Decoding Your Tires: How to Tell If They Were Really Made in the USA

Your tires tell a story, and it’s written right on the sidewall. Beyond the size, speed rating, and load index, those stamped letters and numbers reveal where your tires were born. The key is the four-digit manufacturing date inside the DOT tire identification number. But just to the left of that date, the DOT code holds the secret to whether your tires were made in America.

To crack the code, head to the NHTSA Manufacturer’s Information Database. Uncheck the boxes for Part 565, 566, and 586, then check “Equipment Plants,” select “Tires” from the dropdown, and enter the plant code. Hit search, and the database will tell you exactly where that tire was built.

Not every tire from an American brand is actually made in the USA. Take Goodyear, for example. The company runs 48 plants across 21 countries, including Germany, Brazil, and China. But if your Goodyear tire carries a DOT code like MB (Akron, Ohio), MC (Danville, Virginia), or MD (Gadsden, Alabama), you’ve got a domestic product.

S. plants in Mississippi, Ohio, and Arkansas, with codes like U9, UP, and UT. Still, both brands manufacture overseas too, so it pays to check.

And here’s the twist: several foreign tiremakers build their products right here in America. S. and Canada, with American-made tires carrying codes like 4M or M3 in South Carolina. Italian brand Pirelli, which supplies Formula 1, stamps its domestic tires with codes CH (California), CK (Tennessee), and JR (Georgia).

German giant Continental has been churning out tires in Mount Vernon, Illinois for over 50 years, using codes 6B or A3. S. factories. The NHTSA database is your best friend here, it’s simple, free, and tells you exactly what you’re rolling on.