DoD Advice Codes (MILSTRIP Advice Codes) — Complete Reference

A MILSTRIP Advice Code is a two-position numeric/alphabetic (or numeric/numeric) code that a requisitioner enters on a requisition to give the supply source coded special handling instructions — telling the source what to do with the order if it cannot be filled exactly as written. Common instructions include do not substitute, do not backorder, furnish the exact quantity, fill or kill, and free issue. The Advice Code rides on the individual requisition transaction; it is not a property of the item. That distinction matters because it is easily confused with the Acquisition Advice Code (AAC), a single character that is a permanent characteristic of the National Stock Number. Advice Codes are governed by the Defense Logistics Management Standards (DLMS) under DLM 4000.25, with the code list defined in DLM 4000.25, Volume 2, Appendix AP7.15 (Advice Codes) — the appendix that carries the legacy MILSTRIP Advice Code set.

At a glance

• What it is: A two-position numeric/alphabetic (or numeric/numeric) code in the requisition that conveys the requisitioner's special handling instructions to the supply source.
• Regulatory source: DLM 4000.25, Volume 2, Appendix AP7.15 — Advice Codes, under the Defense Logistics Management Standards (DLMS), DLM 4000.25 series. (The legacy MILSTRIP Advice Code appendix is now carried in Volume 2.)
• Maintained by: The Defense Logistics Management Standards program, under the Defense Enterprise Data Standards Office, published by the Defense Logistics Agency.
• Where it sits: Record positions 65–66 of the legacy 80-position MILSTRIP requisition; a dual-purpose field shared with the Supply Status Code on returning status transactions.
• Who enters it: The requisitioner, on the requisition transaction (for example, a Document Identifier Code A0_ requisition).
• Scope: The 2-series (and DLA/inter-Service 3-series) codes are assigned for DLA, inter-Service, and GSA transactions and are used DoD-wide; the other number-prefixed series are reserved for a single service or agency (1 = intra-Army, 4 = intra-Marine Corps, 5 = intra-Navy, 6 = intra-Air Force, 7 = intra-GSA, 8 = intra-DLA; 0 and 9 are reserved).

What these codes are

An Advice Code is a per-transaction instruction, not a description of the item. When a requisitioner builds a requisition and needs the supply source to handle it in a particular way — refuse substitutes, refuse a backorder, ship only the exact quantity, or treat it as a free issue — they place the appropriate two-position Advice Code in the requisition. The supply source reads that code and processes the order accordingly.

This is the single most important thing to understand about the Advice Code, and the most common source of confusion: it is not the Acquisition Advice Code (AAC).

• The Acquisition Advice Code (AAC) is one character, permanently assigned to the National Stock Number, describing how the item is acquired (stocked and issued, local purchase, terminal, condemned, and so on). It lives on the item's record in the Federal Logistics Information System.
• The MILSTRIP Advice Code is two positions, entered by the requisitioner on one requisition transaction, describing how to handle that order. It lives on the transaction.

The AAC tells you whether you can requisition an item at all; the Advice Code tells the source what to do once you have. They are different fields, in different systems, set by different parties, for different purposes.

The Advice Code field is also dual-purpose. On the outbound requisition it carries the requisitioner's Advice Code. On the returning Supply Status transaction, the same field position carries the Supply Status Code that explains the disposition. The field is read in context: Advice Code going out, Status Code coming back.

How they're used

The Advice Code is part of the requisition the requisitioner submits — a transaction identified by an A0_ Document Identifier Code and routed through DLA Transaction Services (DAAS) to the managing source. The code is entered only when the instruction is essential to correct supply action; a routine requisition that can be filled, substituted, or backordered under normal rules needs no Advice Code at all.

Typical reasons to enter an Advice Code:

• Refuse substitutes. The requisitioner needs the exact item requested and no interchangeable or substitute item will do (for example, a form-fit-function match is required).
• Refuse a backorder ("fill or kill"). The requisitioner wants whatever the source can ship now and wants the rest rejected rather than held as a dues-in — useful when a late complete order is worse than an immediate partial one.
• Control the quantity. The requisitioner wants the exact quantity furnished, neither rounded up to a unit-pack nor partially filled.
• Declare a special condition. The requisition is for free issue, for an item not locally obtainable, or for a known-obsolete item still required for immediate use.

Where a requisitioner needs two instructions but has only one two-position field, the appendix defines combination Advice Codes — single numeric/numeric codes (21–29, 31–34, 39) that each stand for a pair of single-purpose codes (for example, code 31 = "2J plus 2G"). The appendix enumerates the valid combinations; they are listed in the Advice code table below.

Because the Advice Code changes how the source treats the order, an incorrect or omitted Advice Code is a frequent cause of unexpected substitutions, unwanted backorders, or outright rejection — see Common errors and gotchas below.

Advice code table

The table below lists the DoD-wide 2-series Advice Codes (assigned for DLA, inter-Service, and GSA transactions) and the numeric/numeric combination codes (21–29, 31–34, 39) that each stand for a pair of single-purpose codes — the full set from the appendix. The definitions are reproduced from DLM 4000.25, Volume 2, Appendix AP7.15, cross-checked against NAVSUP P-485 Volume II, Appendix 1. Use the filter to narrow to a code or keyword (for example, "substitute" or "backorder").

Code-by-code detail

The most operationally consequential Advice Codes are the substitution and backorder controls, because they change whether the requisitioner gets an item, a substitute, or nothing.

• 2B — exact item, no substitution. Use when only the requested NSN will function and an interchangeable item is unacceptable. AP7.15 defines 2B as "Requested item only will suffice. Do not substitute/interchange" — it addresses substitution, not backorder, so unlike 2J it does not by itself direct fill-or-kill of any unfilled quantity. 2B also doubles as the code for resubmitting an item that was rejected as "obsolete/inactivated" with Status Code CJ (resubmit on DD Form 1348-6 with full technical data).

• 2C — fill or kill, substitute OK. The source fills what it can to meet the SDD/RDD and rejects the rest; a suitable substitute is acceptable for the fill. Use when timing matters more than getting the exact item.

• 2D — exact quantity. The source furnishes precisely the quantity requested, with the only allowed adjustment being upward to a unit pack when the resulting dollar-value increase is not more than $5 over the requisition’s extended money value. Use when over- or under-shipment would be a problem (for example, accountability or storage constraints).

• 2J — fill or kill, no substitution. The strictest of the common codes: "Do not substitute or backorder any unfilled quantities" — the exact item only, and no backorder of the remainder. Use when you need the specific item now or not at all.

• 2E / 2W — free issue. Both signal that the materiel is to be issued without reimbursement. 2E is the general free-issue code, to be used with Signal Code D or M on inter-Service requisitions. 2W specifically covers free issue of assets above the approved force acquisition objective (AFAO) on a fill-or-kill basis, and is limited to Grant Aid / Military Assistance Service Funded (MASF) requisitions.

Worked example

A maintenance activity needs ten of a specific NSN to complete a job, and an interchangeable substitute will not fit. A partial shipment is useless — the activity needs all ten now or it will source them another way.

The requisitioner builds an A01 requisition (DIC in positions 1–3, NSN and quantity in the body, the unit's DoDAAC, and a priority) and enters Advice Code 2J in positions 65–66. That single code tells the supply source two things: do not substitute (only the requested NSN will do) and do not backorder (reject any quantity it cannot ship now).

The requisition routes through DLA Transaction Services (DAAS) to the managing source. The source has only six on hand. Because of the 2J instruction, it ships the six and rejects the unfilled four rather than placing them on backorder — returning a supply status transaction (an AE_ DIC) whose Status Code explains the rejected quantity. The requisitioner sees the rejection immediately and orders the remaining four from an alternate source, instead of waiting weeks for a backorder that would have been created automatically under default processing.

Had the requisitioner instead used 2C, the source could have substituted a suitable interchangeable item for the fill while still rejecting any unfilled remainder; with 2D, the emphasis would have been on furnishing exactly ten and no more.

