Raw eggs in the shell keep 3–5 weeks in the refrigerator, counted from the day you buy them, according to USDA. On USDA-graded eggs a sell-by or EXP date can be at most 30 days after packing, so it usually passes inside that window, and USDA says the eggs are still safe to use then, as long as they've stayed at 40°F (4°C) or below.
A best-by, best-before or use-by date can be up to 45 days after packing, so there's less room past it. FDA suggests using eggs within 3 weeks for best quality. Either way, crack an older egg into a bowl first and throw it out if it smells bad or looks unusual.
Storage Facts
Eggs, refrigerated at 40°F (4°C) or below
- Raw in shell, from the day you buy them
- 3–5 weeks
- For best quality (FDA)
- 3 weeks
- Raw in shell, freezer
- Not recommended
- Raw whites or yolks, out of the shell
- 2–4 days
- Raw whites or beaten eggs, freezer
- 12 months
- Hard-boiled, in or out of the shell
- 1 week
- Cooked egg dishes
- 3–4 days
Sell by, EXP or best by: what your carton says
Most searches lump these together, but on eggs they are different dates with different legal limits. USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service sets the limits for cartons that carry the USDA grade shield.
| Printed on the carton | USDA limit (graded eggs) | What it's for | How long past it |
|---|---|---|---|
SELL BY, EXP, “Not to be sold after” | No more than 30 days after packing, counting the pack day | Stock rotation: the store's last day to sell them | Often weeks. Buy before it; USDA's 3–5 weeks from purchase usually runs past it, and the 5-week limit always does. |
USE BY, USE BEFORE, BEST BEFORE and similar | No more than 45 days after packing, counting the pack day | Quality: how long the eggs should keep their best quality under ideal storage | Less room. It can fall near the end of USDA's window, or after it. Count from the day you bought them. |
Three-digit number, like 263 | Required on USDA-graded cartons | The pack date, as a day of the year | Not a deadline. Five weeks from it is a cautious outer limit if you've forgotten when you bought them. |
These limits apply only to cartons with the USDA grade shield. A sell-by or EXP date isn't required by federal rules, and on eggs without the shield the rules come from the state where they're sold; FSIS notes that some states don't allow a sell-by date on eggs at all. More on the phrases themselves: sell-by dates and best-by dates. To turn the three-digit number into a date, see how to read egg carton dates.
Eggs 1 week, 2 weeks or a month past the date
USDA's window ends 5 weeks after the day you bought the eggs, whatever the carton says. So whether eggs a given time past the printed date are still inside it depends on how long before that date you bought them.
| Time past the carton date | Still inside USDA's 3–5 weeks if you bought them |
|---|---|
| 1 week | No more than 4 weeks before the date |
| 2 weeks | No more than 3 weeks before the date |
| 3 weeks | No more than 2 weeks before the date |
| 4 weeks (about a month) | No more than 1 week before the date |
| More than 5 weeks | Never: that's past 5 weeks however late you bought them |
If you don't remember when you bought them, count from the pack date instead. Eggs are always packed before you buy them, so 5 weeks from the pack date lands on or before USDA's real outer limit. On a USDA-graded carton, that cautious date is always at least 5 days after a sell-by or EXP date. Past USDA's window, USDA gives no further time; when in doubt, throw them out.
Worked example: how long are these eggs good?
It's October 5, 2026, and there's a half-used carton in the fridge.
- Read the carton. It says
P-1234 263andEXP OCT 18. Day 263 of 2026 is September 20, the pack date. The Julian date converter does this in one step. The EXP date, October 18, is 28 days after packing, inside USDA's 30-day limit. - Find the day you bought them. Say it was September 24.
- Add USDA's window. Three to five weeks from September 24 is October 15 to October 29. FDA's best-quality mark is October 15.
- Compare with the carton. The EXP date falls in the middle of that window, which is the normal case USDA describes. These eggs can be used until about October 29, 11 days past the EXP date.
Without the receipt, the cautious count from the pack date gives October 25, still 7 days past the EXP date. Either way, they'll keep losing quality as the white thins and the yolk flattens, so the last few are better for scrambling, baking or hard-cooking than for poaching.
Buy eggs two dozen at a time? Scan each carton's sell-by or EXP date when you unpack, and FreshScan reminds you two days before. A month spelled out (EXP OCT 18) is the safest bet; a short all-number date like EXP 10/18 may not be read, so type that one in by hand.
Free on theApp StoreHow to check an egg
- Crack it into a separate bowl before adding it to anything. USDA says a spoiled egg has an unpleasant odor when you break the shell, raw or cooked. Throw out any egg that smells off or looks unusual.
- Look at the white. A cloudy white means a very fresh egg; a clear white means an older one, which is a quality change, not spoilage. A pink or iridescent white means spoilage by Pseudomonas bacteria: throw it out.
- Blood spots come from a small blood vessel that broke at ovulation. USDA says they don't mean the egg is unsafe.
- The float test only shows age. An egg floats when its air cell has grown large enough. USDA says that means the egg is of poor quality, but it may be perfectly safe to use, so the bowl check still decides. A sinking egg isn't proof of safety either.
Never taste raw egg to check it. When in doubt, throw it out.
