior container labeling examples, Military Shipping Label specifications, special markings for shelf-life and hazardous materials, heat-treated wood packaging material requirements, palletization standards per MIL-STD-147, RFID tag specifications, and references to key specifications including MIL-STD-129 for military markings, MIL-DTL-117 for heat-sealable bags, and ASTM standards for commercial and military packaging practices.