Bradford White water heaters encode the manufacture date as two letters, not digits, at the very start of the serial number, and Bradford White's own website publishes the complete letter tables needed to read them. The first letter is the year, chosen from a twenty-letter cycle that skips I, O, Q, R, U and V and repeats every twenty years — for example, the letter A means 2004 or 2024, and only the equipment's general condition and other date clues tell you which cycle applies.
The second letter is the month, running from A for January through M for December and skipping I and every letter after M. A serial beginning DG therefore reads as month G, July, in a year coded D — 2007 or 2027. Bradford White's own reference additionally notes that the production-number portion after these two letters grew from seven digits to eight digits starting in December 2007, which can help decide which twenty-year cycle applies to an ambiguous year letter.
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What this covers
- Bradford White residential water heaters with a serial number opening in two letters
- Reading the year from the first letter (20-letter cycle, repeats every 20 years) and the month from the second letter (A–M, skipping I)
- Using the 7-digit vs. 8-digit production-number length as a clue for which 20-year cycle applies (8 digits from December 2007 onward)
What it does not cover
- ×Bradford White commercial or specialty product lines not confirmed to share this exact letter system
- ×A guarantee of which 20-year cycle applies without another date clue on a genuinely ambiguous unit
- ×Any all-numeric Bradford White serial, which this page has not seen documented
Try in this order
0 of 4 completedLocate the data tag
ReversibleCheck the exterior jacket of the tank for the rating/serial label.
Read the first letter as the year
ReversibleMatch it against Bradford White's 20-letter cycle (skipping I, O, Q, R, U, V). The same letter recurs every 20 years.
Read the second letter as the month
ReversibleA through M, skipping I, gives January through December. DG reads as July in the year coded D.
Use the production-number length to break the 20-year tie
ReversibleA 7-digit production number after the two letters points to before December 2007; an 8-digit one points to December 2007 or later.
Evidence ledger
Sources behind this answer
Bradford White's own official page publishes the complete year-letter table (a 20-letter cycle skipping I, O, Q, R, U, V) and month-letter table (A–M skipping I) directly. Verified Sept. 10, 2026.
Independent reference whose own decoder tool uses the identical letter set as Bradford White's official chart, cross-confirming it. Verified Sept. 10, 2026.
Exact questions
Questions about Decode a Bradford White serial number
How do I know which 20-year cycle my Bradford White year letter means?+
Bradford White's own reference doesn't resolve this from the letter alone. Use the production-number length (7 digits before December 2007, 8 digits from then on) or another clue, such as the home's known equipment-replacement history.
Why do the letter tables skip so many letters?+
Bradford White's own tables skip I, O, Q, R, U and V for the year and every letter after M for the month, most likely to avoid confusion with similar-looking digits or to bound the month table at exactly 12 usable letters.
Does this cover Bradford White commercial water heaters?+
This page confirms the format from Bradford White's residential-facing reference chart; commercial product lines were not separately confirmed.
How do I read the serial?+
Compare against the format.
Where is the label?+
On the tank.
Is the date exact?+
Approximate.