Item Unique Identification (IUID Labels)

WHAT IS IUID?

IUID marking is a part of the compliance process mandated by the United States Department of Defense that is a set of data for assets that is globally unique and unambiguous. The technology used to mark an item is 2D Data Matrix ECC 200 Symbol. UID marking can be used to ensure data integrity throughout an item’s lifecycle. As per the Department of Defense, UID marking is a must for all solicitors issued on or after January 1, 2005. Also, the U.S. Department of Defense has made it mandatory for all federal contractors to have UID marking on their government furnished military equipment by September 30, 2007. Only after the products have UID marking containing uniquely identified numbers, they are eligible for IUID Registry.

IS THERE A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN UID AND IUID?

 The term UID is used in different ways, and most commonly refers to the marking label or tag on the asset. This is also referred to as UID code, UID Label, or UID Tag. This is trending towards being replaced by the term IUID, which is a better at conveying the focus on item specific identification. In short, the term UID stands for Unique Identification, while IUID stands for Item Unique Identification. UID is gradually being replaced by IUID as it more accurately represents the compliance standards for the governments requirements to track physical items such as personal property, as opposed to people or real property.

HOW WE MEET THE IUID STANDARDS

Every supplier is required to include IUID identification marking following specific, nomenclature as described in the Department of Defense Guide to Uniquely Identifying Items. the physical mark must also include a properly encoded 2D Data Metrix Barcode. At MAC Packaging, our in-house team has decades of experience with MIL-SPEC packaging and IUID requirements and can help you with all of your government contracts IUID requirements.

IUID LABEL SIZES

There are no specific requirements for a UID label size, as different assets require different sizes. MIL-STD-130 does not say that a specific size is required, but it is important to consider how much data you want to put on the label and how much room on the asset you have to place the label. For smaller items, standard sizes are 2 X 1, 3 X 1, and 1.75 X .50. For larger items, a common size is 4 x 2, which makes it easier to find the marking on larger assets.