Bradford White water heater age by serial number

Reviewed 2026-10-155 primary sourcesSee sources

Bradford White puts the build date in the first two letters of the serial number: a year letter, then a month letter. The year letters repeat every 20 years, so the length of the number that follows helps pick the right decade.

Covers: Bradford White water heaters whose serial number starts with two letters. Bradford White’s charts run from 1984.

Where to find the serial number

• The model and serial numbers are on the rating plate on the side of the water heater.^[4]

Date formats Bradford White documents

Two letters + 7 digitsbefore December 2007

Bradford White says the production number had seven digits until December 2007, so we only read 1984–2007 for a seven-digit number. That narrowing is our reading of Bradford White’s rule, not a statement Bradford White makes.^[1]

Two letters + 8 digitsDecember 2007 on

An eight-digit production number means December 2007 or later. Future years are left out, which leaves one year for current letters; that step is our deduction, not a Bradford White statement.^[1]

OA prefix1997

Bradford White says some heaters carry an OA prefix because of a computer error, and that they were built in January 1997.^[2]

What Bradford White says

• Year letters skip I, O, Q, R, U and V. Month letters run A to M and skip I.^[2]
• Each year letter stands for a year in each 20-year cycle; for example, A is 1984, 2004 or 2024 and Z is 2003, 2023 or 2043.^[2]
• One of the two tables in Bradford White’s professional bulletin pairs the letters inconsistently (A with 2004 or 2024, but B with 1985 or 2005). Its consumer page and its other table agree with the 20-year pattern used here.^[2]
• Bradford White’s online Warranty Check takes the serial number and returns the manufacture date along with the warranty term.^[4]

Worked examples

• JC16433183: J is a 1992, 2012 or 2032 year letter and C is March. The eight-digit number rules out 1992, and 2032 hasn’t happened yet, so it was made in March 2012. This is Bradford White’s own example serial.^[2]

What the serial can’t tell you

• The serial gives the year and month of manufacture only: no day, no installation date and no warranty status.^[4]
• Warranty length depends on how the heater is used, and Bradford White’s warranty department makes the final call on coverage.^[4]
• The letters alone can’t tell 1984, 2004 and 2024 apart; only the length of the number and common sense narrow it.^[2]
• Bradford White’s charts start in 1984; earlier serial formats aren’t documented.
• Whether the December 2007 (DM) serials themselves have seven or eight digits isn’t stated.

Recalls on record

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission lists these recalls naming Bradford White equipment. Check the recall notice itself for the exact models and serial ranges.

• CPSC, Bradford White Corporation, Announce Recall of Gas Water Heater (2002-08-15, recall 02553)^[5]

Ask Bradford White

• Bradford White Warranty Center: Enter the serial number to see the manufacture date and warranty term.^[4]