How to Fill Out and Attach DD Form 1574: Serviceable Tag

To fill out DD Form 1574, enter the item’s National Stock Number, description, quantity, and serial or lot number where applicable; assign the correct serviceable condition code (A, B, or C); record any required time-since-new, time-since-overhaul, and technical compliance annotations in the remarks block; and have an authorized inspector sign or stamp and date the tag before attaching the yellow cardstock tag to the item or its container. Every field that applies must be completed. A blank required block or an illegible entry can pull the item back out of the supply pipeline for re-inspection.

Assign the Correct Condition Code

Decide the condition code before you write anything else, because it governs how the item moves through the system. The Defense Logistics Agency defines three serviceable codes:1Defense Logistics Agency. Condition Codes

  • Code A, issuable without qualification. New, used, repaired, or reconditioned materiel that can go to any customer with no restriction. For shelf-life items, Code A applies when more than six months of shelf life remain.
  • Code B, issuable with qualification. Serviceable but restricted to specific units, activities, or geographic areas because of limited usefulness or a short remaining service life. Shelf-life items with three to six months remaining fall here.
  • Code C, priority issue. Serviceable but must be issued ahead of Code A and Code B stock to prevent losing a usable asset. This typically covers materiel with fewer than three months of shelf life remaining.

Check shelf-life data and any use restrictions before you write in the code. Tagging a priority-issue item as Code A means it sits on the shelf while fresher stock ships out, and it expires before anyone uses it.

Complete the Identifying Blocks

Air Force Technical Order 00-20-3 provides the most detailed publicly available guidance on which blocks require entries.2Tinker Air Force Base. T.O. 00-20-3 Work through the tag as follows:

  • NSN, part number, and item description. The 13-digit National Stock Number locates the item in the federal catalog. If the item also carries a manufacturer’s part number, include it alongside the NSN. Use the official nomenclature the supply system recognizes.3Defense Logistics Agency. National Stock Numbers
  • Serial number or lot number. Required only for items controlled and reported by serial or lot number. Copy it exactly as it appears on the data plate, including letters and special characters.
  • Quantity and unit of issue. Record both the count and the unit of measure, such as each, set, or pound.
  • Condition code. Enter A, B, or C.
  • Inspection activity. Identify the organization that performed the inspection.
  • Inspector’s name or stamp, and date. The inspector signs or applies an authorized inspection stamp.
  • Contract or purchase order number. Required only when the item is still under warranty and a contract number is available.
  • Next inspection due or overage date. Important for time-change components and shelf-life items so downstream users know when the item needs re-evaluation.

Fill In the Remarks Block

The remarks block is where most incomplete tags fall short. For many items it is not optional filler; it is where critical maintenance history lives.

Time-Change and Life-Limited Items

Any item subject to a time-change or life-limit requirement needs its operating-time data recorded using “TSN” (time since new) and “TSO” (time since overhaul):2Tinker Air Force Base. T.O. 00-20-3

  • New production assets that have never been used, overhauled, or repaired get “TSN = 0.0” and “TSO = 0.0,” followed by a description of the equipment the item installs on.
  • Repaired assets that were checked, tested, or given minor repair but not overhauled must show the total operating time since new and the time since overhaul. For engine components with mechanical tracking systems, TSN and TSO values are equal until the first overhaul.
  • Overhauled assets list both the accumulated time since new and the reset time since overhaul.

When the tag covers an assembly with multiple embedded time-change or life-limited parts, each of those parts needs its own TSN and TSO entry. If they do not all fit in the remarks block, write “see attached data” and attach a printed list to the tag.

Technical Compliance Annotations

When items return from maintenance to the supply activity, the remarks block must note the status of any applicable Time Compliance Technical Orders. Use one of these phrasings: “TCTO [number] complied with,” “All TCTOs as of [date] complied with,” or “TCTO [number] not complied with.” For COMSEC assets, the phrasing changes to “Modification (MOD) [number] complied with” or “MOD [number] not complied with.”2Tinker Air Force Base. T.O. 00-20-3

Who Can Sign or Stamp the Tag

Not just anyone can complete a DD Form 1574. The person signing must be an authorized inspector whose authority flows from specific command action. Under Air Force guidance, maintenance inspectors are personnel authorized by the Maintenance Group Commander or a designated representative to determine the final condition of property. The term can include quality assurance inspectors, augmentees, or designated maintenance supervisors.2Tinker Air Force Base. T.O. 00-20-3

Supply inspectors serve a parallel role, establishing and maintaining the identification and classification of all property received, stored, issued, or shipped. Logistics Readiness Squadron Commanders may issue supply inspectors their own inspection stamps. A stamp or signature is the inspector’s personal certification that they verified the item’s condition, not a formality.

Attach the Tag So It Stays Readable

Secure the tag to the item or its immediate container using wire or heavy-duty string threaded through the reinforced eyelet. Place it where supply handlers can read it without opening the packaging or moving the item.

For items stored outdoors or in uncontrolled environments, slip the tag into a plastic sleeve before attaching it. Weather damage that makes the tag illegible effectively strips the item of its serviceable identification, and it cannot be issued until someone inspects it again and writes a new one. This is one of the most preventable delays in the supply system.

If wire or string is impractical, use DD Form 1574-1, the self-adhesive label version. It captures the same data; the only difference is how it attaches. Peel and apply it to a clean, flat surface on the container.4DoD Forms Management Program. DD 1574-1 Serviceable Label – Materiel

Where to Get Blank Tags

DD Form 1574 is a controlled form. You will not find a downloadable PDF on any public-facing DoD website. The Executive Services Directorate lists the form but directs requestors to the Army’s Forms Management Branch to obtain copies.5DoD Forms Management Program. DoD Forms 1500-1999 In practice, units order the physical yellow tags through the standard military supply system.

How the Yellow Tag Fits the Color-Coded System

DD Form 1574 is one member of a family of color-coded condition tags that give handlers an instant visual read on what they are dealing with:

  • Yellow, DD Form 1574: serviceable, ready for issue.
  • Brown, DD Form 1575: suspended, under investigation or awaiting a disposition decision.
  • Blue, DD Form 1576: test or modification required before classification.
  • Red, DD Form 1577: unserviceable (condemned), not economically repairable.6DoD Forms Management Program. DD 1577 Unserviceable (Condemned) Tag – Materiel
  • Green, DD Form 1577-2: unserviceable (reparable), broken but worth fixing.

When an item changes condition, remove the old tag and attach the new one. Reference the previous tag on the new one so the paper trail stays intact.