DEF Date Codes
A date code, or date of manufacture, can be found on just about any package of DEF. This is called out in the specification for DEF: ISO 22241.
How to read the date of manufacture on BlueDEF also known as PEAK Brand (commonly found in WalMart and other retail locations).
This information is from an email reply from PEAK Technical Services dated July 1, 2013 in response to my request for how to read the date code. (Other brands often print a conventional date with month, day, and year).
"The most important part of the batch code is the third through seventh numbers. There are always going to be two letters or numbers at the beginning of the code, which is the blending facility code, The third and fourth number of the code is the year +1. The fifth, sixth and seventh numbers of the code are the days left in the year, or reverse Julian date."
The date code on a recent BlueDEF box I purchased was GA153590089. Lets break this down into 4 groups of numbers:
GA: The designator of the plant that manufactured the DEF.
15: The year of manufacture plus 1, so this DEF was made in 2014.
359: 365-359 = 6, so the 6th day of the year, or January 6th.
0089: The batch code.
So this container of DEF was made January 6th, 2014.
Specification life for DEF is 2 years at 75F or so. Stored properly, this DEF is good thru January 6th, 2016. Storage life is highly dependent on temperature. DEF stored at 85F only lasts 12 months. Storage above 95F (not unusual in an vehicle parked in the sun during the summer) is limited to 1 month or so. (source of information: ISO 22241-3, most recent revision).
How to read the date of manufacture on BlueDEF also known as PEAK Brand (commonly found in WalMart and other retail locations).
This information is from an email reply from PEAK Technical Services dated July 1, 2013 in response to my request for how to read the date code. (Other brands often print a conventional date with month, day, and year).
"The most important part of the batch code is the third through seventh numbers. There are always going to be two letters or numbers at the beginning of the code, which is the blending facility code, The third and fourth number of the code is the year +1. The fifth, sixth and seventh numbers of the code are the days left in the year, or reverse Julian date."
The date code on a recent BlueDEF box I purchased was GA153590089. Lets break this down into 4 groups of numbers:
GA: The designator of the plant that manufactured the DEF.
15: The year of manufacture plus 1, so this DEF was made in 2014.
359: 365-359 = 6, so the 6th day of the year, or January 6th.
0089: The batch code.
So this container of DEF was made January 6th, 2014.
Specification life for DEF is 2 years at 75F or so. Stored properly, this DEF is good thru January 6th, 2016. Storage life is highly dependent on temperature. DEF stored at 85F only lasts 12 months. Storage above 95F (not unusual in an vehicle parked in the sun during the summer) is limited to 1 month or so. (source of information: ISO 22241-3, most recent revision).
