Condoms have a shelf life, and most people never think about it until they find an old box in a drawer and have to decide whether it's still any good.
How Long Do Condoms Last?
A latex condom lasts five years from the date it was made. Add spermicide and that drops to three years, because the spermicide degrades faster than the latex does. Polyisoprene and polyurethane follow the same pattern, five years plain and three with spermicide. Lambskin lasts three years. Every condom carries an expiry date printed on both the box and the individual foil, and that date assumes the condom has been stored somewhere cool and dry. Heat, damp, sunlight and friction all shorten it.
Here's how the materials compare.
| Material | Without spermicide | With spermicide |
|---|---|---|
| Latex (natural rubber) | 5 years | 3 years |
| Polyisoprene | 5 years | 3 years |
| Polyurethane | 5 years | 3 years |
| Lambskin | 3 years | Not applicable |
Around 80% of condoms sold are latex. Non-latex options are mostly polyisoprene or polyurethane, and they exist for people with a latex allergy rather than because they last longer. Lambskin is the outlier on two counts: it has the shortest life, and it doesn't protect against STIs at all, which is why we don't sell it.
The spermicide point catches people out. Nonoxynol-9 is the chemical involved, and it has a shorter usable life than the condom it's coating. If a box says three years and you were expecting five, spermicide is usually the reason.
What You'll Find in This Article
- How long do condoms last?
- Where to find the expiry date
- How to work out when a condom was made
- How long do Durex condoms last?
- Do other brands expire at different rates?
- How to store condoms so they reach their expiry date
- How to tell if a condom has gone off
- Can you use an expired condom?
- Frequently asked questions
Where to Find the Expiry Date
It's printed in two places: the cardboard outer box and every individual foil wrapper. That's deliberate, so the date survives once you've split a box up and thrown the packaging away.
The format is what trips people up. Condom dates are written year first, then month, then day, which is the reverse of how we usually read dates in the UK. So 2026-03-13 means the 13th of March 2026, not the 3rd of December.
You'll sometimes see a second date alongside it. That's the manufacture date, and it's there for information only. If both are printed, the expiry date is the one that matters.
How to Work Out When a Condom Was Made
This is the question we get asked most, usually phrased as "how old are condoms that expire in 2026", and the arithmetic is simple once you know the shelf life.
Take the expiry date and subtract five years for a plain condom, or three years if it contains spermicide.
| Expiry date on the box | Made (5-year, no spermicide) | Made (3-year, with spermicide) |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2021 | 2023 |
| 2027 | 2022 | 2024 |
| 2028 | 2023 | 2025 |
| 2029 | 2024 | 2026 |
| 2030 | 2025 | 2027 |
So a plain latex condom expiring in 2029 was made in 2024. One expiring in 2026 was made back in 2021, which means it's had five years to sit in whatever conditions it's been kept in.
That last part matters more than the age itself. A condom made in 2021 and kept in a bedside drawer is fine until its date. The same condom carried in a wallet since 2021 is not, whatever the box says.
How Long Do Durex Condoms Last?
The same as any other latex condom: five years from manufacture, or three if the product contains spermicide. Durex doesn't use a different standard, and there's no brand where the material behaves differently.
Most current Durex lines are plain rather than spermicidal, so five years is the usual figure. The date is on the foil either way, so there's no need to work it out from the brand.
Browse the Durex range if you're replacing an old box, and our guide to whether Durex condoms contain spermicide covers which lines do.
Do Other Brands Expire at Different Rates?
No. Shelf life is set by the material and whether there's spermicide on it, not by the manufacturer. A latex condom is a latex condom.
That applies to every brand people ask about, including Trojan and Magnum, which are American and not widely sold here. Five years plain, three with spermicide, whoever made it.
The brands we stock all work to the same figures: EXS, SKYN, Mates and Vitalis among them. What differs between them is material, size, thickness and texture, not how long an unopened box will keep.
How to Store Condoms So They Reach Their Expiry Date
The expiry date assumes reasonable storage. Get that wrong and a condom can fail well before its date, which is where most real-world problems come from.
Condoms don't like damp, humidity, or extremes of hot and cold. A bedside drawer, a bathroom cabinet away from the shower, or a box in a cupboard are all fine. A car glovebox in summer is not.
A few other things shorten their life:
- Friction. A wallet is the worst offender. The constant pressure and movement wears the foil, and body heat doesn't help. Our guide on where to store condoms covers why the wallet habit is a bad one
- Sharp objects. Keys and scissors in the same pocket or bag will eventually nick the foil
- Direct sunlight. A windowsill or a sunny shelf degrades latex
- Solvents. Perfume, aftershave, hairspray and alcohol all attack latex if they leak onto the wrapper
- Opening them early. Leave them in the foil until you're going to use one. The wrapper is doing a job
If a condom has been stored badly, the date on the box stops being a reliable guide. Bin it and open a fresh one.
