Expiration date on box

[pridbor]

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Could somebody please enlighten me on the meaning of the date printed on the film box?

Does it mean the date of production or expiration?

I did search the forum but didn't get an answer, so sorry if it has been covered 1000 times.

Thanks

Preben

[Tmx]

Expiration date means good until

[dpitt]

But is indication only. When kept cool, it can be good for years. When stored too warm, it is ruined anyway.

[BernardC]

Expiration date is a promise of performance and consistency. Film and paper can be used well past that date, but it won't perform the same as it did when it was fresh. Generally, you'll lose some sensitivity and colour accuracy, but those can be compensated-for in exposure and processing.

Black and white film usually suffers from some fogging past expiration, which you can get around by exposing more. Paper will lose its whitest white, and maximum blacks, but that isn't always a bad thing. Back in my uni days, I had a few boxes of well-expired Ilford single-weight fibre paper that was 15 years past expiration. That paper was perfect for a certain look, and I still have prints on my walls that exploit these characteristics.

[250swb]

On 8/11/2023 at 6:44 PM, pridbor said:

Could somebody please enlighten me on the meaning of the date printed on the film box?

Does it mean the date of production or expiration?

 

On an outing to the Ilford factory this question was asked in the Q&A session with management. Yes and no is the answer. It is an indication of how old the film is and when 'best before' expires, but equally it's an indication for the retailer to rotate stock and not have film sitting at the back of the fridge or shelf. Expiration doesn't occur quickly after that date and depending on how it's been stored it could be a further decade before any decline is noticeable, depending on the film type. So it's a rough guide of 'best before', but keep it in the fridge and not in a hot car.

[bobtodrick]

I have found (been shooting film since the 70's) that film and paper if kept cool can last years past it's expiration date, and probably a year with no loss of quality at all.

The manufacturers do not want to be open to any lawsuits or unnecessary complaints to they put on dates that are very pessimistic...it's not that they are putting themselves in the position where a week after the date their is a quality loss.

And that includes most things on the market.  With food stuffs (for example) there is a big difference between 'use before date' and 'best by date'...one has leeway, the other (the former) not so much.

[Pyrogallol]

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I don’t think I have ever seen a use-by date on a box of paper? Maybe on colour print paper many years ago?

Black & White paper will last for years. I have used some I inherited recently, probably over 20 years old, some was ok and other boxes fogged grey. Very old paper is a bit hit and miss as to whether it is usable or not, the whites go grey and the contrast drops off.

Edited August 24, 2023 by Pyrogallol