Expiry Date Reader › Chinese labels
Chinese expiry date from production date and shelf life
Type the production date (生产日期), add the shelf life (保质期) and see the last day to eat it.
Adding up the shelf life
Count the production day as day one. Made March 15, 2026 with 保质期 18个月 (18 months) expires by September 14, 2027. China's labelling standard, GB 7718-2025, also lets makers start counting the next day, which gives September 15, so the earlier date is the safe one.
If you land on a day the month doesn't have, use the month's last day: made August 31 with 6 months runs into the end of February. A shelf life in days counts days, so made September 1, 2026 with 保质期 180天 expires by February 27, 2027. Chinese numerals work too: 十二个月 is 12 months, 十八个月 18 months, 两年 2 years.
The words on the pack
| Word | Means |
|---|---|
| 生产日期 shēngchǎn rìqī | Production date. Taiwan: 製造日期. |
| 保质期 bǎozhìqī | Shelf life, a length of time: 12个月 (months), 180天 (days), 2年 (years). |
| 保质期至, 到期日, 有效期至 | Expiry date. Nothing to add up. Taiwan often writes 有效日期. |
| 此日期前最佳 | Best before (Hong Kong). |
| 此日期前食用 | Use by (Hong Kong). |
| 限期使用日期 | Use by, on cosmetics. |
| 批号 or 生产批号 | Batch number, not a date. |
| 见包装 | "See pack": the date is printed somewhere else on it. |
Dates from Taiwan and Hong Kong
Taiwan often counts years from 1912. Add 1911: 115.03.15, 民國115年3月15日 and 1150315 are all March 15, 2026. Hong Kong and export packs sometimes put the day first: 15.03.2027 is March 15, 2027. When a date could be read both ways, the reader asks which.
From March 2027 the date is printed for you
Under GB 7718-2025, in force from March 16, 2027, labels must show the expiry date (保质期到期日) next to the production date. Packs made before then may still show only the production date and shelf life. In mainland China, food past the end of its shelf life may not be sold.
Questions
Does 保质期 12个月 mean it expires on the same date next year?
Almost. Made September 1, 2026 with a 12-month shelf life expires by August 31, 2027 if the production day counts as day one. Some makers count from the next day, which gives September 1. Both are allowed, so go by the earlier date.
What does 保质期至 mean?
"Shelf life until." The date after it is the expiry date itself, so there is nothing to add. 有效期至 and 到期日 mean the same thing.
Can shops in China sell food past its shelf life?
No. China's Food Safety Law (article 34, item 10) bans producing or selling food past its shelf life, and from March 2027 labels must print that last day.
How do I read a Taiwan date like 115.03.15?
Add 1911 to the first number: 115 + 1911 = 2026, so it is March 15, 2026. Taiwan counts these years from 1912. You may also see 民國115年3月15日 or seven digits, 1150315.
What if the pack says 见包装 or only shows a code?
见包装 (see pack) means the date is printed somewhere else on the pack. A code mixing letters and numbers, like a 批号, is a batch number that only the maker can turn into a date.
Sources: China's market regulator (SAMR) 2024 notice on date labels; the health commission's GB 7718-2025 Q&A; the Civil Code's rule for counting months (articles 201 and 202); the Food Safety Law, article 34.
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