MIL-STD-130

MIL-STD-130, "Identification Marking of U.S. Military Property," is a specification that describes markings required on items sold to the Department of Defense (DoD), including the addition, in about 2005, of UII (unique item identifier) Data Matrix machine-readable information (MRI) requirements.

CLIN (contract line items) are entered automatically into the UID database if request for payment was made using a DD250 form and sent using the government portal WAWF.

There are several label-making software programs and a handful of scanner-verifiers on the market that achieve the required syntax of a DoD UID data matrix.

There are also commercial data matrix that do not meet DoD standards, and the software that makes them is far less expensive; while they "look" the same they will not pass verification (a MIL-STD-130 requirement).

When clauses DFARS 252.211-7003 (new purchases) or DFARS 252.211-7007 (government owned equipment) are in the contract, assets and personal property priced at over $5,000 each on the contract or assets in the possession of the contractors costing over $5,000 must be marked with a unique serialized identification number in compliance with MIL-STD-130 either when the government buys them or as they are serviced.

Construct 1 is a quickie gap-filler that permits printing a string of cage-serial in sequence and carrying the strip to the location to slap them on any kind of item.

When reporting these the DoD would like much additional information, anything that can be pulled off the nameplate such as description, manufacturer, dates, and other key info.

However, many depots and hired hands doing this labeling are not including any info on what they're reporting so the DoD is going very cold on using Construct 1.

The type of materials can range from aluminium, stainless steel, polyester or polyimide adhesive-backed stickers.

However, there are many items that are excluded from this list, as they are either covered in other documentation, not subject to IUID (Item Unique Identification) marking, or they already carry an IUID-equivalent marking; such as the vehicle identification number (VIN) on a car or an electronic serial number (ESN) of a cell phone.

The exception to this is when Roman numerals are used to mark an object, in which case the item's specific documentation and standards should be consulted to determine which font to use.

Limited to 50 characters in compliance with ISO/IEC 15459–4, all DFARS mandated marks must meet the minimum of a Data Matrix ECC 200 symbol using ISO/IEC 15434 syntax with the semantics of ISO/IEC 15418 or ATA CSDD.

For items that are not subject to DFARS mandated marking, the Data Matrix ECC 200 symbol using ISO/IEC 15434 syntax and the semantics of ISO/IEC 15418 or ATA CSDD is preferred.

Furthermore, parts within an assembly or subassembly that are not expected to be removed, repaired, or replaced are exempt from MRI marking unless it is otherwise stated in the contract.

The section 3 of the standard clearly specifies those terms and helps product designers in offering a lucid definition about the items created for military.

There is no requirement it match the other part marking, for instance if the item were outsourced or is off-the-shelf, in which case the entity holding the Gov.