Use-by date (hourglass)
The standard’s wording, as the sources below reproduce it:
“Indicates the date after which the medical device is not to be used.”
ISO 15223-1:2021, 5.1.4 · ISO 7000-2607
What it means for you
After this date the maker no longer stands behind the device: sterility, test accuracy or material strength are only claimed up to it. BÜHLMANN’s glossary spells out how to read a short date: the device should not be used after the end of the year, month or day shown — so 2027-08 means up to and including 31 August 2027.
Whether a device is right for you is a question for your pharmacist, nurse or doctor.
- What it looks like
- An hourglass with the sand run down into the lower bulb, followed by a date such as 2027-08 or 2027-08-31.
- Where you see it
- Sterile dressings and plaster boxes, glucose test strips and sensors, contact-lens blister packs, COVID-19 and pregnancy tests, syringes and needles.
- Other names
- expiry date; expiration date; use by; EXP
What it does not tell you
It does not tell you whether an unopened expired product is still usable — the label gives no grace period, and nothing on it supports using the device after the date. It also does not cover the time after opening: some strips and solutions have a shorter “use within” period once opened, printed in the instructions.
Often confused with
Indicates the date when the medical device was manufactured.
Sources
ISO 15223-1 is a paid standard, so the wording above is quoted as 3 publishers’ public documents reproduce it. Each was fetched and read on the date shown:
- Boston Scientific: Symbols Glossary — ISO 15223-1 5.1.4 “Use-by date — Indicates the date after which the medical device is not to be used. NOTE: Synonyms for ‘use-by date’ are ‘use by’, ‘expiry date’ and ‘expiration date’.” Image labelled ISO 7000-2607. Checked 2026-09-25.
- NE Scientific: Master Symbol Glossary (CTF-100011 Rev 01) — Shows the hourglass for reference no. 5.1.4 (ISO 7000-2607), “Use-by date — Indicates the date after which the medical device is not to be used”. Checked 2026-09-25.
- BÜHLMANN Laboratories: Symbol glossary, version 03 (release date 2025-02-04) — “This symbol shall be accompanied by a date to indicate that the medical device should not be used after the end of the year, month or day shown.” Checked 2026-09-25.
Plain-language parts are in our own words; quotations are the sources’ wording.