How to Fill Out and Submit DD Form 1348-1A: Fields, Routing, and Signatures

To fill out DD Form 1348-1A, the Issue Release/Receipt Document, you enter the item’s National Stock Number, a unique document number, the unit of issue and quantity, a supply condition code, and any special-handling data required for the type of property, then route signed copies with the shipment so the receiving activity can sign for accountability. The form is the Department of Defense’s standard paperwork for moving government property between activities, and DLA Disposition Services treats it as the single most important document in any turn-in.¹

The blank fillable PDF is published by the DoD Executive Services Directorate at esd.whs.mil.² Many units never touch a blank copy because their ERP system or the Distribution Standard System generates the form automatically, but if you’re preparing one by hand, that’s the authoritative source. Field-by-field guidance lives in DLM 4000.25, Volume 2.³

The Core Data Fields

The form is one page of numbered blocks. Some blocks hold a single entry; others span record positions that track back to the old punch-card column numbers still used across DoD logistics systems. A handful of fields do most of the work.

National Stock Number (Block 25, positions 8–22)

The NSN is the 13-digit identifier that tells the federal supply system exactly what the item is. It consists of a four-digit Federal Supply Classification followed by a nine-digit National Item Identification Number, written as 1234-00-567-8901.⁴ If no official NSN exists, a Local Stock Number is allowed, but it must still carry the FSC plus enough identifying information (part number and noun description) for the receiving activity to verify the item. Certain critical Federal Supply Classes require the official NSN with no local substitute.⁵

Document Number (Block 24, positions 30–43)

This is the unique identifier that lets anyone in the supply chain trace the transaction. The format is your DoDAAC, followed by the Julian date of the request, followed by a serial number. For turn-ins to DLA Disposition Services, the document number must be unique to the turn-in transaction. Do not reuse the document number that was originally used to receive the material.⁵

Unit of Issue and Quantity (positions 23–24 and 25–29)

The Unit of Issue is a two-character code describing how the item is counted. “EA” means each; “BX” means box, which covers cartons, trays, and crates.⁶ Getting this wrong is one of the fastest ways to create a discrepancy between the physical count and what the supply system shows. If the property requires demilitarization, the quantity must be reported in readily verifiable amounts so the audit trail stays clean.⁵

Item Nomenclature (Block 17) and Additional Data (Block 27)

Block 17 is the plain-language description of the item, so a person who isn’t looking at the Federal Logistics Information System can confirm what the NSN refers to. Block 27 is the catch-all for anything that doesn’t fit into a numbered field: fund citations for scrap reimbursement, hazardous material handling codes, demilitarization certifications, and Item Unique Identification data when applicable.⁷ If Block 27 runs out of room, use an authorized continuation page.

Supply Condition Code (position 71)

Position 71 holds the Supply Condition Code, which tells the receiver whether the item is ready to use or headed for disposal. The two you’ll see most often:

Code A — Serviceable. New, used, repaired, or reconditioned material issuable to any customer without restriction, including items with more than six months of shelf life remaining.
Code H — Unserviceable (Condemned). Material determined unserviceable and not worth repairing, including condemned items, Type I shelf-life material past expiration, and Type II material past expiration that cannot be extended.

DLA Disposition Services is strict about this field because the code routes the property into reutilization, sale, or destruction channels. Without an accurate condition code, the receiving activity has no way to know whether the property fills a need or belongs in scrap.⁸

Serialized and Sensitive Items

Small arms, light weapons, Controlled Cryptographic Items, and anything requiring Item Unique Identification tracking bring extra requirements. When several serialized items appear on one transaction and Block 27 can’t hold every serial number, a continuation page captures the remainder and supports barcode scanning to verify each item individually.⁹ For small arms shipments, the “Type of Property Being Shipped” field must show “Small Arms Issue,” and serial numbers and IUID data need clear-text labeling using the standard acronyms: CAGE, P/N, BT/LT, S/N, and UII.⁷

Extra Fields for DLA Disposition Services Turn-Ins

A turn-in to DLA Disposition Services is the most common use of the 1348-1A, and it carries requirements beyond a routine warehouse-to-unit transfer. Every turn-in requires a properly prepared 1348-1A, and different property types may need additional attachments.¹⁰ Fill in the following before submission:

Disposal Authority (position 64): the code authorizing the disposal action.
Demilitarization Code (position 65): assigned per DoD 4160.21-M-1. If demilitarization was completed before transfer, note the certification in Block 27 or attach supporting documentation.
Unit Price (positions 74–80): the unit price for the NSN or part number in the stock number field.
Hazardous Material/Waste data: when applicable, Block 27 must include the bill-to fund code, the DoDAAC of the billing office, the contract line item number, and total disposal cost.

