This International Standard specifies utilization guidelines to be applied when preparing air cargo pallets for carriage on board civil transport aircraft. It identifies the various concerns to be taken into consideration to ensure flight safety, and provides recognized industry standard methods to achieve it. Commercial requirements in order to ensure protection of the goods carried may also be addressed where applicable, but do not constitute the document's primary goal. It is intended as a guide toward standard practice, and is subject to change to keep pace with experience and technical advances. NOTE In all countries, standing government regulations apply to air cargo unit load devices airworthiness, continuous airworthiness, and air carriers (operators) certification and operations. This International Standard does not, under any circumstance, supersede the requirements of applicable regulations or the aircraft manufacturer's authority approved weight and balance manual. This International Standard is applicable to any certified air cargo pallet built up from either a single or a number of pieces of commercial cargo, intended to be loaded on lower, main or upper deck of a civil transport aircraft, whether a freighter or a passenger-carrying aircraft. Its field of application includes all pallets prepared within ground premises, whether at a shipper's facilities or an airport cargo warehouse, including those intended to be loaded into the aircraft in a "floating" position. Its provisions may not entirely apply in the event of "pre-embarked" pallets. In such a case, it is up to the operator to identify and implement the applicable criteria. This International Standard is not intended to apply to air cargo pallets prepared for military transport aircraft, and does not take into account any specific criteria for military aircraft. Nothing, however, precludes it being used for guidelines in this case, it being the military operator's responsibility to identify and implement any additional applicable criteria.