# MIL-STD-130 IUID

> Source: https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/mil-std-130-iuid
> research date 2026-06-04 · extracted at 2026-10-03
> Publisher: Barcoder — encyclopedia of QR, barcode and payment-code standards

Specifications:
- [MIL-STD-130 — Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MIL-STD-130)
- [DFARS 252.211-7003 — Item Unique Identification and Valuation](https://www.acquisition.gov/dfars/252.211-7003-item-unique-identification-and-valuation.)

## Overview

**MIL-STD-130** — *"Identification Marking of U.S. Military Property"* — is the US Department of Defense standard that governs how items sold to or owned by the DoD are marked for identification <sup>[1][1]</sup>. Since roughly 2005 its central requirement has been a **machine-readable [Data Matrix](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/data-matrix) ECC 200** symbol carrying a **Unique Item Identifier (UII)**, the cornerstone of the DoD's **Item Unique Identification (IUID/UID)** program <sup>[1][1], [2][2]</sup>. MIL-STD-130 is the *marking* standard; **IUID** is the *policy* program that says which items must be uniquely identified and registers each UII in the central **DoD UID Registry** <sup>[1][1], [2][2]</sup>.

MIL-STD-130 does not define a new symbology — it **reuses Data Matrix ECC 200** ([Data Matrix](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/data-matrix), and where GS1 data syntax is chosen, [GS1 DataMatrix](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/gs1-datamatrix)) wrapped in the **ISO/IEC 15434** message envelope <sup>[1][1], [2][2]</sup>.

## History

MIL-STD-130 long predates 2D codes as a general military marking standard, but the modern, barcode-centric form dates to the DoD's IUID policy push of the mid-2000s, with the machine-readable Data Matrix requirement in force from **about 2005** <sup>[1][1]</sup>. The version in force is **MIL-STD-130N (with Change 1, dated 16 November 2012)**, which superseded the 17 December 2007 revision <sup>[1][1]</sup>. The marking obligation is imposed on contractors through the **DFARS Item Unique Identification clauses** — principally **DFARS 252.211-7003** for new acquisitions and **252.211-7007** for government-furnished property <sup>[1][1], [3][3]</sup>.

## Technical specification

**The UII and its constructs** <sup>[1][1], [2][2]</sup>:

The **Unique Item Identifier (UII)** is a globally unique string (up to ~50 characters of letters, digits, dashes and slashes) built one of two ways:

- **Construct 1** — *Enterprise serialization.* The UII is built from an **Issuing Agency Code (IAC)** + **Enterprise Identifier (EID)** (e.g. a CAGE code or DUNS number) + a **serial number** that the enterprise guarantees is globally unique and never reused. DoD increasingly discourages Construct 1 <sup>[1][1], [2][2]</sup>.
- **Construct 2** — *Part/lot serialization (most common).* IAC + EID + **original part number** (or lot/batch number) + **serial number** unique within that part number <sup>[1][1], [2][2]</sup>.

**Machine-readable carrier** <sup>[1][1], [2][2]</sup>:

- The mark must be a **Data Matrix ECC 200** symbol — the Machine-Readable Information (MRI) — accompanied by **Human-Readable Information (HRI)** text that matches it exactly.
- Crucially, the **UII data matrix does not store free-text item data itself** — it carries the structured identifier that links to the DoD UID Registry record <sup>[1][1]</sup>.
- **Module size 0.0075–0.025 in (0.19–0.635 mm)**; overall symbol generally **not exceeding 1 in per side**; down to ~0.001 in modules for the smallest components <sup>[2][2]</sup>.

**Data envelope and qualifiers** <sup>[1][1], [2][2]</sup>:

- Data is formatted in **ISO/IEC 15434** syntax with semantics per **ISO/IEC 15418** (or A4A/ATA CSDD) <sup>[1][1]</sup>.
- Three families of data qualifiers may key the fields: **Application Identifiers (AI)** — the GS1 system, as in [GS1 DataMatrix](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/gs1-datamatrix); **Data Identifiers (DI)** — ANSI MH10.8.2 / AIAG / CEA; and **Text Element Identifiers (TEI)** — A4A/SPEC2000 <sup>[2][2]</sup>. MIL-STD-130 thus allows the *same* UII to be expressed under any of several industry encodings — GS1, AIAG (B-4, B-17), A4A (SPEC2000, CSDD), CEA, or NASA-STD-6002 <sup>[1][1], [2][2]</sup>.

**Marking methods** <sup>[1][1], [2][2]</sup>:

- **Labels** (polyester / polyimide thermal-transfer), **metal nameplates** (laser-etched, Metalphoto), and **Direct Part Marking (DPM)** — dot-peen, laser engraving, electro-chemical etch, ink-jet, or stamping directly into the item.
- Quality is verified to a **minimum grade B (≈3.0 ISO/IEC)**, or **DPM grade 2.0 under AIM DPM** for direct-marked symbols; HRI text minimum height ~0.2 cm; sans-serif fonts <sup>[1][1], [2][2]</sup>.

