Product /
Shelf
Life
Base Oils, Process Oils / 3 years
Hydraulic Oils, Compressor Oils / 2 years
General Purpose Lubricating Oils/ 2 years
Engine Oils and Transmission Oils
/3 years
Industrial and Automotive Gear Oils /2 years
Metal Working and Cutting Oils /1 year
Engine Oil Shelf Life.
In general, liquid lubricants (ie. oils, not greases) will remain
intact for a number of years. The main factor affecting the life of
the oil is the storage condition for the products. Exposure to
extreme temperature changes, and moisture will reduce the shelf
life of the lubricants. ie. don't leave in the sun with the lid
off. Best to keep them sealed and unopened.
Technically, engine oils have shelf lives of four to five years.
However, as years pass, unused engine oils can become obsolete and
fail to meet the technical requirements of current engines. The
specs get updated regularly based on new scientific testing
procedures and engine requirements. But this is only really a
concern if you've bought a brand new car but have engine oil you
bought for the previous car. An oil that is a number of years old
might not be formulated to meet the requirements set for your newer
engine.
If your unopened containers of engine oil are more than three years
old, read the labels to make sure they meet the latest industry
standards. If they do meet the current standards, you might want to
take the extra precaution of obtaining oil analysis before using
them. An oil analysis will check for key properties of the oil and
ensure that it still meets the original manufacturing specs. Of
course the cost of getting an analysis done on old oil is probably
going to outweigh going and buying fresh stuff. So it's a
double-edged sword.
As a general rule, the simpler the oil formulation, the longer the
shelf life. The following is a guideline under protected
conditions:
