The deactivation of NO oxidation by SO 2 was studied with the use of commercial diesel oxidation catalysts (DOC) and Pt/Al 2 O 3 as reference material, coated on cordierite monolith. Despite their slightly different elemental compositions, the NO conversion rates of the fresh commercial catalysts were very similar. The maximum NO conversion was 38% at 350 °C, and above this temperature conversion started to be limited by the thermodynamics of the reaction. The rates of NO conversion strongly decreased with the start of SO 2 dosing. For analysis of SO 2 conversion and uptake, SO 2 and SO 3 /H 2 SO 4 were determined separately in the gas phase by absorption and titration. Under typical exhaust gas conditions (1 ppm SO 2 , 250 °C), the catalysts functioned as sulfur traps and stored a large part of the emitted SO 2 . The SO x storage was divided into two phases: a fast saturation of the catalyst surface with sulfuric acid, which hampered NO conversion, and a slow, long-lasting sulfation of the washcoat. The storage capacities of the oxidation catalysts reached their maxima at 250 °C due to the temperature dependency of sulfur adsorption and desorption. Adsorbed sulfuric acid desorbed between 350 and 400 °C, whereas more stable compounds, such as aluminum sulfate, were decomposed at higher temperatures. Deactivated catalysts could be completely regenerated within a few minutes at temperatures above 350 °C. However, repeated or lengthier thermal treatments resulted in a reduced sulfur storage capacity and irreversible activity losses for NO oxidation due to a reduction of the active surface by sintering.