MIL-STD-810H
w/CHANGE 1
PART ONE
PART ONE-ii
FOREWORD
1. This Standard is approved for use by all Departments and Agencies of the Department of Defense (DoD). Although
prepared specifically for DoD applications, this Standard may be tailored for commercial applications as well. This
Change Notice to version G incorporates updates and clarifications to the earlier edition. The primary emphases are
still the same - (with the exception of Method 528) tailoring a materiel item's environmental design and test limits to
the conditions that the specific materiel will experience throughout its service life, and establishing laboratory test
methods that replicate the effects of environments on materiel, rather than trying to reproduce the environments
themselves. The goal is to provide an up-front explanation of how to implement the environmental tailoring process
throughout the materiel acquisition cycle.
This revision recognizes that the environmental design and test tailoring process has expanded to involve a wide range
of managerial and technical interests. Accordingly, this revision orients environmental design and test direction
toward three basic types of users who have distinctly different, although closely associated, interests: Program
Managers who, among other responsibilities, ensure proposed concepts and systems are valid and functional in intended
operational environments; environmental engineering specialists (EES), who enter the acquisition process early to assist
combat and materiel developer tailoring efforts by preparing life cycle environmental profiles and drafting tailored design
criteria and test programs; and the design, test, and evaluation community, whose analysts, engineers, and facility
operators use tailored designs and tests to meet user needs.
2. Part One describes management, engineering, and technical roles in the environmental design and test tailoring
process. It focuses on the process of tailoring materiel design and test criteria to the specific environmental conditions
a materiel item is likely to encounter during its service life. Annex A contains complete descriptions of environmental
engineering tasks, including additional guidance on Task 402, Life Cycle Environmental Profile (LCEP). These tasks,
along with management information in Annex B and EES guidance in Annex C, will help to ensure the environmental
design and test tailoring process is implemented and documented according to the disciplined, but flexible approach
to materiel acquisition called for in Department of Defense (DoD) 5000-series documents (DoDD 5000.01). Terms
used in this Standard relating to the materiel acquisition process are limited to terms used in the DoD 5000-series
documents; to avoid confusion and promote simplicity, service-specific terms/processes are not used.
3. Part Two contains environmental laboratory test methods to be applied according to the general and specific test
tailoring guidelines described in Part One. It is important to emphasize that, with the exception of Method 528, these
Methods are not to be called out in blanket fashion, nor applied as unalterable routines, but are to be selected and
tailored to generate the most relevant test data possible. Methods 500 through 527 now contain the Note, “Tailoring
is essential. Select methods, procedures and parameter levels based on the tailoring process described in Part One,
paragraph 4.2.2, and Annex C. Apply the general guidelines for laboratory test methods described in Part One,
paragraph 5 of this Standard.” Prior to the start of testing, all deviations as a result of tailoring shall be approved by
the proper authorities. It should further be noted that the rationale for such deviations and/or tailoring shall be recorded
in the test report.
To support the tailoring process described in Part One, each test method in Part Two contains some environmental
data and references, and identifies tailoring opportunities for the particular method. Some methods afford a wide
latitude for tailoring; some can be tailored up to established limits, and some have relatively few tailoring options.
Whenever possible, each method contains background rationale to help determine the appropriate level of tailoring.
Each test method supports the test engineer and test facility operator by describing preferred laboratory test facilities
and methodologies. Any specific tailoring information and values contained in these test methods should be
supplanted by more up-to-date field/fleet or program-specific information when available.
When applied properly, the environmental management and engineering processes described in this Standard can be
of enormous value in generating confidence in the environmental worthiness and overall durability of materiel system
design. However, it is important to recognize that there are limitations inherent in laboratory testing that make it
imperative to use proper caution and engineering judgment when extrapolating these laboratory results to results that
may be obtained under actual service conditions. In many cases, real-world environmental stresses (singularly or in
combination) cannot be duplicated practically or reliably in test laboratories. Therefore, users should not assume that
a system or component that passes laboratory tests of this Standard also would pass field/fleet verification trials. DoD
5000-series documents call for component technology to be demonstrated in relevant environments to reduce risk on
components and subsystems that have been demonstrated only in laboratory environments (DoDI 5000.02).