A-A-52190C 

 October 19, 2015 

 SUPERSEDING 

 A-A-52190B 

 April 16, 2009 

COMMERCIAL ITEM DESCRIPTION 

DISPENSER, LIQUID, INSULATED 

The General Services Administration has authorized the use of this Commercial 

Item Description as a replacement for Military Specification MIL-D-43916. 

1. SCOPE. This commercial item description covers plastic insulated liquid dispensers 

for transporting hot or cold beverages. 

2. CLASSIFICATION/PART OR IDENTIFICATION NUMBER (PIN). 

2.1 The liquid dispensers shall be in the following sizes and classes (see 7.2): 

 Size 1 - 2-1/2 gallon capacity 

 Size 2 - 5 gallon capacity 

 Class 1 - Desert Sand (color No. 30279) 

 Class 2 - Green (color No. 34094 or 34095) 

2.2 Part or Identification Number (PIN). The following PIN procedure is for government 

purposes. 

 A 52190 -1 -1 (Example of a PIN: A52190-1-1) 

 

 Class (See 2.1) 

 Size (See 2.1) 

 CID number 

 Designates a Commercial Item Description 

Beneficial comments, recommendations, additions, deletions, clarifications, etc. and any 

other data which may improve this document should be sent to: Defense Logistics Agency 

(DLA) Troop Support, ATTN: DLA-FTSA, 700 Robbins Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19111-

5092 or via E-mail: dscpsubsweb@dla.mil. Since contact information can change, you may 

want to verify the currency of this address information using the ASSIST Online database at 

https://assist.dla.mil. 

AMSC N/A FSC 7320 

INCH-POUND
A-A-52190C 

3. SALIENT CHARACTERISTICS. 

3.1 Design. The liquid dispenser shall consist of a sealed insulated body with a faucet, two 

easy-grip, molded-in carrying handles, four snap action high strength plastic cover latches, 

recessed, molded-in, latch backing plates, and a cover with a gasket. The liquid dispenser shall 

meet the requirements as specified in Table I and Figure 1. 

TABLE I. Maximum Dimensions 

______________________________________________________________________________ 

 Width Length Height 

 Size (inches) (inches) (inches) 

______________________________________________________________________________ 

 1 9 17 18-1/2 

 2 9 17 24-1/2 

Note: The dispensers shall stack and rest one upon another without binding or wobbling. 

______________________________________________________________________________ 

3.1.1 Body. The body’s inner shell and outer shell shall be made of high density plastic, which 

is FDA food grade approved, and contain urethane foam insulation to comply with the thermal 

performance requirements specified in 3.2. A recessed faucet shall be located on the 9-inch wide 

side. The faucet and cover latches shall not extend beyond the surface of the dispenser. 

Clearance between the bottom of the dispenser and the bottom of the faucet shall not be less than 

4 inches. The faucet shall be located at the lowest point of the inner surface which shall be 

sloped to provide complete drainage. 

3.1.2 Cover. The cover shall be sealed, double walled, made of high density plastic, and contain 

urethane foam insulation to comply with the thermal performance requirements specified in 3.2. 

The top surface of the cover shall have four depressions to accommodate the cover latches and a 

hand grip for removing the cover. The cover shall be furnished with a removable gasket and an 

anti splash air-vent. 

3.1.3 Faucet. The faucet shall have two positions, self closing and continuous flow type, and 

shall be easily removed from the dispenser for cleaning and reassembling without the use of 

tools. The faucet body, bonnet, and handle shall be made of black nylon or black high density 

plastic. 

3.2 Thermal performance. 

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A-A-52190C 

3.2.1 Hot. When the dispenser is filled with water at a temperature of 180o

F +2oF, the 

dispenser shall lose no more than 40oF in a 4 hour period when tested at -20oF +5oF. Prior to 

testing, the test dispenser shall be preheated by filling with water at a temperature of 180oF +5oF, 

installing the dispenser cover, and holding for 10 minutes, empty, and then test as specified 

above. 

3.2.2 Cold. When the dispenser is filled with water at a temperature of 33oF +2oF, -0oF, the 

dispenser shall gain no more than 12oF in a 4 hour period when tested at 120oF +5oF. Prior to 

testing, the test dispenser shall be pre-chilled by filling with a mixture of ice and water, installing 

the dispenser cover, and holding for 10 minutes, empty, and then test as specified above. 

3.3 Codes and standards. The insulated food containers shall comply with the requirements 

of NSF International Standard No. 18. 

3.4 Molded identification marking (“Government unique” requirement see 7.4). When specified 

(see 7.2), the insulated liquid dispenser shall be furnished with its identification information 

molded into the surface of the container, and shall meet the applicable NSF International sanitary 

requirements. The information required shall be as follows: 

 National Stock Number 

 Manufacturer’s Name and Address 

 Manufacturer’s Model Number 

3.5 Finish. The surface of the liquid dispenser shall comply with the finish requirements of NSF 

International Standard No. 18. If the exterior surface is textured, a smooth area shall be centered 

on one end for attachment of a stick-on label for identifying contents by the user. 

