Military Standard 129 Marking and Shipping Label Requirements – GSA Guidance Document

This document provides GSA vendor partners with instructional guidance on compliance with Military Standard 129R (Mil-Std-129R) for marking and shipping containers and packages. The guidance covers marking requirements for unit packs, intermediate containers, and exterior containers, specifying that identification text must include barcode NSN with hyphens, NSN with dashes, cage code, part number (as specified in the contract or assigned by the government), nomenclature, quantity and unit of issue, contract or purchase order number, batch/lot number, shelf-life marking, TCN number when available, and military preservation method with dates. The document emphasizes that where guidance deviates from the current version of Mil-Std-129R, the standard takes precedence, and vendors are responsible for ensuring full compliance with the most updated requirements.

The document includes detailed specifications for Military Shipping Labels (MSLs) required for all shipping addresses, with 18 required data fields including Transportation Control Number (TCN), Transportation Account Code/postage, consignor DODAAC/CAGE, type of service, priority, port of debarkation, project code, weight, cube dimensions, RDD code, date shipped, FMS case number, and piece and barcode information. Additional marking requirements apply to exterior containers for domestic military activities and export shipments, which must include PSN/HAZMAT identification numbers. The document references Federal Standard 123 for domestic civilian deliveries, GSAM Clause 552.211-73 for general marking requirements, and ASTM D-3951 standards for packaging. Guidance also addresses hazardous materials marking, wood packaging material requirements for export shipments per GSAM 552.211.89, PRIME item packaging restrictions, and formaldehyde emission standards for composite wood products per TSCA Title VI regulations.