Converter
Julian Date to Calendar Date
Paste a Julian date code and read it as an ordinary date. Works with the
7-digit YYYYDDD, 5-digit YYDDD and bare 3-digit
day-of-year formats found on packaging, labels and reports.
Decode a Julian date
- Julian Date (JD)
- Modified JD (MJD)
- Julian Day Number
How to read a Julian date code
The industrial “Julian date” is simply the day of the year,
optionally prefixed with the year. The last three digits are always the
day number, counting 001 for 1 January up to 365
(or 366 in a leap year) for 31 December.
| Code | Reads as | Calendar date |
|---|---|---|
| 202 | Day 202 of the reference year | 21 July |
| 26202 | Year 2026, day 202 | 21 July 2026 |
| 2026202 | Year 2026, day 202 | 21 July 2026 |
| 24060 | Year 2024 (leap), day 60 | 29 February 2024 |
Reading date codes on products
Manufacturers stamp these codes to record when a batch was made. On eggs, the USDA-style pack date is a 3-digit day-of-year (Julian) code. On MRE cases and many canned goods you'll see a 4-digit code where the first digit is the year and the last three are the day of year. Paste any of them above to decode the production date.
Related tools
Frequently asked questions
How do I convert a 5-digit Julian date like 26202?
Split it into the year and the day of year. "26" is the two-digit year (2026) and "202" is the day of year, which is July 21. The converter above does this automatically — just paste the code.
What does the Julian date on my food read?
Most food and beverage manufacturers stamp a day-of-year code showing when the item was produced or packaged. A 3-digit code is the day of year (001–365/366); a 5-digit code adds a two-digit year in front. It is a production date, not necessarily an expiry date.
How is a two-digit year interpreted?
This tool uses the common POSIX convention: years 00–68 map to 2000–2068 and 69–99 map to 1969–1999. If you know the true century, use the 7-digit YYYYDDD form to remove any ambiguity.
Can a day-of-year be 366?
Only in a leap year. Day 366 is 31 December of a leap year such as 2024. In common years the maximum is 365. The converter validates this and warns if a value is out of range.