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An hourglass or EXP mark giving the date after which a product should not be used.
Also known as: EXP marking, Use by date symbol, Hourglass symbol
The expiry date marking on a medicine — an hourglass, or the letters EXP with a date — gives the last date on which the product is guaranteed to perform as stated. Where only a month and a year appear, the date runs to the end of that month. It is not the same claim as a food best-before date, which is about quality rather than safety: an expired medicine may simply be weaker, or may have degraded into something that should not be taken, and the packaging does not say which.
Two triangles meeting point to point to form a narrow waist, or three capital letters, printed beside a month and year.
Both date a product, from different starting points.