Tire DOT

The DOT Number of Tires Decoded: Date and Place of Manufacture

The DOT number (or DOT code) is a combination of standardized letters and numbers established by the United States Department of Transportation (DOT). It contains information about the tire's manufacturer, country of origin, and most importantly, the date of manufacture.

Where to Find the DOT Number

First, the DOT code must be correctly identified on the sidewall of the tire. It is typically formatted as DOT XXXX XXX(X) 0000, where X represents any letter, and 0 represents any number. Parentheses indicate that the symbol may be absent.

Note: According to regulations, the DOT code must be fully marked on at least one sidewall of the tire. In practice, this means that the final group of 3 or 4 digits, which indicate the manufacturing date, may only appear on one sidewall. If it is located on the inner sidewall, it will not be visible during a standard side inspection but can be checked when the tire is removed or the car is lifted.

In conclusion, if the DOT number is not fully marked on one side of the tire, it will certainly be complete on the other side.

Example of Reading a DOT Code

DOT NDOF JBLR 4708

• DOT: Department of Transportation
• The first two characters (ND) in the first group of four after “DOT”: Indicate the country (or state for the USA) of manufacture and the manufacturer, according to the tables below.
  • In this case, ND = Germany, Goodyear.
• The last two characters of the first group (OF): Indicate the mold (autoclave) used in the manufacturing process.
• The second group of symbols (JBLR): Typically contains four characters but may consist of only three. This is an internal combination of letters and numbers used by the manufacturer for batch tracking.
• The last group of four digits (4708): Represents the manufacturing date in the format week-year. In this example, it refers to week 47 of 2008. This final group of four digits is often referred to as the DOT number, even though it is actually just a component of the complete code.

Note: Tires manufactured before 1999-2000 had this group represented by only three digits. For example, 238 would correspond to the 23rd week of 1998. After 2000, all manufacturers adopted the four-digit format for indicating the manufacturing date in the DOT code.

Table of Countries and Manufacturers in the DOT Code

(Organized by code.)

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Tabelul producatorilor si tarilor in codul DOT al anvelopelor.
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