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Riding gear

Helmets

How to read a helmet’s safety labels, how to size one, and when to replace it.

Reading the label

Every motorcycle helmet sold in the United States must meet Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 218. A compliant helmet carries a label on the outside back with the maker or brand, the model, and the words DOT, FMVSS No. 218 and CERTIFIED; helmets made before May 13, 2013 may simply read DOT.1

The standard also requires separate permanent labels inside, readable without removing padding, including the month and year the helmet was made.2

NHTSA does not approve helmets in advance: makers certify their own helmets, and NHTSA tests a selection each year. It warns that so-called novelty helmets do not meet the standard, and that fake DOT labels are sold to stick on them.1

Snell is a separate, voluntary certification run by the Snell Memorial Foundation. A helmet can carry both a DOT label and a Snell label.3

Getting the size right

Helmet sizes are not the same from brand to brand. Measure your head as the maker’s size chart describes and choose from that chart, then try the helmet on: it should sit level and snug with the strap fastened.

When to replace it

The Snell Memorial Foundation recommends replacing a helmet after five years of normal use. Its reasoning: putting a helmet on and taking it off wears the comfort pads and the energy-absorbing liner, and a worn helmet fits looser. It also notes that an unused helmet stored in good condition does not automatically expire at five years.3

Replace a helmet after any crash or hard impact, and follow the replacement advice in the maker’s manual that comes with it.

Sources

  1. Choose the right motorcycle helmet, NHTSA (U.S. Department of Transportation). Read 2026-09-25.
  2. 49 CFR 571.218, Standard No. 218: Motorcycle helmets, eCFR (U.S. federal regulations). Read 2026-09-25.
  3. Frequently asked questions, Snell Memorial Foundation. Read 2026-09-25.

General guidance. Standards describe how gear is tested, not what it will do in a particular crash. Product picks appear only in buyer guides, where gear has been ridden and tested.