Eggs typically last 3 to 5 weeks in the fridge, counted from the pack date, not the printed sell-by date. That printed date is a store guideline, not a safety deadline. Once you know what it actually means, you stop tossing good eggs a week too early.
The float test settles the question fast when the carton date has faded. Drop an egg in water and it tells you almost everything about how much time is left.
How Long Do Eggs Last Past the Sell-By Date
Refrigerated at 40°F (4°C) or below, eggs generally stay safe for 3 to 5 weeks past the pack date. The USDA treats this as the standard shelf life for properly chilled, unbroken eggs.
The pack date is a three-digit Julian code showing which day of the year the eggs were washed and boxed. Sell-by, printed separately, is a retailer instruction telling the store when to pull a carton, not a consumer deadline. Stores must generally sell eggs within 30 days of packing, so sell-by sits well inside that 3 to 5 week window.
Use-by or best-by dates, where cartons carry them, estimate peak quality rather than the point eggs turn unsafe. Neither label is federally standardized nationwide, which is why so many households toss eggs a week or two too early. The same confusion applies to other kitchen staples, including how long a laying hen actually produces eggs before her output naturally slows.
The Float Test: Why It Actually Works
Fill a glass with cold water and lower the egg in gently. A fresh egg sinks flat on its side. An egg standing upright is older but usually still fine. An egg that floats has gone bad.
Every shell has thousands of microscopic pores. Over time, moisture and carbon dioxide escape through them while air seeps in, collecting in a small pocket at the egg’s wide end called the air cell. That pocket keeps growing, and a bigger trapped-air pocket makes the egg more buoyant, the entire mechanism behind the float test, not folklore.
A floating egg is not automatically dangerous, but the air buildup means it is not worth the risk. Crack a questionable egg into a separate bowl and check the smell first.
Signs an Egg Has Actually Gone Bad
Smell is the most reliable signal. A spoiled egg gives off a strong sulfur odor the second you crack it. Check the whites and yolk too, since discoloration, an unusually watery white, or a pink sheen all mean skip that egg. A cracked shell is its own problem, since bacteria can enter through even a hairline crack, so cook cracked eggs right away or discard them.
Storing Eggs to Get the Full Shelf Life
Keep eggs in their original carton on an interior shelf, never in the door, where constant swinging speeds up spoilage. The carton blocks odors from other foods and slows moisture loss. Skip washing eggs before storage, since washing strips a natural coating called the bloom that shields the shell’s pores from bacteria.
Slightly older eggs peel easier once hard boiled, since the bigger air cell helps the shell separate from the white. Fresher eggs hold a tighter, plumper white for poaching. That fridge-first habit applies whether you are baking a dessert recipe calling for several eggs or making a savory dish like the tuna salad recipe explained here.
Frequently Asked Questions About Egg Storage
Do eggs need to be refrigerated in the US? Yes. US eggs are washed during processing, which removes the bloom, so they need refrigeration to stay safe.
Can you eat eggs a month after the sell-by date? Often yes, since sell-by falls well before the 3 to 5 week window closes. Run the float test and a smell check before trusting the date alone.
Why do some eggs sink but stand upright instead of lying flat? An upright egg has a moderately enlarged air cell from moisture loss, older than a flat, fresh egg but generally still safe to eat soon.