This guide explains DFARS Part 223: Environment, Sustainable Acquisition, and Material Safety. First, read the relevant coverage with the FAR, applicable supplements and deviations, and the actual solicitation or contract.

A product description is not proof that a material is acceptable for a defense requirement. Next, connect the specification, hazard information, applicable restrictions, and required approvals before purchasing or promising a substitute.

Watch the DFARS Part 223 lesson

DFARS Part 223: Keep hazard information with the product

Sections 223.302 and 223.304 connect hazardous-material data and warning-label requirements with the relevant contract clause. Then, identify the actual product and applicable submission instructions. For business control, keep the current technical and hazard documentation connected to the item being offered rather than assuming that a familiar trade name establishes material content or acceptance.

Check the explosives coverage and location

Section 223.370 addresses safety precautions for covered acquisitions involving ammunition and explosives. Its scope has specific inclusions and exclusions, with mandatory safety requirements implemented through the applicable manual or cited installation regulation and contract clauses. Also, determine whether the coverage applies and involve qualified safety personnel. However, do not treat every hazardous material as the same regulatory category.

Read material restrictions and exceptions precisely

Subpart 223.73 addresses hexavalent chromium, including specified prohibitions, exceptions, and approval requirements. Subpart 223.74 addresses certain fluorinated firefighting agents and a defined vessel-use exemption. In addition, read the actual substance, application, and conditions. These provisions are not a single blanket rule for all chemicals. A proposed substitute or claimed exception needs evidence that matches the specific requirement.

A hypothetical example

For example, consider a fictional defense maintenance supplier proposing a replacement coating. Purchasing has a supplier brochure but no complete composition record. Operations assumes that similar performance means the replacement is acceptable, while the proposal team describes the item as compliant without identifying the applicable specification or material restriction.

Contracts connects the proposed item to the solicitation and incorporated clauses. The technical and safety reviewers obtain the current product information, compare the relevant material requirements, and identify whether an exception or approval question exists. Purchasing keeps the reviewed product identity tied to the quote and planned order.

Next, the team can distinguish a supported technical conclusion from an unresolved claim. However, this example does not approve a coating, authorize a hazardous-material activity, or determine that an exception applies. It shows why product, engineering, safety, and contract records must describe the same material and intended use.

Avoid the shortcut

However, do not let equivalent performance become a shortcut for material acceptance. A technical match, a supplier statement, a safety review, and an authorized approval establish different things. Next, keep the item identity and intended use visible, and route unresolved substance or applicability questions to qualified reviewers before the business commits.

Try this exercise

Then, review a fictional material substitution and identify the exact product and intended use. Find the specification and any applicable material restriction. Also, list the evidence supporting the proposed substitute and distinguish a completed review from an approval or exception that still requires an authorized decision.

This worksheet is a GovSuccess preparation practice, not a prescribed Government form or a determination of compliance.

1. Solicitation and material specification
2. Exact product and intended application
3. Current technical and hazard information
4. Applicable restriction and source version
5. Scope conditions and claimed exception
6. Required technical safety or contract review
7. Supplier evidence and unresolved questions
8. Approved outcome and controlled item identity

Official source and applicability

DFARS Part 223 — official text. The source page displays DFARS Change 5/7/2026, effective May 7, 2026. In addition, check later changes and the requirements applicable to your acquisition. Next, route material interpretation questions for qualified review.

Build your readiness baseline

Explore GovAssessment for a structured business-readiness baseline based on your answers. However, it does not certify compliance, approve a contract action, or guarantee an award.

General education, not legal advice. Browse the DFARS series.