Tires › Tire guides › DOT code decoder
DOT code decoder: when and where your tire was made
Type the code from the tire sidewall that starts with DOT. This page reads the date code to show when the tire was made and how old it is, and looks up the plant code in the NHTSA list. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere except the plant code you look up.
Plant names come from the NHTSA list of registered tire plants (NHTSA vPIC, GetEquipmentPlantCodes (tires), 1,244 plants, retrieved 2026-10-20).
Where to find the code
Look on the sidewall for the letters DOT followed by a string of letters and numbers. The complete code is often printed on only one side of the tire, so if the last part is missing, check the other side (it may face the car). The date code is the last group, usually in a small oval.
How the code is put together
The tire identification number is set by a federal rule, 49 CFR 574.5. It starts with a plant code that NHTSA assigns to each tire factory: older plants have two characters, plants registered more recently have three. The characters after it are the manufacturer's own codes for the size and type. The code ends with the date code.
Since 2000 the date code has four digits: the first two are the week of the year (01 to 53), the last two are the year. 2419 means the 24th week of 2019. Tires made before 2000 used three digits, which do not show the decade, so this page can only say they are from before 2000.
What the plant lookup shows
The plant name, city, country and status are exactly as listed by NHTSA. A code that is not in the list is shown as not found; that can mean a typo, a code read from the wrong part of the sidewall, or a plant that is not in the current list. The lookup tells you where a tire was made, not who sold it or whether it is a good tire.
About tire age
Tire age is one of several things to look at, along with tread depth, cracking, bulges and how the tire has been stored and used. For guidance on age, check your vehicle owner's manual and the tire maker's guidance. If you are unsure, bring the tire in during shop hours and we will look at it with you.
Need new tires?
FlatFixVault sells new tires only, with mounting, balancing, flat repair and air fills, at 1919 NW 19th St, Suite 204, Fort Lauderdale FL 33311. Monday to Friday 8 AM to 5 PM, Saturday 8 AM to 2 PM; closed Sunday.
