SECTION C

QUALITY ASSURANCE PROVISIONS AND PACKAGING REQUIREMENTS FOR CID A-A-59489, MATCHES, 

SAFETY 23 March 2000

 SUPERSEDING 

17 February 2000 

C-1 ITEM DESCRIPTION 

 Type. 

Type I, Class A – Paper, 20 splint book 

 Packages. 

Package A. Meal, Cold Weather (MCW) 

 Package B. Food Packet, Long Range Patrol (LRP) 

 Package C. Meal, Ready to Eat (MRE) 

Each component is used by combat personnel under worldwide environmental extremes as part 

of an operational ration. 

C-2 PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS

 A. Product standard. A sample shall be subjected to first article or product 

demonstration model inspection as applicable, in accordance with the tests and 

inspections of Section E of this Quality Assurance Provision and Packaging Requirements 

document. 

 B. Shelf life. The matches shall meet the minimum shelf life requirement of 36 months 

at 80o

F. 

 C. Overall appearance. The finished product shall be equal to or better than the 

approved product standard in overall appearance. 

 D. Color of match book. The matchbook for Packages A, B and C shall be colored a drab 

green, tan or brown 

SECTION D

D-1 PACKAGING

 A. Packaging. Matches shall be packaged in accordance with ASTM D 3951, standard 

Practice for Commercial Packaging. 

D-2 LABELING

 A. Labeling. Each book of matches shall be clearly printed or stamped in a manner 

that does not damage the item, with permanent black ink or any other contrasting color, 

which is free of carcinogenic elements or ingredients. Each book shall be labeled with 

the contractor’s name and address. Commercial advertising is not permitted. The cover of 

each book shall be labeled with the following statement: 

CLOSE COVER BEFORE STRIKING 

D-3 PACKING

 A. Packing for shipment to ration assembler. Not more than 40 pounds of product shall 

be packed in a fiberboard shipping container constructed in accordance with style RSC-L, 

class domestic, variety SW, grade 200 of ASTM D 5118, Standard Practice for Fabrication 

of Fiberboard Shipping Boxes. Each container shall be securely closed in accordance with 

ASTM D 1974, Standard Practice for Methods of Closing, Sealing, and Reinforcing 

Fiberboard Shipping Containers. 
D-4 MARKING

 A. Shipping containers. Shipping containers shall be marked in accordance with DPSC 

Form 3556, Marking Instructions for Shipping Cases, Sacks and Palletized/Containerized 

Loads of Perishable and Semiperishable Subsistence. 

SECTION E INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE

The following quality assurance criteria, utilizing ANSI/ASQC Z1.4-1993, Sampling 

Procedures and Tables for Inspection by Attributes, are required. When required, the 

manufacturer shall provide the certificate(s) of conformance to the appropriate 

inspection activity. Certificate(s) of conformance not provided shall be cause for 

rejection of the lot. 

 A. Definitions. 

(1) Critical defect. A critical defect is a defect that judgment and experience 

indicate would result in hazardous or unsafe conditions for individuals using, 

maintaining, or depending on the item; or a defect that judgment and experience indicate 

is likely to prevent the performance of the major end item, i.e., the consumption of the 

ration. 

(2) Major defect. A major defect is a defect, other than critical, that is likely 

to result in failure, or to reduce materially the usability of the unit of product for 

its intended purpose. 

(3) Minor defect. A minor defect is a defect that is not likely to reduce 

materially the usability of the unit of product for its intended purpose, or is a 

departure from established standards having little bearing on the effective use or 

operation of the unit. 

 B. Classification of inspections. The inspection requirements specified herein are 

classified as follows: 

(1) Product standard inspection. The first article or product demonstration model 

shall be inspected in accordance with the provisions of this Quality Assurance Provisions 

and Packaging Requirements document and evaluated for palatability and overall 

appearance. Any failure to conform to the performance requirements or any appearance or 

palatability failure shall be cause for rejection. 

(2) Conformance inspection. Conformance inspection shall include the product 

examination and the methods of inspection cited in this section. 

E-5 QUALITY ASSURANCE PROVISIONS (PRODUCT)

 A. Product examination. The finished product shall be examined for compliance with 

the performance requirements specified in CID A-A-59489 and Section C of this Quality 

Assurance Provisions and Packaging Requirements document utilizing the double sampling 

plans indicated in ANSI/ASQC Z1.4-1993. The lot size shall be expressed in books. The 

sample unit shall be the contents of one book. The inspection level shall be S-3 and the 

acceptable quality level (AQL), expressed in terms of defects per hundred units, shall be 

1.5 for major defects and 4.0 for minor defects. Defects and defect classifications are 

listed in Table I. 
TABLE I. Product defects 1/ 

Category Defect 

Major Minor

101 Match not made of splint board. 

102 Quantity of matches per book not as specified. 

103 Dimensions of match not as specified. 

104 Striking surface not as specified. 

201 Color of matchbook not as specified. 

202 Labeling missing, incorrect or illegible. 

203 Head material not evenly applied. 

204 Splints broken, split, crushed, adhering, chipped, or cracked. 

1/ Finished product not equal to or better than the approved product standard in overall 

appearance shall be cause for rejection of the lot. 

 B. Methods of Inspection. 

(1) Shelf life. The contractor shall provide a certificate of conformance that the 

product has a 3 year shelf life when stored at 80°F. Government verification may include 

storage for 6 months at 100°F or 36 months at 80°F. Upon completion of either storage 

period, the product will be subjected to product examination and performance testing in 

accordance with E-5,A of this document and A-A-59489. 

E-6 QUALITY ASSURANCE PROVISIONS (PACKAGING AND PACKING MATERIALS)

 A. Packing. 

(1) Shipping container and marking examination. The filled and sealed shipping 

containers shall be examined for the defects listed in table II below. The lot size shall 

be expressed in shipping containers. The sample unit shall be one shipping container 

fully packed. The inspection level shall be S-3 and the AQL, expressed in terms of 

defects per hundred units, shall be 4.0 for major defects and 10.0 for total defects. 

TABLE II. Shipping container defects

Category Defect 

Major Minor

101 National stock number, item description, contract number, name and 

address of producer, or date of pack missing, incorrect, or 

illegible. 

102 Container not closed properly. 

201 Other required markings missing, incorrect, or illegible. 

202 More than 40 pounds of product. 

SECTION J REFERENCE DOCUMENTS

DPSC FORM 

 DPSC FORM 3556 - Marking Instructions for Shipping Cases, Sacks and 

 Palletized/Containerized Loads of Perishable and Semiperishable 

 Subsistence 
NON-GOVERNMENTAL STANDARDS 

 AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR QUALITY CONTROL (ASQC) 

 ANSI/ASQCZ1.4-1993 - Sampling Procedures and Tables for Inspection by Attributes 

 AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR TESTING AND MATERIALS (ASTM) 

 D 1974 - Standard Practice for Methods of Closing, Sealing, and Reinforcing 

 Fiberboard Shipping Containers 

 D 3951 – Standard Practice for Commercial Packaging 

 D 5118 - Standard Practice for Fabrication of Fiberboard Shipping Boxes