A method for the rapid estimation of the shelf life of rubber vulcanizates by means of chemical stress relaxation measurements is described．The method is based on the consideration that the temperature dependence of the times required to reach variOUS depths of the relaxation process as chara'cterized bv the relative stresses f/fo，may be expressed by an Arrhenius type relation，so that a plot of the relaxation times at different temperatures at which a given relative stress is reached vs 1/T should be a straight line．Then relaxation times at room temperature can be obtained by extrapolation．Two vulcanizates of butvl and nitrile rubber were chosen for investigation as these rubbers show quite different behaviours in chemical relaxation．All experimental results support the present consideration and the shelf life of rubber vulcanizates can be easily estimated from the experimental data．