Canon Date Codes
This all-content, junk-free website's biggest source of support is when you use any of these links to approved sources when you get anything, regardless of the country in which you live. Thanks for helping me help you! Ken.
January 2026 Better Pictures Canon Reviews RF Lenses EF Lenses Flash All Canon Reviews All Reviews
Since the early 2000s, the first two or three digits of the serial number have indicated the date of manufacture:
😁 |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 |
2024 |
2025 |
2026 |
😛 |
Jan |
01 |
13 |
25 |
37 |
49 or 149 |
161 |
Jan |
Feb |
02 |
14 |
26 |
38 |
150 |
162 |
Feb |
Mar |
03 |
15 |
27 |
39 |
151 |
163 |
Mar |
Apr |
04 |
16 |
28 |
40 |
152 |
164 |
Apr |
May |
05 |
17 |
29 |
41 |
153 |
165 |
May |
Jun |
06 |
18 |
30 |
42 |
154 |
166 |
Jun |
Jul |
07 |
19 |
31 |
43 |
155 |
167 |
Jul |
Aug |
08 |
20 |
32 |
44 |
156 |
168 |
Aug |
Sep |
09 |
21 |
33 |
45 or 145 |
157 |
169 |
Sep |
Oct |
10 |
22 |
34 |
46 or 146 |
158 |
170 |
Oct |
Nov |
11 |
23 |
35 |
47 or 147 |
159 |
171 |
Nov |
Dec |
12 |
24 |
36 |
48 or 148 |
160 |
172 |
Dec |
😁 |
2013 |
2014 |
2015 |
2016 |
2017 |
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
😛
|
Jan |
01 |
13 |
25 |
37 |
49 |
61 |
73 |
85 |
Jan |
Feb |
02 |
14 |
26 |
38 |
50 |
62 |
74 |
86 |
Feb |
Mar |
03 |
15 |
27 |
39 |
51 |
63 |
75 |
87 |
Mar |
Apr |
04 |
16 |
28 |
40 |
52 |
64 |
76 |
88 |
Apr |
May |
05 |
17 |
29 |
41 |
53 |
65 |
77 |
89 |
May |
Jun |
06 |
18 |
30 |
42 |
54 |
66 |
78 |
90 |
Jun |
Jul |
07 |
19 |
31 |
43 |
55 |
67 |
79 |
91 |
Jul |
Aug |
08 |
20 |
32 |
44 |
56 |
68 |
80 |
92 |
Aug |
Sep |
09 |
21 |
33 |
45 |
57 |
69 |
81 |
93 |
Sep |
Oct |
10 |
22 |
34 |
46 |
58 |
70 |
82 |
94 |
Oct |
Nov |
11 |
23 |
35 |
47 |
59 |
71 |
83 |
95 |
Nov |
Dec |
12 |
24 |
36 |
48 |
60 |
72 |
84 |
96 |
Dec |
😁 |
2005 |
2006 |
2007 |
2008 |
2009 |
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
😛
|
Jan |
01 |
13 |
25 |
37 |
49 |
61 |
73 |
85 |
Jan |
Feb |
02 |
14 |
26 |
38 |
50 |
62 |
74 |
86 |
Feb |
Mar |
03 |
15 |
27 |
39 |
51 |
63 |
75 |
87 |
Mar |
Apr |
04 |
16 |
28 |
40 |
52 |
64 |
76 |
88 |
Apr |
May |
05 |
17 |
29 |
41 |
53 |
65 |
77 |
89 |
May |
Jun |
06 |
18 |
30 |
42 |
54 |
66 |
78 |
90 |
Jun |
Jul |
07 |
19 |
31 |
43 |
55 |
67 |
79 |
91 |
Jul |
Aug |
08 |
20 |
32 |
44 |
56 |
68 |
80 |
92 |
Aug |
Sep |
09 |
21 |
33 |
45 |
57 |
69 |
81 |
93 |
Sep |
Oct |
10 |
22 |
34 |
46 |
58 |
70 |
82 |
94 |
Oct |
Nov |
11 |
23 |
35 |
47 |
59 |
71 |
83 |
95 |
Nov |
Dec |
12 |
24 |
36 |
48 |
60 |
72 |
84 |
96 |
Dec |
My RF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM Z has serial number 1450000002. Starting with 145 means it was made in September 2024:
Serial Number, Canon RF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM Z. bigger.
