Military
Shipping Label
What are MSLs, ECLs, UCLs and ICLs?
MIL-STD-129 specifies four (4) label types: MSL, ECL, UCL, and ICL. The quantity and type of each you need depends on how your shipment is packed, whether individual boxes or a Palletized Load, and your contract’s RFID requirement (DFARS 252.211- 7006).
MSL
Is the DoD’s address label. Specifies Ship To and Ship From Addresses and other transportation information. Includes both human-readable data and machine-readable barcodes.
- DoD’s address label
- Must be 4” x 6”
- Ship-To and Ship-From Addresses
- Ship Date
- Weight (lbs)
- Volume (cubic ft)
- Shipment Method
- Transportation Priority (TP)
- Transportation Control Number (TCN)
MSLs are required for every shipment by the type of shipment.
- Palletized Loads require 1 MSL per pallet
- Individual Shipping Container shipments require 1 MSL per Exterior Container
EXPEDITER™ gives you a choice to purchase MSL’s as:
Printed, peel-and-stick labels with or without an embedded RFID chip
or
uPrint-it PDFs, emailed to you for printing on your laser printer
Size Options
4” x 6”
ECL
Exterior
Container Label
Is one of the labels that the DoD uses to identify a container’s Contents and Contract information. Includes both human-readable data and a machine-readable PDF416 data matrix code.
- DoD’s contents label for outer containers
- Must be 4” x 6”
- Procurement Instrument Identifier (PIID) – used to becalled Contract number
- Contract Line Item Number(CLIN)
- National Stock Number(NSN)
- Contract holder CAGE code
- Part Number (PN)
- Quantity and Unit of Issue(U/I)
- Shipment Number
- Serial Numbers if items are serialized or have UID
ECLs are required for:
- Palletized Loads require 1 ECL per Exterior Container. If RFID is required, then both the MSL and all ECLs must have RFID.
- Individual Shipping Container shipments
EXPEDITER™ gives you a choice to purchase ECL’s as:
Printed, peel-and-stick labels with or without an embedded RFID chip
or
uPrint-it PDFs, emailed to you for printing on your laser printer
Size Options
4” x 6”
UCL
Unit
Container Label
Is one of the labels that the DoD uses to identify a container’s Contents and Contract information for each Unit of Issue (U/I). Includes both human-readable data and a machine-readable PDF416 data matrix code.
- Procurement Instrument Identifier (PIID) – used to be called Contract number
- National Stock Number (NSN)
- Contract holder CAGE code
- Part Number (PN)
- Item Description/ Nomenclature
- Quantity and Unit of Issue (U/I)
- Method and Date of Preservation
- Serial Numbers if items are serialized or have UID
UCLs are required for:
- Each Unit Container requires 1 UCL
EXPEDITER™ gives you a choice to purchase UCL’s as:
Printed, peel-and-stick labels
or
uPrint-it PDFs, emailed to you for printing on your laser printer
Size Options
4” x 2” or 2-1/2” x 1-9/16”
ICL
Intermediate
Container Label
The ICL is used for any added layer of packaging between the UCL and the ECL. The data included on the ICL is identical to the UCL, with the variable the quantity of units enclosed.
- Procurement Instrument Identifier (PIID) – used to be called Contract number
- National Stock Number (NSN)
- Contract holder CAGE code
- Part Number (PN)
- Item Description/ Nomenclature
- Quantity and Unit of Issue (U/I)
- Method and Date of Preservation
- Serial Numbers if items are serialized or have UID
ICLs are required for:
- Each layer of packaging between the Unit Container and Exterior Container requires 1 ICL
EXPEDITER™ gives you a choice to purchase ICL’s as:
Printed, peel-and-stick labels
or
uPrint-it PDFs, emailed to you for printing on your laser printer
Size Options
4” x 2” or 2-1/2” x 1-9/16”
RFID
Radio Frequency IDentification
DFARS 252.211-7006 requires an EPC C1G2 RFID semiconductor chip encoded with a 24 digit tracking number encoded per DoD’s format. When you order RFID at EXPEDITER™ , we embed it in the MSL(s) if the shipment is individual shipping containers or in both MSL’s and ECL(s) if the shipment is a Palletized Load. (See MIL-STD-129 Learning Center: What is RFID?)
MIL-STD-129 SHIPMENT TYPES
MIL-STD-129 defines two (2) types of Shipments:
1. Individual Shipping Container
Such as a box, crate, reel, barrel, etc
2. Palletized Load
Two or more containers on a pallet
MIL-STD-129 CONTAINER TYPES
MIL-STD-129 defines three (3) types of Containers:
1. Unit Container
2. Intermediate Container *
3. Exterior Container **
| Notes: | * Not all shipments have Intermediate Containers. ** An Exterior Container that contains one (1) unit of issue may not even require a Unit Container. |
SHIPMENT & CONTAINER & LABEL TYPES
