TIRE BASICS

What is the Tire Date Code?

The Tire Date Code is included on your tire’s sidewall and is included in a series of numbers known as the DOT Code – also known as the Tire Identification Number (TIN). This code from the Department of Transportation can be important for determining the date of manufacture of your tires, as well as for registering new tires with the manufacturer and even potentially identifying the tire in case of a product recall.

How to Read the Tire Date Code?

Look at the sidewall of your tire – there will be a code following the letters “DOT” – for Department of Transportation. There will be up to 13 characters that give you the information you need to identify your tire and also identify the date of manufacture of your tires.

7-12 Character TIN

The first two characters will be a code that represents the assigned plant code for the manufacturer.
The next one to two characters represent the tire size code.
The next grouping can be no more than four characters that are designated by the manufacturer with their internal codes for the specific construction of that tire. Because these characters are optional for the manufacturer, the TIN can be any length up to a maximum of twelve characters.
The final four digits, for any tire made since the year 2000, are the tire date code and represent the date of manufacture. The first two of these digits designates the week of the year the tires were made, and the final two digits are the last two digits of the year of manufacture. (For example, 1319 means the thirteenth week of 2019.)

13 Character TIN

The first grouping consists of three characters that represent the plant code. Recent legislation is transitioning the factory code from two to three characters. This additional digit is what will push the DOT code to be 13 characters in total length.
The second grouping consists of six characters that identify the tire size, tire type, or other significant characteristics of the tire; unlike the eight to twelve-character TIN, these characters are not manufacturer optional.
The last four numbers represent the manufacturer's date. The first two numbers indicate the week, while the last two indicate the year. (For example, a tire with the number 2910 was manufactured in the 29th week of 2010.)

The full DOT code (including the date code portion) is displayed on at least one sidewall of every tire. The opposite sidewall – will have either a full DOT code (including date) or a partial DOT code (without the date code and any optional characters) at the manufacturers’ discretion.

If your tires were made before the year 2000, the date code will be only 3 digits – the first two digits again listing the week of the year, and the last digit being the last digit of the year of the tire’s manufacture. This means a date code of “529” could mean the tire was manufactured in December 1999, or December 1989 – or even December 1979.

Special note: All tires manufactured after April 13, 2025, must comply with the thirteen-character TIN requirement.

Why is the DOT Code Important?

The DOT code is important for many reasons but is most importantly used to register your tire with the manufacturer. Registering your tires provides the tire manufacturer with your name and address to be able to contact you in case of a recall.

To register your Goodyear tires, register your new tires and visit here for more information on tire recalls.

Questions About the Your Tire DOT Code or Registering Your Tires?

If you have questions about your tires, don’t hesitate to stop into your local Goodyear service center, or contact us at 800-321-2136. Your friendly tire specialist can look up and read your date code when inspecting your tires, then make recommendations based on your vehicle and your driving habits.