Unit and Intermediate Container Marking
When to Use Unit Pack and Intermediate Container Markings
| Sample Labels |
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| Unit Pack or Intermediate Container Label |
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| Unit Pack or Intermediate Container Label with Serial Number |
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| Unit Pack or Intermediate Container Label with UID |
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Unless specifically exempted in the contract or solicitation, the following identification information shall be marked on all unit packs and intermediate containers... Additional identification markings may be required by the contract... Unit packs used as exterior containers at the time of packaging shall be marked in accordance with 4.1.2. (Mil-Std 129, para 4.1.1) Para 4.1.2 specifies Exterior Container Marking, so Unit Packs that are also the Exterior Container will be marked as Exterior Containers.
- A unit pack is the first tie, wrap, or container applied to a single item, or a quantity thereof, or to a group of items of a single stock number, preserved or unpreserved, which constitutes a complete or identifiable package. (Mil-Std 129, para 3.48)
- An intermediate container is a wrap, box, or bundle containing two or more unit packs of identical items. Normally one or more intermediate packages will be bundled to make a shipping container. (Mil-Std 129, para 3.17).
Required Unit Pack and Intermediate Container Markings
Unit Pack and Intermediate Container Markings consist of both human readable and barcode.Human readable information should be (in order listed)(Mil-Std 129, para 4.1.1):
- National Stock Number (NSN) or NATO stock number with dashes or spaces and any prefixes or suffixes. If no NSN is assigned, then this line may be omitted.
- CAGE of the Prime Contractor.
- Part Number from the contract or order must be used if one is cited. Otherwise the prime contractor part number may be used or part number can be left blank.
- Item description or nomenclature, exactly as it appears on the contract, purchase order, or requisition (abbreviated if necessary).
- Quantity and Unit of Issue.
- Contract number or purchase order number with dashes, i.e., DAAB07-96-C-1234.
- Military preservation method and date of unit preservation. If a military preservation method doesn’t apply, the method space will be left blank. If a preservation date doesn’t apply, the pack date will be shown.
- Gross Weight.
- Shelf Life markings, as appropriate. (Mil-Std 129, para 5.2.1)
- Serial Number, if assigned.
- NSN/NATO stock number (without dashes, spaces, prefix or suffix unless other specified in contract), if one is assigned.
- Serial Number(s).
Other Markings
- When appropriate, you must also apply Ammunition and Hazardous Material Markings.
- Barcode markings are different for shipments of UID items.
