The lot code on your pail: what it tells you

Where the lot code is printed on a Baja Supply pail, how to read a code such as 26278-LD, and what the lot lookup shows when you type it in.

By Baja Supply 3 min read

Hands press the lid onto a plain white 5-gallon pail standing on a wooden pallet with other pails, in front of a teal block wall.

The lot code is printed on the product label, after the word LOT, near MADE IN MEXICO. In a code such as 26278-LD, 26 is the year, 278 is the day of the year, and LD names the formula. Type it in the lot lookup to see the label text printed for that lot, with its Safety Data Sheet.

Where to find it

Look at the product label on the pail. The lot code sits after the word LOT, in the block with MADE IN MEXICO and the net contents, NET 5 GAL (18.9 L).

Each pail also carries a second label: the drowning warning that California requires on 4- to 6-gallon pails, printed in English and Spanish with a pictogram. That label has a lot code of its own. The one you want is on the product label.

How to read it

Every product lot code follows the same pattern, which our ingredient pages write as YYDDD-XX.

Part In 26278-LD What it means
YY 26 The year: 2026
DDD 278 The day of the year: day 278 of 2026 is October 5
XX LD The formula

The letters after the dash name the formula:

  • LD: liquid laundry detergent, PAPALOTE™
  • FS: fabric softener, SIESTA™
  • DS: liquid dish soap, CAZUELA™
  • LT and FT: TRANQUILO™ and TRANQUILA™, the varieties with no dye added

All the varieties of a line share one formula, so one lot code can be printed on several varieties. Lot 26279-LD, for example, was printed on 11 PAPALOTE™ varieties.

What the lot lookup shows

Go to the lot lookup, type the code from your pail, and choose your product if the code was printed on more than one. For each product, the lookup shows:

  • The date the label was printed for that lot.
  • The label text printed for that lot: the ingredient statement and the California warning, exactly as on the pail. The label is printed in English.
  • Whether it matches the current label. The lookup says whether the lot's label text is the same as the label printed today.
  • The Safety Data Sheet for the formula, with its revision and date.
  • A link to the current ingredient page for the product, with every ingredient by weight and its CAS number.

You can try it with a real lot: 26279-LD. The lookup page also lists the lots on file, with the date each label was printed.

When the lot code helps

A delivery problem. If pails arrive damaged, leaking or short, our Terms of Sale ask you to tell us in writing, with the lot code and photos: within 5 business days for damage or a shortage, and within 30 days for any other problem with the products.

A question about a product. Give us the product name and the lot code, and we can see exactly which label was printed for it. Call 1-800-670-5003 or write to hola@baja.supply.

Your own records. Writing down the lot codes when an order arrives makes it easy to look up any pail later, along with the label and the Safety Data Sheet that go with it.

The right Safety Data Sheet. The lookup links the sheet for the formula in your pail, so there is no guessing between laundry detergent, softener and dish soap.

Questions

Why does my pail have two lot codes?

One is on the product label; the other is on the pail's drowning warning label, which has its own. Use the code on the product label.

Does a different lot mean a different formula?

No. The letters after the dash name the formula, and every variety of a line shares that line's formula. Varieties differ in scent and color.

Do I need an account to use the lookup?

No. The lot lookup is open to anyone, in English and in Spanish.

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