Materiel Terms

TM 746-10

to protect the unit and intermediate packs and contents

c. Unserviceable,

economically

reparable

during shipment and storage. This can be a unit pack or

retrograde materiel.

Unserviceable, economically

a container with any combination of unit or intermediate

reparable materiel that is to be returned to the supply

packs.

system for repair or disposal.

d. Intermediate pack.

An interior pack which

d. Unserviceable materiel to be recycled.

contains two or more unit packs and bears adequate

Unserviceable materiel to be moved within a theater of

identification of its contents.

operations for repair or disposal.

e. Marking. The application by stamping, printing,

or painting on a container, tag, or item the necessary

1-6. General Packaging Operations

information to identify the item or contents such as stock

number, nomenclature, quantity and unit of issue, level

a. Disassembly. Unboxed, serviceable retrograde

of preservation and the date preservation was

materiel and unserviceable, economically reparable

performed, or any other special information required.

retrograde materiel should be disassembled, as

When applied to containers of retrograde or recyclable

practical, to achieve maximum reduction in cube prior to

materiel, original identification, precautionary, and

movement to a port of embarkation (POE). Parts

special handling markings shall be perpetuated

vulnerable to damage and pilferage and projecting parts

whenever possible.

whose removal will accomplish reduction in cube should

f Packing.

Assembling of items into unit,

be removed. The removed bolts, nuts, screws, pins,

intermediate, or exterior packs with necessary blocking,

and washers should be placed in one of the mating parts

bracing,

cushioning,

weatherproofing,

and

and secured. The removed parts that are vulnerable to

reinforcement.

pilferage should be placed in the basic issue item pack.

g. Palletization. The process of bonding cargo or

b. Matchmarking. Parts removed from equipment

placing a number of packages on a low portable

should be matchmarked to facilitate reassembly.

wooden, metal, or fiberboard platform for the purpose of

Removed parts and the matching parts that remain on

handling as a complete shipping unit. A palletized load

the disassembled item should be identically stenciled

may be shipped independently or loaded into another

(matchmarked) by letters or numbers if those parts are

container. It is also a basic method of unitization.

large enough to accept stenciling. When parts are too

h. Preservation.

The application of adequate

small to accommodate stenciling, information should be

protective measures including the use of appropriate

placed on cloth shipping tags attached to mated parts.

cleaning procedures, preservative materials, protective

c. Cleaning and drying. The cleaning of items by

wrappings, barrier materials, cushionings, interior

any of the approved processes is a prerequisite to the

containers, and complete identification markings up to,

success of subsequent preservation and packaging

but not including, the exterior shipping container.

operations. Cleaning must be thorough and cause no

i. Unitization.

Assembly of packs (unit,

injury to the item. Disassembly must be held to a

intermediate, or exterior) of one or more line items of

practicable minimum. After cleaning, items will be

supply into a single load so that the load can be handled

thoroughly dried to remove cleaning solutions or

as a single unit through the distribution system.

residual moisture. Methods of cleaning and drying are

Unitization (unitized loads/unit loads) encompasses

described in TM 38-230-1, with the basic requirements

consolidation in a container, placement on a pallet or

listed in MIL-P-116.

load base, or binding packs securely together.

d. Lubrication for preservation.

Serviceable

j. Unit pack. The first tie, wrap, or container

retrograde materiel and serviceable materiel which is to

applied to a single item, multiple thereof, or a group of

be recycled will be lubricated in accordance with the

identical items with the same stock number which

applicable lubrication order. All exposed oil can points

constitutes a complete and properly identified pack.

such as levers, latches, hinges, control rods, and

linkage, will be lubricated with preservative oil, P-9.

Parts will be manipulated to ensure thorough coverage.

1-5. Materiel Terms

Equipment cleaned by processes which remove

previously applied lubricants or contaminate previously

a. Serviceable

materiel

recycled.

applied lubricants will be relubricated. Unserviceable,

Serviceable materiel that is to be stocked and reused

economically reparable, major end items and

within the theater of operations.

recoverable

repair

b. Serviceable retrograde materiel. Serviceable

materiel that is to be returned to the supply system for

modification, repair, redistribution, or disposal.

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