What does DOT mean on a tire?

DOT stands for the Department of Transportation. When this is stamped on a tire, it signifies that the manufacturer certifies the tire meets or exceeds all federal safety standards for highway use in the United States.

Do NHS tires have a DOT code?

No. Tires stamped with NHS (Not for Highway Service) are strictly for agricultural, racing, or off-road use. They do not meet federal safety standards and usually do not have a standard DOT code or date stamp.

How do I find out what country my tires were made in?

You can look up the 2 or 3-character plant code located immediately after the 'DOT' stamp on the sidewall. Matching this code to the NHTSA database will reveal the exact city and country where the factory is located.

Is my tire fake if it doesn't have a DOT number?

If a tire is sold for use on public roads in the U.S. and lacks a DOT stamp, it is either an illegal gray-market import, an illegal counterfeit, or the DOT stamp was intentionally buffed off (which is highly illegal).

Why did the DOT code length change?

In 2015, the NHTSA updated the DOT code rules to expand plant codes from 2 characters to 3 characters because they were running out of 2-character combinations for new factories. Because of this, modern DOT codes are usually 13 characters long instead of 11 or 12.

Full DOT Tire Code Decoder

Enter your complete DOT sequence to uncover your tire's manufacturing plant, brand origin, and production date.

Quick Answer

Entering the DOT code "DOT PJ L9 ABCD 1521" reveals that the tire was manufactured in the 15th week of 2021. The plant code "PJ" specifically identifies the factory as the Kelly-Springfield (Goodyear) plant located in Tyler, Texas, USA.

The first 2 characters of the DOT code identify the tire manufacturing plant. Enter the plant code from your DOT number to look up the manufacturer and location.

Code	Brand	Location	Country
B4	Michelin	Greenville, SC	USA
B7	Michelin	Lexington, SC	USA
D2	Michelin	Dothan, AL	USA
D7	Michelin	Spartanburg, SC	USA
D8	Michelin	Norwood, OH	USA
EY	Michelin	Clermont-Ferrand	France
MA	Michelin	Homburg	Germany
1B	Goodyear	Akron, OH	USA
1C	Goodyear	Danville, VA	USA
1D	Goodyear	Gadsden, AL	USA
1J	Goodyear	Topeka, KS	USA
1V	Goodyear	Lawton, OK	USA
H2	Bridgestone	LaVergne, TN	USA
H5	Bridgestone	Aiken, SC	USA
H6	Bridgestone	Warren County, TN	USA
H7	Bridgestone	Bloomington, IL	USA
WE	Bridgestone	Shimonoseki	Japan
WA	Bridgestone	Tochigi	Japan
4F	Cooper Tire	Findlay, OH	USA
4B	Cooper Tire	Texarkana, TX	USA
Y6	Continental	Mount Vernon, IL	USA
MB	Continental	Hanover	Germany
M8	Continental	Korbach	Germany
M5	Continental	Sarreguemines	France
2H	Toyo	Bartow County, GA	USA
MT	Toyo	Itami City	Japan
L2	Hankook	Clarksville, TN	USA
WH	Hankook	Daejeon	South Korea
WF	Hankook	Jiaxing	China
WR	Yokohama	West Point, MS	USA
WK	Yokohama	Mishima City	Japan
WM	Sumitomo	Pottstown, PA	USA
WB	Sumitomo / Falken	Gyoda, Saitama	Japan
MX	Pirelli	Rome, GA	USA
MZ	Pirelli	Slatina	Romania
MC	Pirelli	Milan	Italy
3E	BFGoodrich / Michelin	Tuscaloosa, AL	USA
V5	General Tire / Continental	Mount Vernon, IL	USA
V7	General Tire / Continental	Charlotte, NC	USA

Showing 39 of 39 known plant codes. Full database available at NHTSA tire data.

Popular Global Tire Plant Codes

Plant Code	Manufacturer	Plant Location	Country
PJ	Kelly-Springfield / Goodyear	Tyler, Texas	USA
1M	Michelin	Greenville, South Carolina	USA
U2	Sumitomo Rubber	Tonawanda, New York	USA
1Y	Goodyear	Lawton, Oklahoma	USA
B9	Michelin	Dothan, Alabama	USA
Y7	Yokohama	Salem, Virginia	USA

DOT Code Structure

DOT [Plant Code 2–3 chars] [Size Code] [Batch Code] [Date WWYY]

Plant code = NHTSA database lookup for factory and country of origin
Date code = always the final 4 digits (Week 01–52 + Year last 2 digits)
Post-2015 codes are 13 characters; older codes are 11–12 characters
NHTSA recall lookup requires the full TIN including plant code and date batch

Frequently Asked Questions

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