How long will unused 35mm film last if kept in the fridge?

Question

How long will unused 35mm film last if kept in the fridge?

Answer 1

If you plan on using the film in a few days by all means place it in the fridge but if you don’t know put it in an airtight bag or container and then put it in the freezer, When you decide to use it wait until it’s at room temperature or condensation will form.

If you place an ISO 100 film in the freezer it should easily last up to 7 years past the expiry date, some say even 10 but any longer than that and it will start to show fog  amongst other things. In general it depends on the film type and more so on its ISO sensitivity. If you have a slow ISO 100 film it should last longer than a ISO 800 film.

Exposed film is a different story. I wouldn't’t recommend leaving any exposed film unprocessed  for any longer than 10 weeks and if you put it in the freezer you may be able to keep it a fraction longer but you will probably be pushing your look if you do.

Answer 2

There should be a use by date on the box ~ It will be good for awhile after that but there are different opinions about that ~~But you should be safe if you use it within' a few (6) months ~~"E"

Answer 3

Which kind of film are asking about?  For traditional black and white film, the most you have to worry about is a little IR fogging - the black and white film doesn't break down because what makes the image is elemental silver, not dyes as in color films.  

I just shot some rolls and developed the rolls that were first bought when I first started taking classes, around 10 years ago.  The film was kept in normal room temp. - long forgotten in my closet, and after I developed it I only noticed they turned out pretty well - there was only a little bit of a fog on them.

Now if you're asking about color negative or color transperancy films, those tend to be a bit more touchy.  The dyes in the color films are what make the image, and they tend to break down.  I'd say you could stretch 6 months to a year past the date and have minimal color shift for Color Negative.  Color Slide films - a bit less.  Slide film is REALLY touchy.

Generally fridge is good storage if you think you'll be using the film relatively soon, and the freezer is best for long term storage.  Of course, before you use film from the freezer, you'll want to put it in the fridge for a bit.  The emulsion is brittle when the temp is below freezing.