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Louis Vuitton date code checker

Read a two-character workshop code and production month or week from date codes used through March 2021.

Returns a yearOptional photo OCR

Check your date code

Spaces, dots, and dashes are fine. Manual checks run in your browser. Photo reads log your IP and usage to enforce daily limits; photos are not stored.

Reference only—not an authenticity verdict

A plausible date code can appear on a counterfeit, and an unusual or unreadable code does not by itself make an item counterfeit. Use the result as one clue alongside construction, materials, provenance, and expert review.

Decoding guide

How the Louis Vuitton rule works

Printed Louis Vuitton date codes changed format over time. A two-character workshop code usually identifies the production location, while the digits represent a month or week depending on the era.

Read it in three passes

Follow the positions in order before interpreting the result.

1
For the common six-character format, separate the two-character workshop code from the four date digits.
2
From 1990 through 2006, digits one and three form the month; from 2007 through March 2021, they form the production week.
3
Digits two and four form the year, while the opening workshop characters are checked against the compiled country reference.

Worked examples

See how a visible marking becomes a narrow, readable result.

Marking	Interpretation
CA4220	→42nd production week of 2020 · workshop CA: Spain
VI0026	→February 2006 · workshop VI: France
8503FR	→March 1985 · workshop FR: France

Where to look

Inspect interior leather tabs, pocket seams, and lining edges. The position depends on the model and can be difficult to expose without good light.

Know the limit

Printed date codes were phased out for embedded chips around March 2021, and some workshop codes were used in more than one country.

These rules explain documented marking patterns. They do not prove that an item is authentic.

Full reference

Louis Vuitton codes, era by era

Louis Vuitton's printed system moved from straight year-and-month digits to interleaved month/year and then week/year codes. The workshop characters are a separate compiled country clue.

01Compiled reference

Printed codes by era

Choose the era first: an identical-looking four-digit block means a month before 2007 and a production week from 2007 onward.

Louis Vuitton date-code formats by period
Era	Typical format	Reading	Example
Before the early 1980s	Usually no printed date code	No public date to decode	—
Early 1980s	YYM with optional workshop pair	First two digits are year; final digit is month	832: February 1983
Mid/late 1980s	YYMM with optional workshop pair	First two digits are year; final two are month	8503FR: March 1985, France
1990–2006	Workshop pair + MYMY	Digits 1 and 3 form month; 2 and 4 form year	VI0026: February 2006, France
2007–March 2021	Workshop pair + WYWY	Digits 1 and 3 form week; 2 and 4 form year	CA4220: week 42 of 2020, Spain
March 2021 onward	Embedded identifier	No consumer-readable printed production date	Boutique systems are required

02Compiled reference

Supported workshop-country chart

This transformed chart groups the checker’s supported workshop pairs by country. Repeated pairs are intentionally shown in every documented country instead of forcing one answer.

Supported Louis Vuitton workshop codes grouped by country
Country	Supported workshop codes
France	A0 A1 A2 AA AI AN AO AR AS BA BE BU CI CO CT DR DU ET FA FL FR LM MB MI MO MX ND NO OS OU RA SA SD SL SN SP SR TA TH TJ TR VI VR VX
Italy	AO BC BO FN MA PL RO SA
Spain	AC BC CA GI LB LM LO MO
United States	FC FF FH FL OS SD
Switzerland	DI FA
Germany	LP OL

Louis Vuitton workshop codes with more than one country reference
Code	Supported countries
AO	France or Italy
BC	Italy or Spain
FA	France or Switzerland
FL	France or United States
LM	France or Spain
MO	France or Spain
OS	France or United States
SA	France or Italy
SD	France or United States

Louis Vuitton has not issued a complete consumer master key. Public lists differ, and a code can move between workshops, periods, or product lines; compare it with the item's origin stamp.

03Compiled reference

Where to look—and when no code is expected

Inspect a pocket tab, interior seam, pressed lining, or an older strap anchor with angled light before deciding that the marking is absent.

Pieces made before the early 1980s can predate the printed system.
Post-March-2021 pieces generally use an embedded identifier that an ordinary phone cannot translate into a production record.
Relining or repair can remove the original stamp or introduce a service marking.
A date code describes a production window and workshop group; it is not unique to one item.

Sources and method

Brand and archive material is preferred where it exists. Public decoding tables are identified as compiled references or observed patterns so their uncertainty stays visible.