MIL-STD-2073.pdf

This is an informational guide for the Department of Defense on packaging and marking requirements for federal contracts and solicitations. The guide, issued by the Defense Contract Management Agency in March 2014, is not officially adopted by DoD but serves as an instructional resource derived from current government packaging documents, manuals, and technical standards.

The guide details packaging requirements found in various contract sections (A through J) and covers five basic military preservation methods: Method 10 (physical protection), Method 20 (preservative coating only), Method 30 (waterproof protection), Method 40 (watervaporproof protection), and Method 50 (watervaporproof protection with desiccant). It specifies that hazardous materials must comply with modal regulations including Title 49 CFR for land, IMO/IMDG for water, ICAO/IATA for commercial air, and AFMAN 24-204_IP for military air transport. The guide establishes two primary military packing levels: Level A for severe worldwide conditions using overseas wood boxes and reusable containers, and Level B for moderate conditions using domestic wood crates and weather-resistant containers. For items not exposed to severe shipping environments, minimal packing requirements apply. The document provides detailed specifications for eight packaging methods (31 through 52), including heat-sealed waterproof bags, rigid and metal containers, and floating watervaporproof bags with desiccant. Additional requirements include marking standards per MIL-STD-129, quality assurance provisions, preservation and leakage testing, packaging requirement codes aligned with MIL-STD-2073-1E(1), special markings for hazardous materials and shelf-life items, heat-treated wood packaging material compliance, palletization standards per MIL-STD-147, and RFID tag requirements per DFARS 252.211-7006.