# Military grade > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Military_grade > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Military_grade.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_grade > Source revision: 1355545561 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|Marketing buzzword}}{{For|the unrelated term in reference to ranks|Military rank}} [[File:2017 Davie County High School Auto-Tech SkillsUSA Car Show (33752268033).jpg|thumb|A [thirteenth generation Ford F-150](/source/Ford_F-Series_(thirteenth_generation)) used by the [United States Marine Corps](/source/United_States_Marine_Corps) to promote [recruitment](/source/Military_recruitment). This generation of Ford F-Series was infamously marketed as using "military-grade [aluminum](/source/aluminum)", despite no such thing existing.]] "'''Military grade'''" (alternatively "'''military-grade'''" or "'''mil-spec'''") is a [buzzword](/source/buzzword) commonly used in [marketing](/source/marketing) and [advertising](/source/advertising) for [consumer goods](/source/consumer_goods). It is generally used to describe an item or product that satisfies a [United States Military Standard](/source/United_States_Military_Standard),{{Cite web |last=Hollings |first=Alex |date=2021-06-27 |title='Military grade' doesn't mean what you think it means |url=https://www.wearethemighty.com/popular/military-grade-doesnt-mean-anything/ |access-date=2023-10-08 |website=We Are The Mighty |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Bledsoe |first=Everett |date=2023-10-01 |title=What Does Military Grade Mean? Find All the Answers Here |url=https://www.thesoldiersproject.org/what-does-military-grade-mean/ |access-date=2023-10-08 |website=The Soldiers Project |language=en-US}} usually [MIL-STD-810](/source/MIL-STD-810) for [stress testing](/source/stress_testing);{{Cite web |title=What is Military Grade? {{!}} Gateway Cable Company |url=https://www.tgccompany.com/what-is-military-grade/ |access-date=2023-10-08 |website=Gateway Cable |language=en-US}} however, it is often used as a [marketing ploy](/source/marketing_ploy) to describe a product that satisfies any military standard regardless of what it is (if a standard is satisfied at all to begin with), or one that simply uses materials that are also used in [military technology](/source/military_technology) ranging from [Kevlar](/source/Kevlar) to [aluminum](/source/aluminum).{{Cite web |date=2020-05-18 |title=‘Military Grade’ Is Nothing but Marketing Bullshit |url=https://melmagazine.com/en-us/story/what-does-military-grade-mean-marketing |access-date=2023-10-08 |website=MEL Magazine |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Schogol |first=Jeff |date=2022-05-04 |title=Why 'military grade' is just another way of saying 'cheaply made junk' |url=https://taskandpurpose.com/culture/military-grade-products-junk/ |access-date=2023-10-08 |website=Task & Purpose |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Sheth |first=Sarang |date=2023-02-09 |title=Terms like ‘military-grade’ and ‘aircraft-grade’ are NOT indicators of good quality. Here’s why - Yanko Design |url=https://www.yankodesign.com/2023/02/09/terms-like-military-grade-and-aircraft-grade-are-not-indicators-of-good-quality-heres-why/ |access-date=2023-10-08 |website=Yanko Design |language=en-US}} In marketing, "military grade" is meant to symbolize and evoke higher-than-usual levels of toughness, durability, efficiency, and quality, as well as the implication that the product was tested and "approved" by some (non-existent) overseeing body or is regularly used and trusted by militaries—even if none of those are true. Products often marketed as "military grade" include [phone case](/source/phone_case)s, [flashlight](/source/flashlight)s, [electronics](/source/electronics), [eyewear](/source/eyewear), and [clothing](/source/clothing). Use of the term in marketing has been criticized by [military personnel](/source/military_personnel) and [veteran](/source/veteran)s, who note that items that are indeed "military grade"—as in actually issued by militaries to their personnel—are often procured for [cost-effectiveness](/source/Cost-effectiveness_analysis) and may not always be of the highest quality and reliability. However, a product's use of the term should not be inferred as a sign it is unreliable, as some items using the term may in fact be using it genuinely (e.g. are in fact used by the military, or are identical to military equivalents). == Notable uses == * In 2015, advertisements for the [thirteenth generation Ford F-Series](/source/Ford_F-Series_(thirteenth_generation)) [pickup truck](/source/pickup_truck) notably described it as using "high strength, military-grade [aluminum alloy](/source/aluminum_alloy)", despite no such thing actually existing. The only real similarities between the aluminum used in the F-Series and some military vehicles are their composition and heat-treating.{{Cite web |last=McIntosh |first=Jil |date=2018-09-25 |title=What's in a Name? Truth vs Marketing |url=https://www.autotrader.ca/editorial/20180925/what-s-in-a-name-truth-vs-marketing/ |access-date=2023-10-09 |website=AutoTrader.ca}}{{Cite web |last=White |first=Addison |date=2019-12-22 |title=Is Ford's Aluminum Really 'Military Grade'? |url=https://www.motorbiscuit.com/is-fords-aluminum-really-military-grade/ |access-date=2023-10-08 |website=MotorBiscuit |language=en-US}} * In 2023, a dispute arose between [Leonardo Helicopters](/source/Leonardo_Helicopters) and [Lockheed Martin](/source/Lockheed_Martin) relating to marketing terminology used in the British [Ministry of Defence](/source/Ministry_of_Defence_(United_Kingdom))'s [New Medium Helicopter](/source/New_Medium_Helicopter) program.{{Cite web |last=Sprenger |first=Sebastian |last2=Kington |first2=Tom |date=2023-09-13 |title=In British helicopter race, war of words emerges over ‘military grade’ |url=https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2023/09/13/in-british-helicopter-race-war-of-words-emerges-over-military-grade/ |access-date=2023-10-08 |website=Defense News |language=en}} Lockheed had claimed other competitors in the program, including the [AgustaWestland AW149](/source/AgustaWestland_AW149) built by Leonardo, were not designed or suitable for military use (i.e. military grade), whereas their [Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk](/source/Sikorsky_UH-60_Black_Hawk) was.{{Cite web |last=Sprenger |first=Sebastian |last2=Chuter |first2=Andrew |date=2023-09-12 |title=Lockheed touts local links in Black Hawk-based helicopter pitch to UK |url=https://www.defensenews.com/industry/2023/09/12/lockheed-touts-local-links-in-black-hawk-based-helicopter-pitch-to-uk/ |access-date=2023-10-08 |website=Defense News |language=en}} == See also == * [Commercial off-the-shelf](/source/Commercial_off-the-shelf) * [Militaria](/source/Militaria) * So-called "[Corinthian leather](/source/Corinthian_leather)" == References == Category:Buzzword Category:Military terminology Category:Marketing techniques Category:Advertising techniques --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Military grade](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_grade) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_grade?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.