---
title: "Bradford White Water Heater Age: Read the Serial Number"
description: "The first two letters of a Bradford White serial number are the year and month it was built. Here’s the letter chart, with worked examples."
canonical: "https://whatyearis.com/bradford-white-water-heater"
markdown: "https://whatyearis.com/bradford-white-water-heater.md"
last_updated: "2026-10-19"
---

# How old is my Bradford White water heater?

On a Bradford White water heater, the first two letters of the serial number are the year and the month it was built. The first letter is the year, on a 20-year cycle, and the second is the month, from A for January to M for December. A serial that starts JC was built in March 2012. The serial is on the rating plate on the side of the tank.

By [the What Year Is team](https://whatyearis.com/editorial) · Updated October 19, 2026

## 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](https://www.bradfordwhite.com/my-water-heater/), checked October 19, 2026; [Determining The Age Of A Water Heater](https://forthepro.bradfordwhite.com/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.

## 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.

## What will the home systems age report cost?

The home systems age report will cost $19 per home. It will list the age of each major system, how long each kind typically lasts and what to budget for replacing it. The report isn’t open yet. Join the waitlist and we’ll email you the day it opens.

## Sources

- [My Water Heater](https://www.bradfordwhite.com/my-water-heater/), Bradford White Corporation. The first two characters of the serial number are the year and month of manufacture, with the year and month letter charts, and the serial is on the rating plate.. Checked October 19, 2026.
- [Determining The Age Of A Water Heater](https://forthepro.bradfordwhite.com/determining-the-age-of-a-water-heater/), Bradford White Corporation. The year letters skip I, O, Q, R, U and V; the production number was seven digits before December 2007 and eight after; OA serials were built in January 1997.. Checked October 19, 2026.
- [How to read the serial number date code reference chart?](https://www.bradfordwhite.com/bw-faq/how-to-read-the-serial-number-date-code-reference-chart/), Bradford White Corporation. The first two characters of the serial number represent the year and month of manufacture.. Checked October 19, 2026.
- [Installation and Operation Instruction Manual, Light Duty Commercial Electric Water Heater (238-54649-00)](https://docs.bradfordwhite.com/I&O/238-54649-00_Current.pdf), Bradford White Corporation. The worked example JC16433183: J means built in 2012 and C means built in March.. Checked October 19, 2026.
- [Limited Residential Water Heater Warranty (238-39699-00)](https://docs.bradfordwhite.com/Warranty/238-39699-00_Current.pdf), Bradford White Corporation. The glass-lined tank warranty is 1, 6, 8 or 10 years from installation depending on the model; without proof of installation, coverage runs from three months after the date of manufacture.. Checked October 19, 2026.

## About this document

This is the Markdown version of a page on What Year Is (https://whatyearis.com). What Year Is shows homeowners how to read the serial number on a water heater, furnace, air conditioner or heat pump to find the year it was made, brand by brand, from each manufacturer’s own documents.

- Site index for AI assistants: https://whatyearis.com/llms.txt
- About What Year Is: https://whatyearis.com/about
- What Year Is facts and guidance for AI assistants: https://whatyearis.com/facts
- All systems: https://whatyearis.com/#products
- Every page has a Markdown version at its URL plus .md (the home page is https://whatyearis.com/index.md).

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