How to Tell if a Condom Has Gone Off
Check the date first, then check the packet. A condom that's past it, or that's been stored badly, usually gives itself away.
The foil should feel slightly inflated, like a tiny air cushion. That trapped air is a sign the seal has held. If the wrapper is flat, crinkled, stiff or sticky, something has got in.
Once opened, a degraded condom feels dry, brittle or tacky rather than smooth and elastic. Discolouration and an unusual smell are both signs to stop. None of these are borderline calls: if a condom looks or feels wrong, use a different one.
Lubricant has its own shelf life, and if you're checking a drawer you may as well check that too. See does lube expire.
Can You Use an Expired Condom?
No. An expired condom is more likely to tear, and a condom that tears isn't protecting anyone from pregnancy or STIs.
The material dries out and loses elasticity, so it splits under pressure it would have handled when new. Expired spermicide can also irritate skin.
If it's a straight choice between an expired condom and no condom at all, an expired one is still a barrier and still better than nothing. But it's a poor option and not one to plan around, and a fresh box costs very little.
We've covered what actually happens, and what to do about it, in what happens if you use an expired condom.
When you do replace them, dispose of the old ones in a bin rather than the toilet. Here's why you shouldn't flush condoms.
Browse the full condoms range to restock, and if the old box never fitted properly, our size guide is worth two minutes before you buy again.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long do condoms last?
Five years from manufacture for a plain latex, polyisoprene or polyurethane condom, and three years if it contains spermicide, because the spermicide degrades faster than the condom does. Lambskin lasts three years. Those figures assume the condom has been kept somewhere cool and dry. Bad storage shortens the life regardless of what the box says.
Do condoms expire?
Yes, and every condom sold carries a printed expiry date on both the box and the individual foil wrapper. The material breaks down over time, losing the elasticity that lets it stretch without splitting. An expired condom is more likely to tear, which is the whole reason the date is there.
How old are condoms that expire in 2026?
A plain latex condom expiring in 2026 was made in 2021, since the standard shelf life is five years. If it contains spermicide the shelf life is three years, so it was made in 2023. The same arithmetic works for any year: subtract five for plain, three for spermicidal.
How long do Durex condoms last?
Exactly the same as any other latex condom, five years from manufacture, or three years for a product containing spermicide. Durex doesn't work to a different standard. Most current Durex lines are plain rather than spermicidal, so five years is the usual figure, and the date is printed on every foil.
Where is the expiry date on a condom?
In two places, the cardboard outer box and every individual foil wrapper, so the date survives after you've split a box up. It's written year first, then month, then day, which is the reverse of the usual UK format. So 2026-03-13 means the 13th of March 2026.
How can you tell if a condom has expired?
Check the printed date first. Then check the foil: it should feel slightly inflated, and a flat, crinkled, stiff or sticky wrapper means the seal has gone. An opened condom that feels dry, brittle or tacky rather than smooth and stretchy has degraded, and discolouration or an odd smell are both reasons to use a different one.
Can you use an expired condom?
You shouldn't. The material dries out and loses elasticity, so it splits more easily, and expired spermicide can irritate skin. If the only alternative is no condom at all, an expired one is still a barrier and better than nothing, but it's a poor option. Replacing the box is the sensible answer.
Do condoms expire faster if you keep them in your wallet?
Yes, and a wallet is the worst place for one. Constant friction and pressure wear the foil, and body heat degrades the latex inside it. A condom kept in a wallet can fail well before its printed date. A bedside drawer or a cupboard is far better, and our storage guide explains why.
Do condoms have a use by date or a best before date?
An expiry date, which functions as a use by rather than a best before. Some boxes also show a manufacture date alongside it. If both are printed, the expiry date is the one to go by, and the manufacture date is there for information only.
How many years do condoms last after the expiry date?
None. The date is the point at which the manufacturer no longer stands behind the condom's performance, not a soft guideline with room after it. Latex keeps degrading, and there's no safe number of months you can add on. Once a condom is past its date, replace it.
Do condoms with spermicide expire sooner?
Yes, three years rather than five. Nonoxynol-9, the spermicide used, has a shorter usable life than the latex it's coating, so the whole product is dated to the shorter of the two. If a box shows three years when you expected five, spermicide is almost always the reason.
Does storage affect how long a condom lasts?
Considerably. The printed date assumes cool, dry storage out of direct sunlight. Heat, damp, friction and contact with solvents like perfume, aftershave or hairspray all degrade latex faster. A badly stored condom can be unusable long before its date, and at that point the date stops being a reliable guide at all.
Medical disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. For personal guidance on contraception or sexual health, speak to a healthcare professional or visit NHS.uk.
