Tyre date code: how old are my tyres?
Type the four-digit date code from the side of the tyre. You get the week it was made and how old it is today.
6 years and 4 months old
Code 2320 means week 23 of 2020: the tyre was made between Sunday 7 June 2020 and Saturday 13 June 2020.
Rule from US federal regulation 49 CFR 574.5, read on 30 October 2026. We read the two year digits as 20xx.
Like the bike as much as the numbers? Turn a photo of it into art, or browse motorcycle prints in the shop.
Jump to a section · 4 sections
Finding the code
Look on the sidewall for the letters DOT followed by a string of letters and numbers. The date is the last four digits. The rule only asks for the code on one sidewall, so if you can't see it, look at the other side of the tyre. On a bike that means a torch and a look at both sides of each wheel.
How the four digits work
| Code | Week | Year | Made |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0109 | 01 | 2009 | 4 to 10 January 2009 |
| 2320 | 23 | 2020 | 7 to 13 June 2020 |
| 5219 | 52 | 2019 | 29 December 2019 to 4 January 2020 |
The first two digits are the week and the last two are the year. Week 01 is the first full week of the year, running Sunday to Saturday. So if 1 January falls midweek, week 01 starts on the first Sunday after it. That's why 0109 starts on 4 January: the rule itself uses that example.
How it is worked out
The rule is set out in US federal regulation 49 CFR 574.5, read on 30 October 2026. We find the first Sunday of the year, add seven days for each week after the first, and count the months from then to today. The rule doesn't give a century, so we read the year digits as 20xx. A three-digit code isn't covered by this rule, and we don't decode it.
What the age doesn't tell you
A date code tells you when the tyre was made, not how it has been kept or how much tread is left. For tread, DVSA's motorcycle MOT manual says the tread pattern must "be visible over the whole tread area", and on bikes over 50cc it needs a band of at least 1.0mm deep tread. Our motorcycle MOT checklist quotes the full rule.
Written by Craig Fearn, Throttlefolio. Last updated .
Questions answered
Where is the date on a motorcycle tyre?
At the end of the DOT code on the sidewall: the last four digits. It may be on one side only.
What does 2320 mean on a tyre?
Week 23 of 2020: the tyre was made between Sunday 7 and Saturday 13 June 2020.
Does the checker keep what I type?
No. The sum runs in your browser. The code is only kept in the link in your address bar, so you can share it.
Keep reading
- Motorcycle MOT checklist
Every section of DVSA’s motorcycle MOT manual and the parts it covers, in one list. Tick them off in the garage before the test, or print it and take …