Bradford White water heater age by serial number
The serial number is on the rating plate on the side of the tank. The first letter of a Bradford White serial is the year and the second letter is the month.
Decode a Bradford White serial number
How to read a Bradford White serial number
Bradford White has used 2 serial formats. Find the one that matches the shape of your serial.
Year letter and month letter, ten characters
The first letter is the year and the second letter is the month. A serial with eight digits after the two letters was built in December 2007 or later.
Shape: two letters followed by eight digits.
KE12345678 reads as May 2013.
Year letter
- A 2024
- B 2025
- C 2026
- D 2007
- E 2008
- F 2009
- G 2010
- H 2011
- J 2012
- K 2013
- L 2014
- M 2015
- N 2016
- P 2017
- S 2018
- T 2019
- W 2020
- X 2021
- Y 2022
- Z 2023
Month letter
- A January
- B February
- C March
- D April
- E May
- F June
- G July
- H August
- J September
- K October
- L November
- M December
The year letters repeat every 20 years. I, O, Q, R, U and V are never used.
Year letter and month letter, nine characters
The first letter is the year and the second letter is the month. A serial with seven digits after the two letters was built before December 2007.
Shape: two letters followed by seven digits.
DG6322957 reads as July 2007.
The same code also fits 1987. Year letter
- A 1984, 2004
- B 1985, 2005
- C 1986, 2006
- D 1987, 2007
- E 1988
- F 1989
- G 1990
- H 1991
- J 1992
- K 1993
- L 1994
- M 1995
- N 1996
- P 1997
- S 1998
- T 1999
- W 2000
- X 2001
- Y 2002
- Z 2003
Month letter
- A January
- B February
- C March
- D April
- E May
- F June
- G July
- H August
- J September
- K October
- L November
- M December
The letters A, B, C and D each fit two years in this layout: 1984 to 1987 and 2004 to 2007. Bradford White documents the code from 1984. Some inspection references extend the same cycle back to 1964.
Where to find the serial number
The rating plate is on the side of the tank, among the warning labels. The model and serial numbers are printed under the factory address.
If the serial number does not decode
- Count the characters. Nine means the heater was built before December 2007. Ten means December 2007 or later.
- Serials that begin with OA come from a computer error in January 1997.
- Bradford White tankless heaters built by Rinnai carry a Rinnai serial. Use the Rinnai decoder for those.
- The manufacturer can confirm the date from the serial: Bradford White registration, warranty or serial lookup.
What the age tells you
| Equipment | Typical service life |
|---|---|
| Tank water heater | 10 to 15 years |
| Tankless water heater | about 20 years |
About Bradford White
Bradford White Corporation of Ambler, Pennsylvania is an employee-owned manufacturer that sells through plumbing wholesalers. It has used the same two-letter date code since at least 1984. Only the length of the number after the letters has changed.
Questions and answers
Which characters in a Bradford White serial number show the date?
The first letter is the year and the second letter is the month. A serial with eight digits after the two letters was built in December 2007 or later. This applies to units built since December 2007.
Why does my Bradford White serial number look different?
Bradford White has used 2 serial formats: year letter and month letter, ten characters (built since December 2007); year letter and month letter, nine characters (built 1984 to November 2007). The decoder tries each one.
The decoder shows more than one possible year. Which one is right?
Part of the Bradford White date code repeats, so the serial alone fits more than one year. A manufacture date printed on the rating plate, the print date of the owner’s manual or the installation record settles it. For equipment that is still running, the more recent year is usually the right one.
My serial starts with A, B, C or D. Is it from the 1980s or the 2000s?
Count the characters. A nine-character serial fits two years, twenty years apart: A is 1984 or 2004, B is 1985 or 2005, C is 1986 or 2006 and D is 1987 or 2007. A heater that is still in service is almost always the later one. A ten-character serial is recent: A is 2024, B is 2025, C is 2026 and D is December 2007.
Sources
- Bradford White: how to read the serial number, date code reference chart (manufacturer): https://www.bradfordwhite.com/bw-faq/how-to-read-the-serial-number-date-code-reference-chart/
- Bradford White For The Pro: determining the age of a water heater (manufacturer): https://forthepro.bradfordwhite.com/determining-the-age-of-a-water-heater/
- Building Intelligence Center: Bradford White water heater age (independent reference): https://www.building-center.org/bradford-white-water-heater-age/
- CPSC recall: Bradford White gas water heaters, serials YD to YE sold April and May 2002 (US Consumer Product Safety Commission): https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2002/cpsc-bradford-white-corporation-announce-recall-of-gas-water-heater
Formats last checked against these sources on October 5, 2026. Found a serial that does not fit? Send a correction. How formats are verified: method and sources.