## Use cases

- **DoD property marking** — the defining use: every serially managed or DoD-designated asset, and any item with a **unit acquisition cost of $5,000 or more**, must carry a UII Data Matrix when DFARS 252.211-7003 applies <sup>[1][1], [2][2]</sup>.
- **Lifecycle asset tracking** — the UII ties the physical item to its DoD UID Registry record covering acquisition date, cost, and service/disposition history <sup>[1][1]</sup>.
- **Harsh-environment items** — engine parts, weapons, avionics and ground vehicles where **DPM** survives the operational life that adhesive labels cannot <sup>[2][2]</sup>.

## Implementations

MIL-STD-130 marking rides on standard **Data Matrix ECC 200** tooling plus IUID-aware data-string construction and verification:

- **C** — [zint/zint][zint] — ~771★, active 2026. Encodes Data Matrix ECC 200, the carrier symbology for IUID <sup>[4][4]</sup>.
- **C** — [dmtx/libdmtx][libdmtx] — ~360★, actively maintained. Open-source Data Matrix ECC 200 encoder/decoder (`dmtxread` / `dmtxwrite`) widely used as a DPM-reading building block.
- **Verification hardware/software** — Cognex, Honeywell, Microscan/Omron and AIM-DPM-capable verifiers grade IUID marks (grade B / DPM 2.0) <sup>[2][2]</sup>.
- **DPM equipment** — dot-peen and laser markers from vendors such as Telesis, MECCO and SIC Marking produce compliant direct marks <sup>[2][2]</sup>.

(See [Data Matrix](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/data-matrix) and [GS1 DataMatrix](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/gs1-datamatrix) for the underlying symbology libraries.)

## Comparison

**vs. [GS1 DataMatrix](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/gs1-datamatrix)** — both use the **same [Data Matrix](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/data-matrix) ECC 200 symbology**, but differ in data semantics. GS1 DataMatrix uses the **GS1 Application Identifier** system with the FNC1 prefix; MIL-STD-130 IUID uses the broader **ISO/IEC 15434 envelope** and permits **Data Identifiers (DI)** and **Text Element Identifiers (TEI)** in addition to GS1 AIs — so a UII can be expressed in GS1, AIAG, or A4A encodings <sup>[1][1], [2][2]</sup>. GS1 DataMatrix is, in effect, *one allowed encoding* of a compliant IUID mark.

**vs. plain [Data Matrix](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/data-matrix)** — MIL-STD-130 constrains generic Data Matrix with mandatory ECC 200, UII construct rules, the ISO 15434 envelope, module-size and grade-B/DPM-2.0 quality, and required matching HRI <sup>[1][1], [2][2]</sup>.

**vs. [GS1 DataBar](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/gs1-databar) family** — categorically different domain: GS1 DataBar is **1D retail item/coupon marking**; MIL-STD-130 is **2D DoD asset identification** with a registry behind it. They do not overlap in use.

**vs. commercial serialization (e.g. pharma [GS1 DataMatrix](https://docs.barcoder.ai/docs/standards/gs1-datamatrix))** — both are serialized 2D marking programs, but MIL-STD-130 is registry-backed DoD property accountability rather than supply-chain anti-counterfeit traceability.

## Fun facts

The IUID Data Matrix is deliberately a **pointer, not a record** — "the UII data matrix does not contain information in itself"; scanning it yields the unique identifier that resolves against the DoD UID Registry, much like a license plate resolves against a vehicle database <sup>[1][1]</sup>.

MIL-STD-130 is unusually **ecumenical about encoding**: the same physical UII can be written under GS1, AIAG, A4A/ATA, CEA or NASA conventions, so a defense supplier already marking parts for automotive or aerospace customers can often reuse its existing Data Matrix infrastructure to satisfy the DoD <sup>[1][1], [2][2]</sup>.

## Status

**Active and mandatory.** The current revision is **MIL-STD-130N Change 1 (2012)**, enforced through DFARS 252.211-7003 / 252.211-7007 <sup>[1][1], [3][3]</sup>. IUID remains a standing DoD acquisition requirement with the UID Registry as the system of record; Data Matrix ECC 200 is entrenched as the carrier and no replacement is in view <sup>[1][1], [2][2]</sup>.

## Sources

[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MIL-STD-130
[2]: https://scanbot.io/blog/iuid-and-mil-std-130n-explained/
[3]: https://www.acquisition.gov/dfars/252.211-7003-item-unique-identification-and-valuation.
[4]: https://github.com/zint/zint
[libdmtx]: https://github.com/dmtx/libdmtx
[zint]: https://github.com/zint/zint

1. [MIL-STD-130 — Wikipedia][1]
2. [Item Unique Identification and MIL-STD-130N Explained — Scanbot SDK][2]
3. [DFARS 252.211-7003 Item Unique Identification and Valuation — Acquisition.gov][3]
4. [zint/zint — GitHub][4]

## Deployments

_No country reports mention this standard by name._

## Regions / aggregations not mapped to a single country

- Universal