Titebond Codes

[Jerry Thompson]

Upon deciphering the Titebond codes on bottle of the glue in two stores it seems some of the items were manufactured 8-12 years ago.
I have a bottle of Titebond III that reads A203280023. Does that translate to 2002, March 23?
Before I learned to read the code I just picked up the item and went on my merry way. Would it be fool hardy to use this product if it has sat on a shelf in store for a long time? That coupled with the manufacture date has me wondering.

[Nick Stokes]

I would need a decoder ring...

[Andrew Gibson]

While that code could be from 02 I would expect it to be 2012. I don't think the date code would be the deciding factor on a 14 year old bottle, but I might be wrong. It makes me want to dig to the back of my cabinet and check that old bottler I always forget to throw out.

(a)= USA
(2)= last digit of year 2012?
(03)= March
(28)= day
(0023)= batch number

Second to last FAQ on the Titebond page. I think it is good information to know.
http://www.titebond.com/frequently_asked_questions.aspx

[Jerry Thompson]

Thank you Andrew. I also placed a drop on two of my fingers and pressed them together. When I pulled them apart the glue was not stringy and it is not discolored. I am going go ahead and use it.

[Matt Day]

I think they say as long as its uniform color and everything seems normal, go ahead and use it.

[Wayne Lomman]

Check with the manufacturer as to shelf life. If you are within that, good. If not, how critical is the job and how annoyed will you be if you have to do it again? Cheers

[Jerry Thompson]

There is only a small amount in the bottle. All of the local stores have very old product. I am going to heat up some hide glue for this one. It is a doll cradle made from cherry. The little girl and her mother know nothing of it.
It is about an hour round trip into Jacksonville to Wood Craft to see what they have.
I like hide glue best anyway.