Earlier
From about 1959 through about 2020 Canon stamped date codes on cameras and lenses with ink.
The first letter was the manufacturing plant. "U" means Canon's 3,000 employee, 750,000 sf (75,000 m^2) lens plant in Utsunomiya, Japan, founded in 1977.
"F" means Canon's 1,200 employee, 1,300,000 sf (125,000 m^2) Fukushima plant founded in 1970.
"O" means Canon's new (production starting May 2007) Oita lens plant with 600 people and 160,000 sf (15,000 m^2), and so on.
The second letter is the year. Early date codes may have had the first letter (the factory code) at the end, so the first letter would be the year.
The next two digits are the month. No one has decoded the last two digits; maybe it was the craftsman, production line, supervisor or shift.
|
|
1988 Canon EF 70-210mm f/4 Date Code. bigger. |
UC1204: The C means 1988 and 12 is December. bigger. |
I buy only from these approved sources. I can't vouch for ads below. |
Canon Stamped Year Codes
A |
1959 |
1986 |
1960 |
2012 |
B |
1960 |
1987 |
1961 |
2013 |
C |
1961 |
1988 |
1962 |
2014 |
D |
1962 |
1989 |
1963 |
2015 |
E |
1963 |
1990 |
1964 |
2016 |
F |
1964 |
1991 |
1965 |
2017 |
G |
1965 |
1992 |
1966 |
2018 |
H |
1966 |
1993 |
1967 |
2019 |
I |
1967 |
1994 |
1968 |
2020 |
J |
1968 |
1995 |
1969 |
2021 |
K |
1969 |
1996 |
1970 |
2022 |
L |
1970 |
1997 |
1971 |
2023 |
M |
1971 |
1998 |
1972 |
2024 |
N |
1972 |
1999 |
1973 |
2025 |
O |
1973 |
2000 |
1974 |
2026 |
P |
1974 |
2001 |
1975 |
2027 |
Q |
1975 |
2002 |
1976 |
2028 |
R |
1976 |
2003 |
1977 |
2029 |
S |
1977 |
2004 |
1978 |
2030 |
T |
1978 |
2005 |
1979 |
2031 |
U |
1979 |
2006 |
1980 |
2032 |
V |
1980 |
2007 |
1981 |
2033 |
W |
1981 |
2008 |
1982 |
2034 |
X |
1982 |
2009 |
1983 |
2035 |
Y |
1983 |
2010 |
1984 |
2036 |
Z |
1985 |
2011 |
1985 |
2037 |
See also Canon's Museum.
© Ken Rockwell. All rights reserved. Tous droits réservés. Alle Rechte vorbehalten. Alla rättigheter förbehållna. Toate drepturile rezervate. Niciun vampir nu a fost implicat în crearea acestei lucrări. Omnia jura reservata. Ken Rockwell® is a registered trademark.
Help Me Help You top
I support my growing family through this website, as crazy as it might seem.
The biggest help is when you use any of these links when you get anything. It costs you nothing, and is this site's, and thus my family's, biggest source of support. These places always have the best prices and service, which is why I've used them since before this website existed. I recommend them all personally.
If you find this page as helpful as a book you might have had to buy or a workshop you may have had to take, feel free to help me continue helping everyone.
If you've gotten your gear through one of my links or helped otherwise, you're family. It's great people like you who allow me to keep adding to this site full-time. Thanks!
If you haven't helped yet, please do, and consider helping me with a gift of $5.00.
As this page is copyrighted and formally registered, it is unlawful to make copies, especially in the form of printouts for personal use. If you wish to make a printout for personal use, you are granted one-time permission only if you PayPal me $5.00 per printout or part thereof. Thank you!
Thanks for reading!
Ken.