Common errors and gotchas

• Confusing the Advice Code with the Acquisition Advice Code (AAC). This is the single most common mistake. The Acquisition Advice Code is a one-character permanent property of the NSN (how the item is acquired). The MILSTRIP Advice Code is a two-position instruction the requisitioner enters per transaction (how to handle this order). Different field, different system, different setter, different purpose.
• Confusing the Advice Code with the Status Code in the same field. Record positions 65–66 are dual-purpose. The requisitioner's Advice Code goes out on the requisition; a Supply Status Code comes back in the same field on the status transaction. Reading a returning Status Code as if it were the Advice Code (or vice versa) misreads the record.
• Omitting an essential Advice Code. Without a "do not substitute" or "do not backorder" code, the source applies default processing — it may substitute an interchangeable item or create a backorder. If that is not what the requisitioner wants, the instruction must be coded explicitly.
• Assuming "no substitute" also means "no backorder." Substitution and backorder are controlled by different codes (2B vs. 2J vs. 2C). A code that blocks substitution does not necessarily block a backorder; check which behavior each code actually directs before relying on it.
• Using a service-internal code on a DoD-wide requisition. The 2-series (and DLA/inter-Service 3-series) are DoD-wide; service-internal codes (the intra-Navy 5-series, intra-Army 1-series, intra-Marine Corps 4-series, intra-Air Force 6-series) are not universally recognized. Sending an intra-service code outside its service can cause rejection or misprocessing.
• Trusting a reproduced table for the verbatim definition. Desk-guide and training reproductions of the Advice Code table paraphrase and occasionally drift from the current appendix. For anything operational, read the code verbatim from DLM 4000.25, Volume 2, Appendix AP7.15.

Related codes and cross-references

• Acquisition Advice Codes (AAC) — the one-character NSN characteristic that is constantly confused with this two-position requisition Advice Code; read both to keep the distinction straight.
• Document Identifier Codes (DIC) — the three-position code in positions 1–3 that identifies the transaction (the A0_ requisition that carries the Advice Code).
• Supply Status Codes — the codes that fill the same 65–66 field on the returning status transaction and explain the disposition of a requisition.
• Routing Identifier Codes (RIC) — the codes that route the requisition (and its Advice Code) to the correct source through DAAS.
• Military Standard Requisitioning and Issue Procedures (MILSTRIP) — the standard requisition formats in which the Advice Code field appears.

Authoritative references

• DLM 4000.25, Volume 2 — Supply Standards and Procedures, Appendix AP7.15 (Advice Codes). The authoritative source for the DoD-wide Advice Code set (the legacy MILSTRIP Advice Code appendix, now carried in Volume 2; the appendix is revised April 09, 2022). Published by the Defense Logistics Agency. Note: DLA has sunset the standalone MILSTRIP/MILSTRAP manuals and folded their appendices into the DLMS volumes — the Advice Code appendix now lives at AP7.15 in Volume 2, not at the old AP2.15 in the standalone MILSTRIP manual.
• Defense Logistics Agency — Defense Data Standards, DLMS Publications and Appendices. The publication portal for the current DLM 4000.25 manuals and their appendices, including the Advice Code appendix; see DLA Defense Data Standards.
• NAVSUP P-485, Volume II (Afloat Supply Procedures), Appendix 1 — Advice Codes. The Navy reproduction of the Advice Code tables (Revision 9), carrying the DoD-wide 2-/3-series and the intra-Navy 5-series; used here as a verbatim cross-check on the AP7.15 definitions.
• GSA — The Special Order Program: MILSTRIP Guidance. Civilian-agency guidance on entering Advice Codes when requisitioning through the DoD supply system; see the GSA MILSTRIP guidance.

Last verified

This reference was last reviewed on 2026-06-20. The governing appendix, the 2-series code set, and the numeric/numeric combination codes (21–29, 31–34, 39) are verified against DLM 4000.25, Volume 2, Appendix AP7.15 — Advice Codes (revised April 09, 2022), cross-checked cell-by-cell against NAVSUP P-485, Volume II, Appendix 1 — Advice Codes (Revision 9). The citation was corrected: the Advice Code appendix is DLM 4000.25, Volume 2, Appendix AP7.15 — the legacy standalone-MILSTRIP location ("AP2.15") was superseded when DLA folded the MILSTRIP appendices into the DLMS volumes. The record-position 65–66 placement, the numeric/alphabetic (or numeric/numeric) structure, and the series-prefix assignments (2/3 = DLA/inter-Service/GSA, used DoD-wide; 1 = Army, 4 = Marine Corps, 5 = Navy, 6 = Air Force, 7 = GSA, 8 = DLA, internal) are confirmed from both sources. To suggest a correction, use the correction path on the About page.