3.5.1 Caution. Each liquid dispenser shall be permanently, conspicuously, and legibly marked 

with the following: 

DO NOT USE FOR MILK OR MILK PRODUCTS 

3.6 Workmanship. The liquid dispensers shall be complete, clean and free of scratches, dents, 

breaks, sharp edges and corners, and deformities. 

3.7 Classes (“Government unique” requirement see 7.4). The body and cover of the two sizes of 

dispensers shall be either desert sand (class 1) conforming to color No. 30279 of FED-STD-595, 

or green (class 2) conforming to color No. 34094 or 34095 of FED-STD-595 (see 7.2). 

3.8 Recycled, recovered, environmentally preferable, or biobased materials. Recycled, 

recovered, environmentally preferable, or biobased materials should be used to the maximum 

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A-A-52190C 

extent possible, provided that the material meets or exceeds the operational and maintenance 

requirements, and promotes economically advantageous life cycle costs. 

4. REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS. 

4.1 Recycled recovered materials. The offeror/contractor is encouraged to use recovered 

materials to the maximum extent practicable, in accordance with paragraph 23.403 of the 

Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR). 

5. PRODUCT CONFORMANCE PROVISIONS. 

5.1 Product conformance. The contractor shall certify, and maintain substantiating evidence, 

that the product offered meets the salient characteristics and requirements of this Commercial 

Item Description, and except for any Government unique requirements specified, conforms to 

the producer’s own drawings, specifications, standards, and quality assurance practices, and is 

the same product offered for sale in the commercial marketplace, or is the same product that has 

successfully been delivered to the Government on a previous contract or purchase order. The 

Government reserves the right to require proof of such conformance prior to first delivery and 

thereafter as may be otherwise provided for under the provisions of the contract. 

5.2 Metric products. Products manufactured to metric dimensions will be considered on an 

equal basis with those manufactured using inch-pound units, provided they fall within the 

tolerances specified using conversion tables contained in the latest revision of FED-STD-376, 

and all other requirements of this Commercial Item Description are met. If a product is 

manufactured to metric dimensions and those dimensions exceed the tolerances specified in the 

inch-pound units, a request should be made to the contracting officer to determine if the product 

is acceptable. The contracting officer has the option of accepting or rejecting the product. 

5.3 NSF International standard compliance. Prior to approval of the first shipment, the 

contractor shall submit satisfactory evidence to the contracting officer or his authorized 

representative that the liquid dispensers conform to the applicable requirements of NSF 

International Standard No. 18. Acceptable evidence of meeting the requirements of NSF 

International Standard No. 18 shall be a listing in the current edition of the NSF International 

“Listing of Food Service Equipment” and display of the NSF International mark on the finished 

product, or a certified test report from a recognized independent laboratory acceptable to the 

medical authority of the Government indicating the item complies with the applicable NSF 

International requirements. Acceptability of the testing laboratory by the medical authority of 

the Government will be obtained prior to the award of any contract of procurement document. 

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A-A-52190C 

6. PACKAGING. 

6.1 Preservation, packing, and marking. The preservation, packing, and marking shall be as 

specified in the contract or purchase order (see 7.2). 

7. NOTES. 

7.1 Intended use. The insulated liquid dispensers are intended for use in transporting either hot 

(180oF to 200oF) or cold (35oF to 40oF) liquids to remote field feeding sites. 

7.2 Acquisition requirements. Acquisition documents must specify the following: 

a. CID document number, revision, and CID PIN. 

b. Size and class of dispensers required (see 2.1 and 3.7). 

c. When molded identification marking is required (see 3.4). 

d. Type of packing required (see 6.1). 

e. When palletization of shipping containers is required (see 6.1). 

7.3 Sources for documents. 

7.3.1 Source of information for nongovernmental document is as follows: 

Copies of NSF International Standard No. 18 may be obtained from: NSF International, 

P.O. BOX 130140, Ann Arbor, MI 48105, telephone (734) 769-8010 or on the Internet at:

http://www.nsf.org. 

7.3.2 Source of information for governmental document is as follows: 

Copies of military and Federal documents are available from: ASSIST Online 

(https://assist.dla.mil) or ASSIST Quick Search (http://quicksearch.dla.mil/ or from the 

Standardization Documents Order Desk, Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) Document Services, 

Building 4D, 700 Robbins Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19111-5094. 

7.4 “Government unique” requirements. Whenever a “Government unique” requirement 

is included in the title of a paragraph under “Salient Characteristics”, it is meant that the 

requirement is something that is not normally offered to the commercial marketplace by the 

manufacturer. 

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A-A-52190C 

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A-A-52190C 

MILITARY INTERESTS: CIVIL AGENCY COORDINATING ACTIVITY: 

 Custodians: GSA - FSS 

 Army - GL PREPARING ACTIVITY: 

 Navy - SA 

 Air Force - 99 DLA - SS 

 Review Activities: (Project No. 7320-2015-005) 

 Army - AV, MD, QM 

 Navy - MC 

 Air Force - 35, 84 

NOTE: The activities listed above were interested in this document as of the date of this 

document. Since organizations and responsibilities can change, you should verify the currency 

of the information above using the ASSIST Online database at https://assist.dla.mil. 

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