Tubes of caulking have expiration dates. Using expired caulk can result in poor performance of the caulking material after installation. There are many reasons to use new caulking for your project including:
- Good performance from the caulk
- Preventing installation issues and troubles
- The high cost of removing old or failed caulk
- The importance of caulk to preventing water intrusion. Water intrusion and damage is the most common building issue
Here is an overview of a few different caulking manufacturer’s expiration information.
DAP (https://www.dap.com/products-projects/product-categories/caulks-sealants/)
Specifies a shelf life of 12 months on the back of the tube (Caulk must be used within 12 months of production)
The DAP expiration date is printed on the tube (122314) in the “MMYYDD” format. Month-Year-Day.
White Lightning (https://www.wlcaulk.com/)
The White Lightning expiration date printed on the tube (NI0242-1) indicates that it was made on the 24th day of 2022. This date is referred to as a Julian date (“0242” means “024” day of the year, year 2022 – “DDDY”).
White Lighting specifies a 12 month shelf life on their caulk. You should use this caulk within 12 months of the date printed on the tube.
GE Sealants – General Electric (https://gesealants.com/)
The GE expiration date printed on the tube (“EXP 02-2023”) indicates that it expires in February of 2023. This date is the “use by” date. Use the caulk before the date printed on the tube.