Home Depot Cents-Ending Price Codes: Complete Guide
What Are Cents-Ending Price Codes?
Home Depot uses a system where the last two digits (cents) of a clearance price encode information about the markdown stage and timing. Understanding these codes gives you a significant advantage when shopping clearance.
The Code Breakdown
| Cents Ending | Markdown Stage | Typical Discount | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| .00, .50, .98 | 1st Markdown | 10-25% off | ~3 weeks |
| .06 | 2nd Markdown | 25-50% off | ~6 weeks |
| .04 | 2nd Markdown | 25-50% off | ~4 weeks |
| .03 | Final Markdown | 75%+ off | ~3 weeks |
| .02 | Final Markdown | 75%+ off | ~2 weeks |
| .01 | Penny / ZMA | ~99%+ off | Until removed |
Non-Standard Endings
About 40% of clearance products have non-standard cents endings like .97, .99, .88, or .10. These don’t follow the standard markdown code system.
- .88 endings often indicate “Special Buy” items — these are supplier-discounted products, not standard clearance
- .97 or .99 endings may be store-manager markdowns or price adjustments
- .10 or other endings could be regional pricing or system overrides
How to Use This Information
- Scan the price tag — look at the last two digits
- Identify the stage using the table above
- Decide whether to buy or wait — if it’s at 1st markdown, waiting could save you 50%+ more
- Track with Endless — our platform automatically detects markdown stages for every product
Real-World Example
A DeWalt drill originally priced at $149.00:
- 1st Markdown: $119.00 (20% off) — cents ending .00
- 2nd Markdown: $89.06 (40% off) — cents ending .06, ~6 weeks at this price
- Final Markdown: $37.03 (75% off) — cents ending .03, ~3 weeks left
- Penny: $0.01 — store removal signal image: “/blog/cents-ending-price-codes.png”