MIL-STD-2073.pdf

This document is an informational guide on packaging and marking requirements for the Department of Defense (DoD), prepared by the Defense Contract Management Agency in March 2014.

The guide provides comprehensive standards for packaging military items to ensure they withstand shipment, handling, and storage without degradation. It covers five basic 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). Hazardous materials must comply with applicable modal regulations including Title 49 CFR for land transport, IMO/IMDG for water, ICAO/IATA for commercial air, and AFMAN 24-204_IP for military air, and must be marked per MIL-STD-129. The guide specifies that military packaging applies to items requiring operational preservation during wartime deployment, reusable containers, delivery at sea, entry into the Defense Transportation and Distribution System, and storage exceeding six months. For items with less severe logistics paths, minimal packing requirements apply. Standard container types include overseas wood boxes and metal/plastic reusable containers for Level A packing, and domestic wood crates, weather-resistant fiberboard, and shipping sacks for Level B packing. Packaging requirement codes (PRC) from MIL-STD-2073-1E designate specific preservation methods, cleaning procedures, wrap materials, cushioning specifications, and container types. Markings must include identification data (NSN, CAGE code, part number, contract number, preservation method, gross weight), bar codes, address information using Military Shipping Labels, and special markings for hazardous materials, shelf-life, project codes, and fragile items. Quality assurance provisions require preservation inspections, leakage testing, and heat-sealed seam testing per specified methods. The document also addresses commercial packaging using ASTM D-3951 standards, palletization per MIL-STD-147, wood packaging material heat-treatment requirements, and RFID tag applications for supply chain visibility.