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You can tell a lot about a tire by looking closer at the sidewall. The numbers and letters printed on the rubber tell you the size, width, load index, and speed rating of a tire. There are also pairs of numbers that can tell when the tire was made, making it easier to discern whether a tire is too old or unfit for service. The manufacturing date is part of the DOT tire identification number. To the left of the four-digit manufacturing date is the DOT tire code, and the numbers or letters after the DOT stamp can indicate where the tire was made, and specifically whether it was made in the USA.
Using the image above as an example, the tire has a DOT N3T4 code, with N3 indicating the manufacturer plant code ID. The next step is to go to the NHTSA Manufacturer's Information Database and uncheck Part 565, Part 566, and Part 586 in the right options box. Check the box next to "Equipment Plants", select "Tires" from "Equipment Type", and enter the DOT code. In our case, the code is N3.
The final step is to click the blue "Search" button in the bottom left corner. The N3 code revealed the tire in the image above is a Toyo tire from the Toin-Cho factory in Japan, which also means our example was not made stateside. The search also revealed the state or province of the manufacturing plant, which is in Inabe-Gun Mie.
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Not all American tire brands are made in the USA
Some brands still make tires in the U.S., but not all their tires are American-made. For instance, Goodyear operates 48 facilities in 21 countries, including Germany, Canada, England, Brazil, Thailand, China, and South Africa. Goodyear tires that were made in the USA will typically have the DOT plant codes MB (Akron, Ohio), MC (Danville, Virginia), MD (Gadsden, Alabama), M6 (Lawton, Oklahoma), MJ (Topeka, Kansas), and PJ (Fayetteville, North Carolina), among many others. Founded in 1898, Goodyear is a true-blue American tiremaker that has expanded its reach worldwide.
Another well-known American tire brand, Cooper, is just one of the many brands under Goodyear's umbrella. And like its parent company, Cooper has tire manufacturing plants and technical centers in the USA, England, and China. Cooper sub-brands include Mastercraft, Dick Cepek, Mickey Thompson, and Roadmaster. American-made Cooper tires will typically have the DOT plant codes U9 (Tupelo, Mississippi), UP (Findlay, Ohio), or UT (Texarkana, Arkansas).
Import brands that manufacture tires in America
Surprising as it may seem, Goodyear and Cooper are not the only well-known brands that established manufacturing roots in the USA. French tiremaker Michelin operates 35 production facilities in the United States and Canada, and has 67 plants in 16 countries. Michelin also owns BFGoodrich and Uniroyal, among many others, and has expanded its reach beyond tire manufacturing and restaurant guides. American-made Michelin tires will have DOT plant codes 4M or M3 (Greenville, South Carolina), B6 (Spartanburg, South Carolina), B7 (Dothan, Alabama), and B9 (Lexington, South Carolina).
Pirelli has supplied tires for Formula 1 racing since 2011 and will continue to do so until 2028. The Italian brand owns 19 plants in 13 countries, but American-made Pirelli tires will have DOT plant codes CH (Hanford, California), CK (Madison, Tennessee), and JR (Rome, Georgia). German tiremaker Continental has been making tires at its Mount Vernon, Illinois plant for more than 50 years. The DOT plant code for American-made Continental tires includes 6B or A3 (Vernon, Illinois), A9 (Bryan, Ohio), and VY (South Sumter, North Carolina).
Japanese tiremakers Bridgestone and Yokohama also have manufacturing plants in the USA. The DOT plant codes listed here are not exhaustive and may change depending on the tire brand or sub-brand. Thankfully, the NHTSA database makes it easy to determine if a particular tire was genuinely made in America.
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