MIL-STD-2073.pdf

This is an informational guide published by the Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) in March 2014 that provides comprehensive guidance on packaging and marking requirements for Department of Defense (DoD) contracts and solicitations. The guide is not officially adopted by DoD and serves instructional purposes only, presenting information derived from current government packaging documents, pamphlets, and technical manuals.

The guide details where packaging requirements appear in federal solicitations and contracts (Section A through J), covering the standard form structure. It addresses hazardous materials packaging requirements under Title 49 CFR for land transport, IMO/IMDG for water transport, ICAO/IATA for commercial air transport, and AFMAN 24-204_IP for military air transport, with MIL-STD-129 marking standards and modal regulations taking precedence in case of conflicts. The document presents two primary standards: ASTM D-3951 (Standard Practice for Commercial Packaging) for items requiring immediate use, not-mission-capable supply, depot consumption, and small parcel post shipments; and MIL-STD-2073-1E (Standard Practice for Military Packaging) applicable to items delivered during wartime, requiring reusable containers, intended for sea delivery, or entering the Defense Transportation and Distribution System with storage exceeding six months. Five basic military preservation methods are detailed (Method 10—Physical Protection; Method 20—Preservative Coating Only; Method 30—Waterproof Protection; Method 40—Watervaporproof Protection; and Method 50—Watervaporproof Protection with Desiccant), with corresponding packing levels (Level A and Level B) defined by environmental exposure severity. The guide includes detailed illustrations of packing methods 31, 32, 33, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 51, and 52, along with packaging requirement codes (PRC), container specifications, marking standards per MIL-STD-129, quality assurance provisions, special markings for shelf-life, project codes, fragile items, Method 50, expedited handling, and hazardous materials. Additional requirements address heat-treated wood packaging material marking, palletization standards per MIL-STD-147, passive RFID tag specifications per DFARS Clause 252.211-7006, and references to key specifications including MIL-DTL-117, MIL-DTL-6060, MIL-STD-3010, ASTM standards, and the Packaging Code Lookup Tool.