FAQ

The methods and materials described in Federal or military specifications, standards, drawings, or other authorized documents or systems designed to prevent damage or deterioration during distribution or storage of material.

A means of specifying the level of military preservation and packing that a given item requires to assure that is not degraded during shipment and storage. Specific levels of protection are as follows:

• Military Levels of Preservation
  • Preservation designed to protect an item during shipment, handling, indeterminate storage, and distribution to consignees worldwide.
• Military Levels of Packing
  • (1) Level A: Protection required to meet the most severe worldwide shipment, handling, and storage conditions. A level A pack must, in tandem with the applied preservation, be capable of protecting material from the effects of direct exposure to extremes of climate, terrain, and operational and transportation environments.
  • (2) Level B: Protection required to meet moderate worldwide shipment, handling, and storage conditions. A Level B pack must, in tandem with applied preservation, be capable of protecting material not directly exposed to extremes of climate, terrain, and operational and transportation environments.

The processes and procedures used to protect material against corrosion, deterioration, and physical damage during shipment, handling, and storage. As applicable, preservation includes cleaning, drying, application of preservative, wrapping, cushioning, containers (unit and intermediate) and complete identification markings up to but not including the exterior shipping container.

MIL-PRF and MIL-DTL -117H can be very confusing. MIL-PRF describes the performance standard and MIL-DTL-117H describes the packaging method. MIL-PRF is followed by additional codes such as MIL-PRF-131K, MIL-PRF-121G, MIL-PRF-22191-E, and MIL-PRF-81705-E. Each of these codes also corresponds to a packaging method. For instance MIL-PRF-131K Class 1 corresponds to MIL-DTL-117H-Type I-Class E-Style 1. These codes refer to such information as heavy duty, water/vaporproof, greaseproof, etc.