How to identify Samsung 18650 and 21700 battery manufacturing date codes from 2024?

Key information

• Batteries with the new marking are official Samsung SDI products
• Quality and technical specifications remain unchanged
• The change is solely due to new legal certification requirements
• The CCC marking is mandatory for all lithium-ion batteries from August 1, 2024
• From August 2024, no Samsung cells will have the “Samsung SDI” text printed on the sleeve

New marking from 2024

• New format including CCC certification info, capacity, and polarity indicators.
• Depending on the model, production with the new wrap started between January and July 2024.
• Introduced gradually for each model

How to read the production date from the new code

Let's look at an example of how to read the new Samsung production date code.

The production date code is P8RC. Let us brake down how to calculate the manufacturing date of this battery. The year/month/day/manufacturing plant codes are as follows:

Year

Month

Day

Manufacturing plant

So,

P - manufacturing year: 2024

8 - manufacturing month: August

R - manufacturing day: 25 th

C - manufacturing plant: Cheonan (South-Korea)

How to recognize fake Samsung batteries?

Counterfeit batteries pose a serious threat to electronic devices and their users. The date code can help verify the cell's authenticity.

The most common signs of fakes include:

• Incorrect date code format – not compatible with official Samsung system (see above)
• Production date too recent – batteries with a future date or from the last few days
• Inconsistent markings – differences in font, size, or placement of markings