How do you read a Bradford White serial number?
Bradford White says the first two characters of the serial number are the year and month of manufacture. The year letters repeat every 20 years and skip I, O, Q, R, U and V. The month letters run A for January to M for December and skip I. The digits after the letters are a production number, which was seven digits long before December 2007 and eight digits after.
Sources: My Water Heater, checked October 19, 2026; Determining The Age Of A Water Heater, checked October 19, 2026.| Year letter | Years | Year letter | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 1984, 2004, 2024 | L | 1994, 2014 |
| B | 1985, 2005, 2025 | M | 1995, 2015 |
| C | 1986, 2006, 2026 | N | 1996, 2016 |
| D | 1987, 2007 | P | 1997, 2017 |
| E | 1988, 2008 | S | 1998, 2018 |
| F | 1989, 2009 | T | 1999, 2019 |
| G | 1990, 2010 | W | 2000, 2020 |
| H | 1991, 2011 | X | 2001, 2021 |
| J | 1992, 2012 | Y | 2002, 2022 |
| K | 1993, 2013 | Z | 2003, 2023 |
What will the home systems age report add?
The home systems age report will put your Bradford White water heater next to every other major system in your home, each with its build year, how long that kind of system typically lasts, and what to budget for replacing it.
Get the home systems age report
We’re building a home systems age report: your Bradford White water heater and every other major system, each with its age, typical life and replacement budget.
Where is the serial number on a Bradford White water heater?
It’s on the rating plate, the label on the side of the tank that lists the model, capacity and gas or electric ratings. The serial number starts with two letters followed by a string of digits. You don’t need to remove anything to read it.
What do some Bradford White serial numbers decode to?
The first row is the example Bradford White prints in its own manual. The others are made up to show the rule and don’t belong to real water heaters.
| Serial | Year letter | Month letter | Digits after the letters | Built |
|---|---|---|---|---|
JC16433183 (Bradford White’s example) |
J: 1992 or 2012 | C: March | 8 | March 2012 |
SK12345678 |
S: 1998 or 2018 | K: October | 8 | October 2018 |
TB1234567 |
T: 1999 or 2019 | B: February | 7 | February 1999 |
AC12345678 |
A: 2004 or 2024 | C: March | 8 | March 2024 |
The digit count settles the cycle: eight digits means December 2007 or later, so JC16433183 is 2012, not 1992, and TB1234567, with seven digits, is 1999.
How long will my Bradford White water heater last?
Bradford White doesn’t publish a typical life in years. It says hard water and poor water or gas quality can shorten a water heater’s life, and its residential tank warranties run 1, 6, 8 or 10 years depending on the model. The model number on the same rating plate tells you which warranty yours has.
Why does the build date matter for the warranty?
Bradford White’s residential warranty runs from the installation date. Without proof of installation, it runs from three months after the build date shown by the serial number, so the two letters can decide whether a tank is still covered.
Common questions about Bradford White water heater serial numbers
What do the Bradford White month letters mean?
A is January, B February, C March, D April, E May, F June, G July, H August, J September, K October, L November and M December. Bradford White skips the letter I.
How do I tell 2004 from 2024 on a Bradford White serial?
Count the digits after the two letters. Bradford White’s production number was seven digits long before December 2007 and eight digits after, so an A with eight digits points to 2024, and an A with seven digits points to 2004 (or 1984, one cycle earlier).
My serial starts with OA. What does that mean?
Bradford White says a computer error put OA on some serials, and that those water heaters were built in January 1997.