Property in special-handling categories, such as Flight Safety Critical Aircraft Parts and radioactive material, may trigger additional documentation under DoD Manual 4160.21 Volume 4.⁵

Copies and How to Route the Shipment

How many copies you print depends on how the form was produced. For automated (mechanized) generation, at least one printed copy must accompany the property in shipment and must carry all required barcodes. For manually prepared forms, one copy travels with the shipment and a second copy stays with the shipper as proof the property left their custody.⁷

Many installations now transmit the form’s data through DLMS transactions and store scanned images in DLA Document Services’ eDocs system. In that environment, a hard copy may not be required if every mandatory data element is present in the automated file. Until your installation confirms it operates fully in the electronic environment, assume paper copies still need to travel with the shipment.

Getting It Signed on Receipt

When the property arrives, the person accepting it signs Block 22 (“Received By”) and writes the date in Block 23.⁷ That signature formally shifts accountability from the shipping activity to the receiving activity. At DLA Disposition Services field offices, the signed form is scanned into eDocs as the official confirmation of receipt in the in-transit tracking system.

Before signing, inspect the shipment against the form. Verify the NSN, condition code, and quantity match what’s physically present. Once your signature is on Block 22, you own any discrepancy.

Who Is Authorized to Sign

Not just anyone in the receiving area can sign Block 22. The person accepting property must be formally authorized on a DA Form 1687, the Delegation of Authority for receipt of supplies. That form lists each authorized representative by name, grade, and signature, links them to the unit’s DoDAAC, and carries an expiration date. The responsible supply officer or accountable officer signs the 1687 to delegate receipt authority and accept responsibility for the actions of the people listed. If your name isn’t on a current 1687, your signature on a 1348-1A may not be recognized as a valid transfer of accountability.

Reporting a Discrepancy After Receipt

When the shipment doesn’t match the 1348-1A (wrong quantity, wrong item, damage in transit) submit a Supply Discrepancy Report. The paper form is SF 364, though many organizations now file electronically through the Web Supply Discrepancy Reporting system (WebSDR).¹¹ Submission timelines are prescribed in DLM 4000.25 Volume 2, Chapter 17, and missing the window means losing the ability to obtain billing adjustments. File promptly. Don’t wait to resolve things informally with the shipping activity, because the clock starts when the property arrives.

Record Retention

Keep signed copies long enough to survive audits and investigations. The DoD Financial Management Regulation (Volume 1, Chapter 9) sets retention by record type. For property and inventory records, the current standard is two years after the asset is disposed of or removed from the agency’s financial statements.¹² Individual services impose longer periods for audit readiness. The Marine Corps, for example, has required supply documentation to be retained for six years and three months, with certain Navy financial records held up to ten years.¹³ Follow your service regulation rather than the DoD-wide minimum. An old 1348-1A in a file cabinet has never caused a problem; a missing one has.

Why the Small Fields Matter

Gaps in a 1348-1A create real personal risk. When property documented on a 1348-1A turns up missing, damaged, or destroyed, the command opens a Financial Liability Investigation of Property Loss using DD Form 200. If the investigating officer can’t determine who property was issued to because the receipt documents are incomplete, the last person on the accountability chain, the one who failed to maintain proper hand receipts, typically absorbs the liability. A clean chain of signed 1348-1As is the best protection against becoming that person.

1
Defense Logistics Agency. DLA Disposition Services Turn-In Forms
2
Department of Defense. DD1348-1 – Executive Services Directorate
3
Defense Logistics Agency. ADC 1361 – Retirement of Legacy MILSTRIP Requisitioning Form DD1348-M
4
eCFR. 41 CFR 101-30.101-3 – National Stock Number
5
Defense Logistics Agency. Turn-In Forms (1348-1A)
6
Defense Logistics Agency. Unit of Issue Codes
7
Defense Logistics Agency. ADC 453 – Component Turn-In Documentation
8
Defense Logistics Agency. Condition Codes
9
Defense Logistics Agency. Additional Data Element Requirements for the DD Form 1348-1A Continuation Page
10
Headquarters, Department of the Army. Property Accountability Monthly Newsletter
11
GSA.gov. Report of Discrepancy (ROD)
12
Department of Defense. DoD FMR Volume 1, Chapter 9 – Financial Records Retention
13
United States Marine Corps. Clarification of Document Retention Requirements to Support Marine Corps Logistics Audit Readiness