How old is my Pirelli tire?
Type the dot date code from the Pirelli label to see when it was built.
Example
- DOTDOT: meets U.S. safety standards
- 18UPlant: 18U = Pirelli Tyre S.P.A, Bicocca, Italy
- ABCDEFManufacturer's code
- 26Week: 26 (June)
- 20Year: 20 = 2020
Built Week 26 of 2020 (around June)
6 years, 4 months old
In replacement window. Inside the usual 6 to 10 year lifespan, so replacement could come any time. Worth budgeting for it.
How this was read
- "DOT" means the tire meets U.S. federal safety standards. The tire identification number follows it.
- The first three symbols, 18U, are the plant code. NHTSA lists it as Pirelli Tyre S.P.A, Bicocca, Italy.
- 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, 2620, are the date code.
- The first two, 26, are the week. The last two, 20, are the year: 2020.
- Week 26 of 2020 runs from Sunday, June 28, 2020 to Saturday, July 4, 2020.
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 Pirelli serial number
Pirelli 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 Pirelli
- Pirelli’s U.S. headquarters and only U.S. tire plant are in Rome, Georgia, where it has been since 2002.
- The Rome plant is a highly automated consumer tire plant that uses Pirelli’s robotized MIRS system.
- In September 2026 Pirelli announced a $1.2 billion expansion of the Rome site, planned to add 1,000 jobs.
- NHTSA lists code 1JR for the Rome plant. Many Pirelli tires sold in the U.S. are imported and carry other codes, such as 18U for Bicocca, Italy.
Sources: Pirelli's U.S. Plant Is Up and Running, Italian tiremaker plans $1.2B plant expansion with 1,000 jobs in Georgia, 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 18U ABCDEF 2620 was built Week 26 of 2020 (around June), so it is 6 years, 4 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 Pirelli tires
The two or three symbols right after "DOT" name the factory. These are the plant codes NHTSA lists for Pirelli. A code from this list on a Pirelli tire is a good sign it is genuine.
| Code | Location | Operator | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18U (8U) | Bicocca, Italy | Pirelli Tyre S.P.A | Listed |
| 1XA (XA) | Bollate, Italy | Pirelli Tyre S.P.A. | Listed |
| 1EB (EB) | Breuberg, Germany | Pirelli Deutschland GMBH-Breuberg | Listed |
| 1EC (EC) | Breuberg, Germany | Pirelli Deutschland GMBH-Breuberg | Listed |
| 1XP (XP) | Burton-On-Trent, United Kingdom | Pirelli Tyres Ltd. | Listed |
| 1XL (XL) | Campinas, Brazil | Pirelli Pneus S.A. | Listed |
| 1XN (XN) | Carlisle, United Kingdom | Pirelli Tyres Ltd. | Listed |
| 1N9 (N9) | Feira de Santana, Brazil | Pirelli Pneus S.A. | Listed |
| 1XH (XH) | Kirov, Russia | Pirelli Kirov Opco | Listed |
| 1XM (XM) | Merlo, Argentina | Pirelli Neumaticos S.A.I.C. | Listed |
| 1JR (JR) | Rome, Georgia, United States | Pirelli Tire LLC | Listed |
| 1XB (XB) | Settimo, Italy | Pirelli Tyre S.P.A. | Listed |
| 1UN (UN) | Silao, Guanajuato, Mexico | Pirellii Neumaticos S.A. de C.V. | Listed |
| 193 (93) | Slatina, Romania | S.C. Pirelli Tyres Romania S.R.L. | Listed |
| 1YB (YB) | Voronezh, Russia | Pirelli Voronezh Opco | Listed |
| 151 (51) | Yanzhou, China | Pirelli Tyre Co. Ltd. | Listed |
| 1CH (CH) | Hanford, California, United States | Pirelli Armstrong Tire Corporation | Closed |
| 1CK (CK) | Madison, Tennessee, United States | Pirelli Armstrong Tire Corporation | Closed |
| 11B (1B) | Valencia, Venezuela | Pirelli de Venesuela, C.A. | Closed |
Old two-symbol codes are in brackets. Source: NHTSA vPIC tire plant codes, checked October 2026.