Label Date Abbreviations: MFG, EXP, BBF, LOT and More
The most common date abbreviations on product labels are MFG / MFD (manufacturing date), EXP / EXD (expiry or expiration date), Use by (a safety deadline), and BB / BBF / BBE (best before). Other codes you may see include PKD (packing date), Sell by, LOT (batch number) and the cosmetics 12M open-jar symbol. This guide puts them all in one table.
Label date abbreviations at a glance
Expiry date and expiration date mean the same thing and are usually shortened to EXP, EXD or Exp. date; some products use Use by. On Thai food labels the required Thai words are “ผลิต” (manufactured), “หมดอายุ” (expiry) and “ควรบริโภคก่อน” (best before). For details on expiry dates, read EXP meaning: how to read expiry dates on labels.
| Meaning | Full term | Abbreviations on labels |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing date | Manufacturing Date / Date of Manufacture | MFG MFD Mfg. Date |
| Packing date | Packing Date / Packed on | PKD Packed |
| Expiry date | Expiry Date / Expiration Date | EXP EXD Exp. date |
| Safety deadline | Use by | Use by |
| Best quality date | Best Before / Best Before Date | BB BBF BBD |
| Best before the end of a month or year | Best Before End | BBE |
| Last recommended day of sale | Sell by | Sell by |
| Use within X months of opening (cosmetics) | Period After Opening | Open-jar symbol + 12M |
| Production batch | Lot Number / Batch Number | LOT L Batch No. |
Label abbreviations grouped by meaning
1. Manufacturing date: MFG, MFD, PKD
MFG and MFD stand for manufacturing date: when the product was made, not an expiry date. Some products print PKD or “Packed on” instead, meaning the date the food was placed in its retail container. The Codex labelling standard defines date of manufacture and date of packaging as separate terms. See Manufacturing, expiry and best-before dates explained.
2. Expiry date: EXP, EXD, Use by
The last date on which the product is safe. Do not consume or use it after this date, and shops should not sell it. Medicines usually show EXP or Exp. date.
3. Best before: BB, BBF, BBE, BBD
The date until which the product keeps its best quality. After it, the food may still be fine if stored correctly and unchanged. BBE (Best Before End) is often used when only the month and year are shown. See BBF meaning: best before vs BBE vs EXP.
4. Other common codes: Sell by, LOT, 12M
- Sell by: the last date a shop should offer the product for sale, leaving a reasonable storage period at home (Codex definition). It is not an expiry date.
- LOT / L / Batch No.: the production batch code used for traceability and recalls. See the LOT number and batch coding guide.
- Open-jar 12M symbol: found on cosmetics; use within 12 months after opening (the number varies, such as 6M or 24M).
Month abbreviations on labels
Labels often write the month as three letters: JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC. For example, EXP 09 OCT 2027 means expires 9 October 2027. Writing the month in letters avoids confusion between day/month and month/day order. Under Thai FDA food labelling rules the month may be in numbers or letters, the year in the Buddhist or Gregorian calendar with two or four digits, and if the date is not in day-month-year order the label must state the order.
What is a Julian date code?
Some factories print the date as a Julian (day-of-year) code. For example, 26282 means 2026, day 282 of the year, which is 9 October 2026. These codes are common in lot numbers and internal codes, but consumers find them hard to read, so they should not replace the expiry date the label requires.
For manufacturers: use label abbreviations correctly
- Put the required Thai wording first, then the English abbreviation, for example
ผลิต / MFG 09/10/2026andหมดอายุ / EXP 09/10/2027. - Choose one set of abbreviations for all products, such as MFG + EXP or MFG + BBF, and do not switch between MFD/MFG or EXP/EXD.
- Keep the same date order and separators on every lot, or use English month abbreviations to avoid confusion.
- Let the printer generate dates from its clock and add the shelf life automatically. Many industrial date coders can do this; check what your model supports.
- Print sharp, well-adhering codes with the right technology: CIJ for bottles, pouches and cans on conveyors · TIJ for cartons and labels · laser for permanent codes · handheld printers for small batches.
- Verify codes automatically with vision inspection that reads the code (OCR) and rejects wrong or missing dates.
For Thai food label rules, see Thai food labels: manufacturing dates, expiry dates and best before, and for print positions see Where to print expiry dates on packaging.
Label abbreviation FAQs
What is the abbreviation for expiry date?
EXP, EXD or Exp. date, from Expiry Date or Expiration Date. Some products use Use by, which has the same meaning.
What does MFG mean on a label?
MFG (or MFD) means manufacturing date: when the product was made. It is not an expiry date.
What is the abbreviation for best before?
BB, BBF or BBD. When only the month and year are shown, BBE (Best Before End) is often used.
Is MFG different from MFD?
No. Both mean manufacturing date; manufacturers just use different abbreviations.
What does Sell by mean? Is it an expiry date?
No. Sell by is the last date a shop should sell the product, leaving some storage time at home. Check the expiry or best-before date as well.
What does 12M mean on cosmetics?
The open-jar symbol with 12M means use within 12 months after first opening. It is not the expiry date on the pack.
What is a 5-digit code like 26282 on a label?
It may be a Julian date code: 2026, day 282 of the year (9 October 2026). Such codes are often used in lot numbers or internal factory codes. If unsure, ask the manufacturer.
References
- Thai FDA Food Division – Food labelling rules and label examples (MOPH Notification No. 450, B.E. 2567)
- Thai FDA – Consumer guidance on expiry and best-before dates (Thai)
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Mahidol University – Manufacturing and expiry dates of medicines (Thai)
- FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius – CXS 1-1985 General Standard for the Labelling of Prepackaged Foods (definitions of date of manufacture, date of packaging, sell-by, best before and use-by)
Need manufacturing, expiry and LOT codes right on every pack?
Send us photos of your packaging and the text you need to print. Better Code will help you choose a date coder, set up the date format and run print tests on your real products.
