Determining the Age of a Canon Lens Using Serial Numbers and Date Codes

How old is your Canon lens? The lens's serial number or date code (or even box) may answer that question.

Traditionally, we used the date code to determine the age of a Canon lens. However, starting in 2008 with the Canon EF-S 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens, Canon has transitioned away from date code inclusion and to a longer 10-digit lens serial number. While date codes and shorter serial numbers are still found on some lenses manufactured in or after 2008, that practice appears to have been completely phased out.

We loved the date code because it made aging a lens easy. However, now we can age a lens based on the serial number alone.

For information on determining the age of a pre-10-digit serial number lens, see the section on interpreting the old date code below.

Determine the Age of a Canon Lens Based on the 10-Digit Serial Number

To age a Canon lens using the 10-digital serial number, we dissect the serial number as follows:

DD C SSSSSSS

The DD is the key to the date the lens was manufactured - the production date code. The Canon lens date code chart is shown below.

	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024
Jan	38	50	62	74	86	01	13	25	37	49	61	73	85	01	13	25	37
Feb	39	51	63	75	87	02	14	26	38	50	62	74	86	02	14	26	38
Mar	40	52	64	76	88	03	15	27	39	51	63	75	87	03	15	27	39
Apr	41	53	65	77	89	04	16	28	40	52	64	76	88	04	16	28	40
May	42	54	66	78	90	05	17	29	41	53	65	77	89	05	17	29	41
Jun	43	55	67	79	91	06	18	30	42	54	66	78	90	06	18	30	42
Jul	44	56	68	80	92	07	19	31	43	55	67	79	91	07	19	31	43
Aug	45	57	69	81	93	08	20	32	44	56	68	80	92	08	20	32	44
Sep	46	58	70	82	94	09	21	33	45	57	69	81	93	09	21	33	45
Oct	47	59	71	83	95	10	22	34	46	58	70	82	94	10	22	34	46
Nov	48	60	72	84	96	11	23	35	47	59	71	83	95	11	23	35	47
Dec	49	61	73	85	97	12	24	36	48	60	72	84	96	12	24	36	48

These dates should be viewed as approximations and should be used for your amusement as the estimates are not guaranteed correct. Please send any discrepancies you find. Note that Canon EOS DSLR camera body serial numbers, at least for 2013, do not follow this chart. Also please note that future dates shown in the table are predictions/expectations.

The third digit in the serial number, C, may be a charge/batch type of number. Canon has been using this number to indicate lenses needing specific service-related updates such as firmware.

The remaining digits in the serial number, SSSSSSS, are a uniquely-identifying number of the lens – likely within the production month.

Please note that, while the overall chart is holding out nicely with the lenses we've checked (including several late-2014 models), it is a work-in-process. In part, the numbers might be shifted by a month or so. Again, please send us any discrepancies you find.

Special thanks go out to the friends of the site that played a role in the development and maintenance of this chart.

To Determine the Age of a Pre-10-Digit Serial Number Canon Lens with a Date Code

Until phasing out the practice starting in 2008, Canon included a date code beside the rear lens element of many (but not all) lenses (note that some 2012-manufactured lenses still received this date code). The date code (as seen below) is in the form of "UR0902". This code is also present on some other Canon products including camera bodies.

The first letter, "U", indicates that the lens was made in Canon's Utsunomiya, Japan factory. Prior to 1986, this letter is moved to the last position of the date code.

U = Utsunomiya, Japan
F = Fukushima, Japan
O = Oita, Japan

The second letter, "R", is a year code that indicates the year of manufacture. Canon increments this letter each year starting with A in 1986 and prior to that, A in 1960 without the leading factory code. Here is a table to make things simple:

A = 2012, 1986, 1960
B = 2013, 1987, 1961
C = 2014, 1988, 1962
D = 2015, 1989, 1963
E = 2016, 1990, 1964
F = 2017, 1991, 1965
G = 2018, 1992, 1966
H = 2019, 1993, 1967
I = 1994, 1968
J = 1995, 1969
K = 1996, 1970
L = 1997, 1971
M = 1998, 1972
N = 1999, 1973
O = 2000, 1974
P = 2001, 1975
Q = 2002, 1976
R = 2003, 1977
S = 2004, 1978
T = 2005, 1979
U = 2006, 1980
V = 2007, 1981
W = 2008, 1982
X = 2009, 1983
Y = 2010, 1984
Z = 2011, 1985

The first two numbers, "09", is the month number the lens was manufactured in. Month 02 is February, month 11 = November. The leading zero of the month code is sometimes omitted.

The next two numbers, "02", are meaningless in determining how old a Canon lens is. This is a Canon internal code (that is occasionally omitted).

While you now know the manufacture date for your lens, you do not know how long the lens was in inventory, in shipping transit, and on a shelf until it was originally purchased (without having the original receipt or a reputable person accurately informing you).

The Canon lens date code in the sample picture indicates that this Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L Lens (I know the lens model because I took the picture, not from the date code) was manufactured in Utsunomiya, Japan in September 2003.

One More Easy Way to Determine the age of a Canon lens: Check the Box

For those residing in certain locales (including Europe), the box may contain an EAC label with a date code. If present, the EAC label is easy to identify — look for the large "EAC" printed on it. Just below the EAC is the production date in YYYYMMDD format. That addition makes lens aging easy, assuming the lens is in the original box.