What to do with older eggs
Hard-cook them. USDA explains that the egg white becomes more alkaline as an egg ages, which loosens it from the shell membrane, so older eggs peel more easily. Refrigerate hard-cooked eggs within 2 hours and use them within 1 week. Older eggs are also fine for scrambles, baking and casseroles: cook eggs until the yolk and white are firm, and egg dishes to 160°F (71°C).
To freeze eggs, take them out of the shell first; FDA and USDA both say not to freeze them in it. Beat the yolks and whites together, or freeze the whites on their own. FDA says to use frozen eggs within a year. Yolks alone don't freeze well.
Storage habits that make the window hold
- Buy eggs from a refrigerated case, and open the carton to check for cracked or dirty shells.
- Keep them in the carton, in the coldest part of the fridge, not the door.
- Don't wash them. USDA says washing at home isn't necessary and can pull water into the egg through the shell's pores; graded eggs are already washed and sanitized at the plant.
- Don't leave refrigerated eggs out for more than 2 hours. A cold egg that warms up can sweat, which helps bacteria move into the egg.
Best-before dates on eggs in the UK, the EU and Canada
The USDA times above are for refrigerated US eggs. Elsewhere, cartons carry a best-before date set under local rules, and that date is your guide.
- Great Britain: the egg marketing rules cap the best-before date at 28 days after laying. Food Standards Scotland tells shoppers to check the best-before date and to store eggs in a cool, dry place, ideally the fridge.
- European Union: packs of Class A eggs must show a best-before date (the “date of minimum durability”) and advice to keep the eggs chilled after purchase.
- Canada: prepackaged shell eggs must carry a best-before date and storage instructions such as “Keep Refrigerated.” The Canadian Food Inspection Agency says a best-before date is about freshness and quality and is not an indicator of food safety. The month is often a two-letter bilingual code, and when the year is shown it comes first, as in
26 OC 28.
If a date like 28/10/26 leaves you unsure which number is the day, see month first or day first.
Questions people ask
How long are eggs good after the sell-by date?
Usually a few weeks, if they have been refrigerated at 40°F or below. USDA gives raw eggs in the shell 3 to 5 weeks in the fridge from the day you buy them, and says the sell-by date will usually pass during that time while the eggs stay safe to use. On USDA-graded eggs the sell-by or EXP date is at most 30 days after packing, so count 5 weeks from the day you bought them for the outer limit.
How long are eggs good after the best-by date?
Less time than after a sell-by date. On USDA-graded eggs a best-by, best-before or use-by date can be up to 45 days after packing, so it can land near the end of USDA's 3 to 5 weeks from purchase, or after it. Count from the day you bought them, and crack older eggs into a bowl to check them first.
Can you eat eggs 2 weeks after the expiration date?
Often, yes. Eggs 2 weeks past the carton date are still inside USDA's 3 to 5 week window if you bought them no more than 3 weeks before that date and kept them refrigerated. Crack each one into a separate bowl and throw out any with an unpleasant smell or unusual look. When in doubt, throw it out.
Does the float test tell you if an egg is safe?
No. USDA says an egg floats when its air cell has grown large enough, which means it is of poor quality but may still be perfectly safe to use. A sinking egg isn't proof of safety either. Crack it into a bowl and check for an off odor or unusual appearance instead.
Can you hard-boil eggs past the expiration date?
Yes, if they are within USDA's 3 to 5 weeks from purchase and look and smell normal when checked. USDA notes that older eggs are easier to peel after hard cooking. Refrigerate hard-cooked eggs within 2 hours and use them within 1 week.
What happens if you eat a bad egg?
FDA says even fresh eggs with clean, uncracked shells can carry Salmonella, which is why USDA and FDA say to cook eggs until the yolks are firm. FDA says most people infected with Salmonella get diarrhea, fever, stomach cramps and vomiting 12 to 72 hours later, usually lasting 4 to 7 days, and some need hospital care. Young children, older adults, pregnant people and people with weakened immune systems are at greater risk.
Sources
- Shell Eggs from Farm to Table — USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service. Code-date limits, float test, storage chart, signs of spoilage. The FSIS site blocks automated reading; we checked the current text in the Internet Archive copy of August 29, 2026
- FSIS FoodKeeper Data — USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (data.gov, public domain)
- Eligibility Requirements for USDA Graded Shell Eggs (final rule, 71 FR 20288) — USDA Agricultural Marketing Service, Federal Register, April 19, 2006. States the 30-day sell-by and 45-day use-by limits, each counted including the day of pack
- Food Product Dating — USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service. Egg carton section; checked in the Internet Archive copy of September 30, 2026
- Cracking the Date Code on Egg Cartons — University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension. Quotes USDA: the sell-by date will usually expire during the 3 to 5 weeks, but the eggs are perfectly safe to use
- What You Need to Know About Egg Safety — U.S. Food and Drug Administration
- Refrigerator & Freezer Storage Chart — U.S. Food and Drug Administration
- Commission Regulation (EC) No 589/2008, Article 13 (as it applies in the UK) — legislation.gov.uk
- Eggs — Food Standards Scotland
- Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/2465 on marketing standards for eggs — EUR-Lex (European Union). Article 11: packs of Class A eggs must show the date of minimum durability and advice to keep eggs chilled after purchase
- Labelling requirements for shell eggs — Canadian Food Inspection Agency
- Date markings and storage instructions — Canadian Food Inspection Agency