MIL-STD-2073.pdf

This is a Defense Contract Management Agency informational guide on packaging and marking standards for Department of Defense contracts and solicitations, published in March 2014.

The guide establishes packaging requirements located across multiple sections of solicitation/contract documents, including the solicitation form, supplies and services section, description/specifications/statement of work, packaging and marking section, inspection and acceptance criteria, deliveries/performance, contract clauses, and attachments. Packaging requirements derive from Commercial Item Descriptions (CIDs), Military or Federal Specifications, aperture cards and drawings, 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 per applicable modal regulations: Title 49 CFR for land, IMO/IMDG for water, ICAO/IATA for commercial air, and AFMAN 24-204_IP for military air (with interservice documents DLAI 4145.3, TM 38-250, NAVSUP PUB 505, and MCO P4030.19J), marked and labeled per modal regulations and MIL-STD-129. The guide covers five basic military preservation methods (Methods 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50), detailing protection levels from Level A (most severe worldwide conditions) to Level B (moderate conditions), minimal packing alternatives, and specific container types for each method. It includes packaging requirement code explanations, quality assurance provisions requiring preservation inspections and leakage/heat-sealed seam testing, sample worksheets, package markings (identification, bar code, address, and special markings for shelf-life, project codes, fragile items, Method 50, expedited handling, and hazardous materials), Military Shipping Label requirements, wood packaging material heat-treatment standards, palletization guidelines per MIL-STD-147, and RFID tag specifications per DFARS 252.211-7006.