Butter and margarine: fridge and freezer times from two charts
Updated
Butter and margarine are a case where the two charts print very different refrigerator figures. Clemson has one line for both. Pacific Northwest Extension splits them into two lines, each with its own times.
Because Clemson’s line is shared, the same Clemson figures show up on both rows below. Pacific Northwest Extension gives margarine the longer figure in both columns. We show each chart’s numbers with its name and do not average them or pick one.
| Food | Refrigerator | Freezer |
|---|---|---|
| Butter | 2 weeks Clemson HGIC3 months PNW 612 | 9 months Clemson HGIC6–9 months PNW 612 |
| Margarine | 2 weeks Clemson HGIC6 months PNW 612 | 9 months Clemson HGIC12 months PNW 612 |
✓ 2 sources checked per row A single figure means both charts print the same time. Red cells show each chart’s figure where they differ; we do not average them.
- Clemson Cooperative Extension, Home & Garden Information Center, Food Storage: Refrigerator & Freezer (HGIC 3522) (revised March 31, 2020) — verified 2026-09-27
- Pacific Northwest Extension (University of Idaho, Oregon State University, Washington State University), Storing Food for Safety and Quality (PNW 612) (revised March 2023), Table 2, p. 12 — verified 2026-09-27
Good to know
- Pacific Northwest Extension says butter goes in the freezer in its original carton with an overwrap of freezer-grade material. For margarine it says to leave it in its original foil and carton, then overwrap it the same way.
- Neither chart separates salted from unsalted butter, or stick margarine from tub margarine, so the rows above cover each food as a whole.
- Pacific Northwest Extension calls its times “useful guidelines, not set rules” and suggests writing the date on foods that do not carry one when you plan to keep them a long time.
Both charts give these times for best quality and call them guidelines, not hard limits. How the rows are matched: our method. Spotted a row that does not match its chart? Tell us and we will recheck the original.