Ammunition box



An ammunition box or cartridge box is a container designed for safe transport and storage of ammunition. It is typically made of metal, wood, and corrugated fiberboard, etc. Boxes are labelled with caliber, quantity, and manufacturing date, lot number, UN dangerous goods labels.

With a metal container, rubber gasket is commonly found in the hinged lid to protect the ammunition from moisture damage. With other containers, plastic bags and desiccants can be used.

The resealing ammunition box is largely a NATO tradition. Warsaw Pact nations typically stored and transported ammunition in single-use "spam cans". They had crates that had a sealed zinc lining on the inside.

Commercial ammunition boxes
Some enthusiasts and investors collect historical ammunition boxes.

Storage
Due to their durable construction, used metal ammunition boxes are popularly re-used for general storage and other purposes. They are a popular choice for geocaching containers. Used ammunition boxes have lead and propellant residue inside, so they should not be used to store food or drink. Commercially-made new or fully reconditioned used boxes do not have this problem. Used boxes are often sold at military surplus stores.

Regulations
Shipments of explosives and similar hazards are highly regulated. Based on the UN Recommendations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods model regulations, each country has coordinated design and performance requirements for shipment. For example, in the US, the Department of Transportation has jurisdiction and published requirements in Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations.

The applicable regulation depends on the level of hazard, quantity being shipped, mode of transit, etc.

selected US specifications
SHIPMENT OF PROJECTILE METAL PARTS AND PROJECTILE AMMUNITION
 * MIL-B-2427  MILITARY SPECIFICATION: BOX, AMMUNITION PACKING: WOOD, NAILED (30-AUG-1984)
 * MIL-B-3060, MILITARY SPECIFICATION: BOXES, SMALL ARMS AMMUNITION: M19A1 AND M2A1 (12 DEC 1979)
 * MIL-B-18876 MILITARY SPECIFICATION: BOX, AMMUNITION, 40MM MARK 1 MOD 0
 * MIL-B-20390 - MIL-B-20390B, MILITARY SPECIFICATION: BOARD, AMMUNITION CONTAINER
 * MIL-B-46506, MILITARY SPECIFICATION: BOXES, AMMUNITION PACKING, WOOD, WIREBOUND
 * MIL-C-2439 MILITARY SPECIFICATION: CONTAINER, AMMUNITION, FIBER, SPIRALLY WOUND
 * MIL-C-2440, MILITARY SPECIFICATION: CONTAINER, METAL, FOR PROPELLING CHARGE
 * MIL-C-2440 MILITARY SPECIFICATION: CONTAINER, METAL, FOR PROPELLING CHARGE
 * MIL-C-6879, MILITARY SPECIFICATION: CONTAINERS,CARRYING AND STORAGE, SIGNAL, ILLUMINATION AIRCRAFT
 * MIL-C-21215 MILITARY SPECIFICATION: CRATES, PALLETS, AMMUNITION
 * MIL-C-70469, MILITARY SPECIFICATION: CONTAINER, STEEL, FOR BULK PROPELLANT
 * MIL-C-70469, MILITARY SPECIFICATION: CONTAINER, STEEL, FOR BULK PROPELLANT
 * MIL-C-70470, MILITARY SPECIFICATION: CONTAINER FIBER FOR BULK PROPELLANT
 * MIL-C-70478 MILITARY SPECIFICATION: CONTAINER, AMMUNITION, METAL, FOR CARTRIDGE, 120MM, TANK AMMUNITION
 * MIL-C-70842, MILITARY SPECIFICATION: CONTAINER, SHIPPING AND STORAGE, CARTRIDGE, 40MM, PA120 GENERAL SPECIFICATION
 * MIL-C-70998 -, MILITARY SPECIFICATION: CONTAINER, SHIPPING AND STORAGE,
 * MIL-DTL-2427, DETAIL SPECIFICATION: BOX, AMMUNITION PACKING: WOOD, NAILED
 * MIL-DTL-3060 DETAIL SPECIFICATION: BOXES, SMALL ARMS AMMUNITION - M19A1 AND M2A1
 * MIL-DTL-18492 DETAIL SPECIFICATION: TANKS, CARTRIDGE, POWDER, ROCKET, AND COMPONENTS (ALUMINUM)
 * MIL-DTL-46506 DETAIL SPECIFICATION: BOXES, AMMUNITION PACKING, WOOD, WIREBOUND
 * MIL-PRF-32076 PERFORMANCE SPECIFICATION: UTILIZATION OF AMMUNITION
 * MIL-S-23389 MILITARY SPECIFICATION: SHIPPING AND STORAGE CONTAINER, CARTRIDGE, 20MM, M548
 * MIL-S-50312, MILITARY SPECIFICATION: SHIPPING AND STORAGE CONTAINER, CARTRIDGE, 30 MILLIMETER - XM592