MIL-STD-2073.pdf

This is an informational guide for packaging and marking Department of Defense (DoD) shipments, published by the Defense Contract Management Agency in March 2014. The guide is not an officially adopted DoD standard but serves as an educational resource derived from government packaging documents, pamphlets, and technical manuals.

The guide covers packaging requirements locations in solicitations and contracts (Sections A through J), hazardous materials handling and modal regulations, commercial packaging standards (ASTM D-3951), and military packaging standards (MIL-STD-2073-1E). It details five basic military preservation methods: 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 provides visual illustrations and specifications for Methods 31 through 52, which combine preservation and packing approaches using various container types including waterproof bags, rigid containers, and metal containers with heat sealing requirements. It includes packaging requirement codes (PRC) from MIL-STD-20731E(1), sample worksheets for translating packaging codes, quality assurance provisions referencing leakage and heat-sealed seam testing, marking standards per MIL-STD-129, Military Shipping Label (MSL) requirements, special markings for shelf-life, project codes, fragile items, Method 50 packaging, expedited handling, hazardous materials, wood packaging materials, palletization standards (MIL-STD-147), and Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) requirements per DFARS Clause 252.211-7006.