How old is my Hankook tire?
Type the dot date code from the Hankook label to see when it was built.
Example
- DOTDOT: meets U.S. safety standards
- 00TPlant: 00T = Hankook Tire Manufacturing Tennessee, LP, Clarksville, TN, United States
- ABCDEFManufacturer's code
- 11Week: 11 (March)
- 22Year: 22 = 2022
Built Week 11 of 2022 (around March)
4 years, 7 months old
Plenty of life left. Well inside the usual 6 to 10 year lifespan.
How this was read
- "DOT" means the tire meets U.S. federal safety standards. The tire identification number follows it.
- The first three symbols, 00T, are the plant code. NHTSA lists it as Hankook Tire Manufacturing Tennessee, LP, Clarksville, TN, United States.
- The plant list names the company that runs the factory. It may build tires sold under other brands.
- The next 6 symbols are the manufacturer's own code for size and type. They are not part of the date.
- The last four digits, 1122, are the date code.
- The first two, 11, are the week. The last two, 22, are the year: 2022.
- Week 11 of 2022 runs from Sunday, March 13, 2022 to Saturday, March 19, 2022.
Format: DOT date code, week and year. Sources: 49 CFR 574.5, tire identification requirements (eCFR), NHTSA: Tires (how to find the tire age), Federal Register, 2015 rule on three-symbol plant codes, NHTSA vPIC tire plant code list.
Reading a Hankook serial number
Hankook tires carry the same DOT date code as every other brand sold in the U.S.
The date code is a week and year, like 2219 for week 22 of 2019. Read it on every tire, including the spare, since tires on one car often differ.
About Hankook
- Hankook opened its first North American plant in Clarksville, Tennessee, in October 2017.
- Hankook’s U.S. headquarters moved from New Jersey to Nashville in July 2016.
- NHTSA lists code 00T for the Clarksville plant. Hankook tires made in Korea or elsewhere carry other plant codes.
Sources: Hankook Celebrates Opening of First North American Production Facility, NHTSA vPIC: Get Equipment Plant Codes (tires, 2026)
DOT date code, week and year
Used july 2000 to today. Example: DOTU2LLLMLR5107
The date code is the last group of the DOT number on the sidewall. The first two digits are the week and the last two are the year, so 5107 means week 51 of 2007.
Worked example: DOT 00T ABCDEF 1122 was built Week 11 of 2022 (around March), so it is 4 years, 7 months old as of October 2026.
Sources: 49 CFR 574.5, tire identification requirements (eCFR), NHTSA: Tires (how to find the tire age), Federal Register, 2015 rule on three-symbol plant codes, NHTSA vPIC tire plant code list
Pre-2000 DOT date code, week and year digit
Used before July 2000. Example: DOTMJL9ABC218
Tires made before 2000 end the DOT number with three digits: the week, then the last digit of the year. Many 1990s tires add a small triangle after the code.
Worked example: DOT MJ L9 ABC 218 fits Week 21 of 1988 (around May) or Week 21 of 1998 (around May). The page above explains how to tell which.
| Code ends | Possible years |
|---|---|
| 218 with a triangle | 1998 |
| 218 with no triangle | 1988 or 1998 |
| xx0 with no triangle | 1980, 1990, or early 2000 |
Sources: Federal Register, 1999 rule moving to a four-digit date code, Vintage Tyres: reading tyre age codes, 49 CFR 574.5, tire identification requirements (eCFR)
Factories that make Hankook tires
The two or three symbols right after "DOT" name the factory. These are the plant codes NHTSA lists for Hankook. A code from this list on a Hankook tire is a good sign it is genuine.
| Code | Location | Operator | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1BB (BB) | Chongqing City, China | Chongqing Hankook Tire Co., Ltd. | Listed |
| 00T | Clarksville, TN, United States | Hankook Tire Manufacturing Tennessee, LP | Listed |
| 1T7 (T7) | Daedeok-Gu, South Korea | Hankook Tire Mfg. Co., Ltd.Daejeon Plant | Listed |
| 1BJ (BJ) | Huaiyin, China | Jiangsu Hankook Tire Co. Ltd. | Listed |
| 216 (1G) | Jiaxing, China | Hankook Tire China Co., Ltd. | Listed |
| 15M (5M) | Kumsan Kun, South Korea | Hankook Tire Kumsan Plant | Listed |
| 1BC (BC) | Lippo Cikarang, Indonesia | PT Hankook Tire Indonesia | Listed |
| 12X (2X) | Racalmas, Hungary | Hankook Tire Hungary Ltd. | Listed |
| 1T1 (T1) | Seoul, South Korea | Hankook Tire Mfg. Co., Ltd. | Listed |
Old two-symbol codes are in brackets. Source: NHTSA vPIC tire plant codes, checked October 2026.