Military Shipping Label (MSL)
| Sample Military Shipping Label |
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When to Use Military Shipping Label
For most purposes, one MSL is placed on:
- Each loose (non-palletized) case or shipping container (crate)
- Each palletized unit load (but not on each case on the pallet)
- Each full railcar or full truckload
Unless specifically exempted in the contract, DoD and contractor or vendor shipping activities will apply address markings using a bar coded MSL (Mil-Std 129, para 4.2.1). Each shipment unit in a unitized load shall be marked with an MSL. For example, the shipment unit in a palletized unit load is the pallet (Mil-Std 129, para 4.2.2). Full rail carload and full truckload shipments moving as a single shipment unit from a single consignor to a single consignee require at least one completed MSL attached to the container or palletized load located closest to the door. Additional MSLs may be placed on other containers or palletized unit loads in the shipment (Mil-Std 129, para 4.3.2.11). A MSL is required on shipping containers, palletized unit loads, and unpacked items for less than rail carload and LTL lots Mil-Std 129, para 4.3.2.12). See Mil-Std 129, para 4.3.2.10 for details on MILVAN/SEAVAN MSL requirements.
- A shipment unit is not specifically defined in Mil-Std 129, but is commonly understood to be the outermost container by which the shipment will be handled. In a palletized unit load, as quoted above, the shipment unit is the pallet. Therefore it is assumed that in a non-palletized unit load, the shipment unit is the exterior container.
- A palletized unit load is a quantity of items, packed or unpacked, arranged on a pallet in a specified manner and secured, strapped, or fastened on the pallet so that the whole palletized load is handled as a single unit. A palletized or skidded load is not considered to be a shipping container. A loaded 463L System pallet is not considered to be a palletized unit load (Mil-Std 129, para 3.27).
Required MSL Markings
MSL Markings consist of both human readable and barcoded information on a recommended 4x6 inch label (Mil-Std 129, para 4.2.2). The below requirements apply to shipments that are not unit moves.Human readable information should be:
- Transportation Control Number (TCN)
- Transportation Account Code (TAC)/Postage - in some cases this may be left blank
- From - The consignor DODAAC/CAGE and address of the shipping activity
- Type Service - The type of transportation service to the "ship to" address (such as Frt LTL, Air Expss, Expss Mail, etc.)
- Ship to/POE - Ship-to address or, if applicable, the three-digit air/water point of embarkment (POE) code and its ship-to address
- Transportation Priority (1, 2, 3, or 4)
- POD - air/water Point of Debarkment three-digit code, if applicable
- Project code if applicable
- Ultimate Consignee/Mark For Consignee DODAAC and address
- Weight - Gross weight (lbs)
- RDD - Required delivery date if specified by the requisitioner
- Cube - Cubic feet rounded to the next whole digit
- Date shipped
- FMS (foreign military sales) case number, as appropriate
- Piece Number - the piece number of the cargo documented by the TCN for this shipment unit
- Total Pieces - Total number of pieces documented by the TCN for this shipment unit
Barcode information is also required:
- Code 39 linear barcodes (Mil-Std 129, para 4.2.2.b):
- Transportation Control Number (TCN),
- Piece number, and
- Ultimate Consignee/Mark For DoDAAC.
- A single two-dimensional (2D) barcode in a PDF417 symbology is required. See Mil-Std 129, para 4.2.2 and Table IV for details.
