Numbers, Dates & Time

Use these guidelines for the formatting of numbers across The Home Depot media channels.

Use the numeral, not the word, when using numbers in a header, squack or callout.
Ex. 11 DAYS OF SAVINGS

Spell out numbers 1–9 in body copy.
Ex. Three stainless steel burners and three tool holders

Use numerals for numbers 10 and above in body copy.
Ex. Includes 10 packs of screws  

When a number modifies a word, whether it's body copy or not, write it as a numeral and use a hyphen to join them (with NO spaces before or after).
Ex. 3-piece shelving unit or 1-year warranty. Comes with twelve 2-inch screws.

• EXCEPTION: Paints and sealers should be described as providing "one-coat coverage" rather than "1-coat coverage".

• Avoid sentence structures that have two numerals in a row.
  Ex: “Comes with 12 2-inch screws.”  If unavoidable, combine words and numerals for clarity. 

Use commas in numbers of 1,000 or more in headlines and body copy.

• The Home Depot has 2,000 lighting styles.

• CRM EXCEPTION: Don't use commas in price points under $10,000.

Do not use an apostrophe with plural groups of numbers.
Ex. 100s

TELEPHONE NUMBERS
Use hyphens, not parentheses or periods.
Ex. 770-433-8211, 800-111-1000

If extension numbers are needed, use a comma to separate the main number from the extension.
Ex. 770-433-8211, ext. 10546

DATES

HEADLINES & SUBHEADS

Spell out days and dates.
Ex. Hurry, offer ends Thursday, July 4

BODY COPY, OFFERS & OFFER SUBHEADS

• • Use mm/dd/yyyy format. Use one digit only (without a zero before it) for single-digit dates and months.

    • Example: 7/28/2016 and 5/2–5/8/2017

• Only include mm/dd/yyyy - mm/dd/yyyy if the offer goes across two different years.

  • • Example: Valid 12/1/2017–1/30/2018

  • Do not use a period after the date range unless there is a sentence to follow.

TIMES: HEADERS

Use all caps with no periods or spaces. Spell out noon and midnight for 12:00 times to avoid confusion.
Ex. 6AM, 2PM, 12NOON, 12MIDNIGHT

TIMES: BODY COPY

Use lower case letters with periods and spaces. Spell out noon and midnight for 12:00 times to avoid confusion.
Ex. 6 a.m., 2 p.m., 12 noon, 12 midnight, 9–11 a.m.

DIGITAL ADVERTISING

• Due to character limits and ease of reading in headlines, it is preferable to write 100s and 1000s as numerals, not hundreds and thousands

• Numerals are also preferable in general, even for numbers 1–9

• Example: "3 DAYS LEFT TO SAVE"