Do guitar strings have a shelf life?

I was blessed to have received all sorts of electric guitar strings as presents during the holidays. Some Fender Bullets, Gibson Brite Wires, Eddie Van Halen EVHs, and some GHS Boomers. Wow! More strings than I'll use in a year as I change out every 4-6 weeks. Do guitar strings go dead in the package over time? Tried to do a search on the forum and came up empty. Thanks for any help.

As long as you store them in a low humidity spot, they should be OK. A year or even isn't really a long time for strings still it the package.

The ones in a sealed pack like Daddario and Ernie Ball should last many years on the shelf. I've opened strings that came in a shrink wrapped box and found them to have rust spots. The strings were in the box in envelopes, so they weren't sealed in any way.

If you google the subject, you'll find people so believe they will become dull over time unless they are stored layed our rather then wound in a circle. There's lot of skepticism about this though.

I have found rust spots on strings that were stored in basement for 3 or more years. I don't buy more than 10 sets at a time now.

save the silica gel packs you get with other products and put them with your string.. Also rice in an old sock will absorb moisture.. No hole.. every once in a while dry the rice in oven or micro wave

I agree that humidity levels are the key to protecting strings however, there are many considerations. I would never store strings “in the basesment” of a home or apartment. The best place depends on type of heat and whether your abode is air conditioned. That being said, unless you have a room where you store your gear and maintain humidity & temperature year round it’s a combination of luck and whether you use strings which are sealed by the manufacturer which contain VCI (anti-corrosion) chemicals. For those of you even thinking of protecting strings already installed (outside of string cleaners although I just wipe mine down with a 100% cotton instrument cloths immediately after playing for guitars used regularly) on guitars not played regularly FOCUS ON YOUR GUITARS BEING STORED IN HARD CASES AND MAINTAIN THE HUMIDITY AT ABOUT 45%, TEMPERATURE BETWEEN 65°-75°, AWAY FROM WINDOWS (SUNLIGHT ETC) AND HEATING/COOLING SOURCES VERSUS EVEN THINKING ABOUT THE STRINGS. With new, non-installed strings if you buy many different types don’t buy too many sets. I do not believe in replacing single broken strings unless you are Performing or for short term convenience sake; if I break a string I replace the set. When I buy sets if they do not come sealed in anti-corrosive sealed packs using FRESH silica gel packs and zip-lock type FREEZER bags. All that being said sometimes it comes down to the manufacturing process (& possibly luck). I have guitars that I don’t play regularly, but I keep them cased and tune them regularly. I have one particular guitar that is stored in a hard case (which as all my cases is humidified with humidity checked about once a month) that has had the same set of strings on it for almost 2 years and I took it out recently and the strings were not only clean but the tone produced was if I had just put a great set of the particular brand of string I always use on this guitar. My point is that although it’s important to discuss strings and their life, FOCUS ON THE GUITAR, MAINTAINING ITS INTONATION, NECK (TRUSS ROD ADJUSTMENT) & SETUP ON REGULAR BASIS. if you have to discuss how long the shelf life is either you’re buying too many string sets, afraid to just throw away a set after checking the high strings for oxidation before installing, etc etc etc. I know manufacturers that will ship strings uncoiled for an upcharge and people who use Ronson lighter fluid on their strings & although much less expensive than pre-treated string cleaners, invest in 100% cotton cloths (although they reduced the quality some years ago, buy D’Addario polishing cloths). Stop focusing so much on the strings and focus on strings of great quality BUT JUST AS IMPORTANTLY ON STRING PERFORMANCE ENHANCERS AND CLEANING YOUR GUITAR (OR OTHER STRINGED INSTRUMENT) BEFORE AND AFTER USE. You know that “curse” of the G and sometimes B String tone, tuning problems, & breaking problems? Stop using whatever you’re using unless it’s NUT SAUCE MADE BY BIG BENDS on your nut, saddles, and other moving parts whether electric or acoustic, BUT USE IT SPARINGLY. YOU WONT BELIEVE THE RESULTS!! One more comment on having so many strings; if you think you can just change strings (on electrics especially) without doing a new setup; changing to a different gauge of even 1 string will affect the intonation (with some obsessive expert Luthiers doing a new setup every time they change their strings even if the exact set they had on their guitar) I mention this because there is no reason to buy an enormous number of sets unless the manufacturer has announced your favorite set is being discontinued or you believe the company (especially from another country is going to raise prices enormously or if you use a set made by only one company on a guitar you play daily. I have 2 guitars which fall into that category with one set costing $20-25 and the other about $7; Thomastik—Infeld Blues Sliders and D’Addario XL EPN-110 with both sets non-existent in set form by any other manufacturer. Under these conditions you MUST make a decision as to how many sets you plan on buying (check out Stewart MacDonald Luthier Supply in Ohio for great pricing on the XL EPN-110’s).