How old is my Bradford White water heater?
Serial number age decoder for Bradford White tank water heaters: 1 format era, the decode rule in plain English, transcribed tables, and the official lookup.
Type the serial from the data plate, not the model number. Nothing is sent anywhere; the tables are in this page.
Format example: DG6322957
- Bradford White water heater serial numbers in the 1984 to present format encode the year as letter 1, 20-year cycle (table below) and the month as letter 2 (table below) (source: bradfordwhite.com).
- Example: serial DG6322957 decodes to 1987 or 2007 (July).
- The 1984 to present format is ambiguous: Year letter repeats every 20 years (A = 1984, 2004 AND 2024; as of 2026, A/B/C are triple-ambiguous). Disambiguate via ANSI compliance date on the plate, rating-plate style, or the official my-water-heater lookup which returns the exact manufacture date. Special case: 'OA' serials exist due to a computer error, all made January 1997.
- Bradford White's official lookup at bradfordwhite.com returns manufacture date (official date decoder + printed letter chart).
Format eras
- 1984 to present VERIFIED
AA#######letter 1, 20-year cycle: A=1984/2004/2024 B=1985/2005/2025 C=86/06/26 D=87/07/27 E=88/08/2
How to read the serial
1984 to present formatVERIFIED
Shape AA####### · example DG6322957 · confidence high
- Year
- letter 1, 20-year cycle: A=1984/2004/2024 B=1985/2005/2025 C=86/06/26 D=87/07/27 E=88/08/28 F=89/09/29 G=90/10/30 H=91/11/31 J=92/12/32 K=93/13/33 L=94/14/34 M=95/15/35 N=96/16/36 P=97/17/37 S=98/18/38 T=99/19/39 W=00/20/40 X=01/21/41 Y=02/22/42 Z=03/23/43 (I,O,Q,R,U,V unused)
- Week or month
- month = letter 2: A=Jan B=Feb C=Mar D=Apr E=May F=Jun G=Jul H=Aug J=Sep K=Oct L=Nov M=Dec (I and N-Z unused)
| Year code | Year(s) |
|---|---|
| A | 1984, 2004, 2024 |
| B | 1985, 2005, 2025 |
| C | 1986, 2006, 2026 |
| D | 1987, 2007, 2027 |
| E | 1988, 2008, 2028 |
| F | 1989, 2009, 2029 |
| G | 1990, 2010, 2030 |
| H | 1991, 2011, 2031 |
| J | 1992, 2012, 2032 |
| K | 1993, 2013, 2033 |
| L | 1994, 2014, 2034 |
| M | 1995, 2015, 2035 |
| N | 1996, 2016, 2036 |
| P | 1997, 2017, 2037 |
| S | 1998, 2018, 2038 |
| T | 1999, 2019, 2039 |
| W | 2000, 2020, 2040 |
| X | 2001, 2021, 2041 |
| Y | 2002, 2022, 2042 |
| Z | 2003, 2023, 2043 |
| Month code | Month |
|---|---|
| A | January |
| B | February |
| C | March |
| D | April |
| E | May |
| F | June |
| G | July |
| H | August |
| J | September |
| K | October |
| L | November |
| M | December |
Example: serial DG6322957 decodes to 1987 or 2007 (July).
Where the data plate is on a water heater
The rating plate is a large label on the side of the tank near the top or beside the control. The serial is printed on it, often beside the model number and the ANSI standard line.
General guidance, not brand-specific: the owner's manual or the installer can point to the exact spot. See the data plate guide.
For scale only: the InterNACHI Standard Estimated Life Expectancy Chart for Homes lists Water Heater (conventional) at 6 to 12 years of expected service (nachi.org). That chart is a guideline, not a prediction for your unit.
Open the official Bradford White lookup takes serial; returns manufacture date (official date decoder + printed letter chart); URL verified live
Open the official Bradford White lookup takes serial; returns warranty details / expiration; URL verified live
This site is a reference built from published tables. The manufacturer's own lookup wins whenever the two disagree.
Sources
- https://www.bradfordwhite.com/my-water-heater/official
- https://www.building-center.org/bradford-white/
- img: Bradford-White-WH-Date-of-Manufacture.png
- https://warrantycenter.bradfordwhite.com/official
Frequently asked questions
How do I tell the age of a Bradford White water heater from the serial number?
In the 1984 to present format the year is letter 1, 20-year cycle (table below) and the month as letter 2 (table below). Example: serial DG6322957 decodes to 1987 or 2007 (July).
Where is the serial number on a Bradford White water heater?
On the data plate. The rating plate is a large label on the side of the tank near the top or beside the control. The serial is printed on it, often beside the model number and the ANSI standard line.