Military issue or commercial? Reading the labels in a pair of Rothco BDU trousers

BDU trousers (the six-pocket "battle dress uniform" cut) are sold everywhere, and many look like army surplus at first glance: the cut, the olive label, the instruction-style care text. Here we read the two labels in a pair of orange camouflage trousers from our shop in Japan and show which lines tell you it was made for the shop shelf, not for the army.

Short answer: an issued US military garment carries a government contract number and a 13-digit stock number in the format 8415-01-123-4567. These trousers have neither. They carry a brand name, an RN number, a "STOCK#" that is not a federal stock number, and a "Made in China" tag, which is what you expect from commercial BDUs.

A pair of camouflage cargo trousers in orange, yellow, brown and black, laid flat, with large pockets on both thighs and drawstrings at the hems. — The trousers (K11201): six-pocket BDU cut in an orange camouflage.

1. The size label: a "STOCK#" that is not a stock number

A small grey-green label at the waistband reading: Small Regular, Waist: 27 in. to 31 in., Inseam: 29 1/2 to 32 1/2 in., STOCK#1227-0429-KP-0704. — The size label at the waistband (K11201).

The size label copies the style of an issue label: "SMALL REGULAR", then a waist range of 27 to 31 inches and an inseam range of 29½ to 32½ inches. So far it reads like the real thing.

The last line is where it parts ways: STOCK#1227-0429-KP-0704. A federal stock number on US military clothing has 13 digits: a four-digit supply class, then a nine-digit item number (DLA: National Stock Numbers). Clothing numbers start with 84, and special-purpose clothing with 8415. This number has letters in it and does not follow that pattern, so it reads as the seller's own product code.

For comparison, the label in an issued desert night parka in our shop reads 8415-01-102-6281. We read that one line by line in Reading a US military clothing label.

2. The care label: a brand name and an RN number, but no contract

A grey-green care label reading: 55% cotton / 45% polyester, RN37572, Rothco B.D.U., followed by five numbered washing instructions. Beside it is a separate white tag reading Made in China. — The care label, with a separate "Made in China" tag beside it (K11201).

Three things on this label point the same way.

A brand name. It says "ROTHCO B.D.U." Rothco is a US company. By its own account it began in New York in 1953 as a dealer in army surplus and used clothing, and when surplus ran short it began making its own military-style clothing and gear for the commercial market (Rothco: company history). Its own product sheet describes its BDU trousers as modeled after the standard-issue BDU (Rothco: Color Camo BDU Pants spec sheet). "Modeled after" is the key phrase.
An RN number, and no contract number. RN37572 is a Registered Identification Number. The US Federal Trade Commission gives these to businesses that make, import or sell textile products, and a company can print it on a label in place of its name (FTC: RN questions). An issue label prints a contract number such as DLA100-81-C-2532 instead. These trousers have no contract number anywhere.
"Made in China". Clothing bought by the US Department of Defense generally has to be made in the United States under the Berry Amendment (trade.gov: Berry Amendment). The law has exceptions, so this tag alone does not prove anything. Together with the other two points, it fits a commercial garment.

The care text itself sounds military ("Use wash and wear cycle", "Do not starch or bleach"). That is part of the style, and it is why the brand and number lines matter more than the wording.

3. The colour

Close view of the front of the trousers showing the two bellowed cargo pockets with flaps, in the orange, yellow, brown and black camouflage. — The thigh cargo pockets (K11201). The cut follows the BDU; the colours do not follow any issue pattern we know.

The cut follows the BDU: two thigh cargo pockets with flaps, adjustment tabs at the waist and drawstrings at the hems. The colours are orange, yellow, brown and black. We do not know of a US issue pattern in these colours, so the colour is one more hint, though the labels are the stronger evidence.

What we cannot tell you

We did not confirm which company holds RN 37572 in the FTC's database, so we do not claim it. We also cannot tell you the year these trousers were made: the labels carry no date or contract year. Rothco has sold BDU trousers in many colours for a long time, and nothing on this pair narrows it down.

None of this makes commercial BDUs worse to wear. They are often cut and sized like the real thing. It only matters if you are paying a surplus price for a piece described as issued.

The trousers are in our shop

We run a small vintage shop in Kawagoe, Japan (Old Pawn Notes and the shop are run by the same people). The label size is Small Regular. We measure 78 cm at the waist, 29.5 cm in the front rise and 20 cm across the thigh. The shop page is in English; the detailed description is still in Japanese.

See the Rothco BDU trousers

Sources

This guide was drafted with AI assistance from our own notes and photos, then checked by the shop owner. Every photo shows a real piece we handled. Any diagrams are simple drawings and are labelled as diagrams.