Welcome to the Shelf-Life website
Shelf-Life is the total period of time beginning with the date of manufacture,
cure, assembly, or pack (subsistence only), that an item may remain in the
combined wholesale (including manufacturer's) and retail storage systems, and
still remain usable for issue and/or consumption by the end user.
Each item that meets the shelf-life criteria is assigned a National Stock Number
(NSN) and a specific shelf-life code. Typical shelf-life items include food,
medicines, batteries, paints, sealants, adhesives, film, tires, chemicals,
packaged petroleum products, hoses/belts, mission-critical o-rings, and
Nuclear/Biological/Chemical equipment and clothing.
The Shelf-Life code identifies the shelf-life time period by which an item must
be used, or subjected to inspection/test/restoration or disposal action. These
codes are identified in Appendix A of the DoD 4140.27-M, and consist of two
types, Type I and Type II. Type I is an individual item of supply which is
determined through an evaluation of technical test data and/or actual
experience, to be an item with a definite non-extendible period of Shelf-Life,
and ends with the expiration date. Type II is an individual item of supply
having an assigned shelf-life time period that may be extended after completion
of inspection, test, or restorative action, and is identified by an
inspection/test/date.
The policies for optimizing shelf-life materiel are contained in
DoD 4140.27-M, Shelf-Life Management Manual, as authorized by DoD
Directive 4140.1, Materiel Management Policy. This policy provides for the
supply chain (life-cycle management) of standard and hazardous shelf-life items
contained in the federal supply system.