How to Read Your Appliance Model and Serial Number: A Brand-by-Brand Guide

Every service call starts with the same question: what's the model number? If you're a homeowner trying to order a part, you need it before you can find anything. If you're handing information to a technician, they need it to show up with the right parts on the first visit. If you're weighing whether to repair or replace an aging appliance, the manufacture date hidden in the serial number is part of that math.

The problem is that manufacturers don't agree on where to put the label, and some of them seem to actively enjoy making it hard to find. After years of digging behind refrigerator drawers and contorting under washers, I've compiled every hiding spot worth knowing — organized by brand.

Why the Full Model Number Matters

A model number like "WRF535SWHZ" looks like a complete identifier. It is — for the product line. But manufacturers produce the same model across multiple production runs with revision letters that change internal components. The full model number including every suffix character (WRF535SWHZ00, WRF535SWHZ01) may correspond to different control boards, door gasket part numbers, or motor variants.

This matters enormously for parts ordering. A control board that fits the "00" revision may not fit the "01." The visual appearance is identical. The connector is different. Order the wrong one and you're waiting on a return and second shipment.

Same principle applies to the serial number. A service tech ordering parts for a Samsung refrigerator made in 2019 is working with different failure mode history and different part availability than one made in 2022 with the same model number.

Take a photo of the entire label — not just the model number — before the appliance gets moved, repainted, or the label wears off.

Refrigerators: Where to Look

Whirlpool, Maytag, KitchenAid, Amana — Inside the fresh food compartment, on the left or right interior wall near the top. On French door models, check the door frame edge on the left door. On older side-by-side models, check the ceiling of the fresh food section near the front.

Samsung — Inside the door on the door frame edge (the part that faces you when you open the door). On some French door models it's on the left side wall of the fresh food section. If you can't find it in those two spots, check behind the crisper drawer on the back wall.

LG — Usually on the left interior wall of the fresh food compartment, near the top. On bottom-freezer models, it's sometimes on the ceiling of the fresh food section. LG InstaView models have it inside the door frame visible when the door is open.

GE, GE Profile, Café — Inside the fresh food compartment on the left side wall, mid-height. On older top-freezer models, it's sometimes on the right wall or on the ceiling near the light fixture.

Frigidaire, Electrolux — Inside the fresh food compartment on the left wall near the top, or on the ceiling. Gallery and Professional series typically have it on the interior door frame.

Sub-Zero — Behind the grille panel at the bottom of the unit. Remove the grille (usually two screws or clips) to access the data plate. Some older Sub-Zero models have a second label inside the refrigerator compartment, but the primary data plate is at the bottom.

Bosch — Inside the refrigerator compartment on the left interior wall or the interior door frame. Counter-depth models sometimes place the label on the side wall near the crispers.

Washing Machines: Where to Look

Whirlpool, Maytag, Kenmore (Whirlpool-built) — Top-loaders: inside the lid frame along the top right opening edge. Front-loaders: inside the door frame visible when the door is open, or on the inside rear of the door.

Samsung — Front-loaders: inside the door frame, on the inner rim of the door gasket area. Top-loaders: inside the lid frame or on the back of the machine near the top.

LG — Front-loaders: inside the door on the door frame edge. Top-loaders: inside the lid frame on the right side.

GE — Inside the door frame on front-loaders. Inside the lid frame on top-loaders. On some older GE top-loaders, check the back panel near the top right corner.

Dryers: Where to Look

Most dryers follow a similar convention: inside the door frame, visible when the door is open. This applies to Whirlpool, Maytag, Samsung, LG, GE, Frigidaire, and Electrolux. The label is usually on the door frame itself or on the drum opening rim.

On gas dryers with a kick plate at the bottom, a second label is sometimes behind the kick plate. If the door frame label is worn or missing, the kick plate location is your backup.

Dishwashers: Where to Look

Almost every brand places the dishwasher label on the door — but there are two different spots:

• Along the top inner edge of the door (visible when you open the door and look at the top of the door panel) — this is the most common location for Bosch, Samsung, LG, and GE.
• On the door frame inside the tub (the part of the tub that the door seals against, visible when the door is open) — Whirlpool, Maytag, and KitchenAid tend to use this location.

On Bosch dishwashers, the label is always on the door edge visible when open. The full 18-character part number is printed here and is essential for parts — Bosch model variations are among the most suffix-sensitive in the industry.

Ranges and Ovens: Where to Look

Freestanding ranges — Behind the drawer at the bottom front, on the frame visible when the storage drawer is removed. This is standard for Whirlpool, GE, Samsung, and LG. Some models also have a label on the back frame, but that requires pulling the range away from the wall.

Wall ovens — Inside the oven door on the frame edge, visible when the door is open. Alternatively on the left side of the oven cavity just inside the door opening.

Cooktops — On the underside of the cooktop (requires lifting or removing). Some brands add a secondary label inside a storage drawer if there is one below.

Decoding Manufacture Dates from Serial Numbers

The serial number contains the manufacture date, encoded differently by each brand. Here's how to read it:

Whirlpool (also Maytag, KitchenAid, Amana, Kenmore-Whirlpool): The 4th and 5th characters of the serial number encode the year and production week. Example: serial CS4501234 — characters 4 and 5 are "45" — but the year is encoded in position 4 only, using a letter code. This varies by era. The simplest approach: use Whirlpool's own serial number lookup tool at whirlpool.com, which returns the manufacture date directly.

Actually, the modern Whirlpool format uses two letter codes in positions 4 and 5 where the first letter is the year (R=2019, S=2020, T=2021, U=2022, V=2023, W=2024, X=2025) and the second is the production week (A=1st week, B=2nd week, etc.).

Samsung: The serial number format changed around 2016. On modern Samsung appliances, the first two characters of the serial encode the year and month. The year character uses a letter code: Q=2016, R=2017, S=2018, T=2019, U=2020, V=2021, W=2022, X=2023, Y=2024, Z=2025. The second character is the month (1=January through 9=September, A=October, B=November, C=December).

LG: LG serials begin with a digit-letter pair where the digit is the last digit of the year and the letter is the month (A=January through L=December). A serial starting with "2A" was manufactured in January of 2022 (or 2012, requiring context). "5J" would be October of 2025.

GE (including GE Profile, Café, Monogram): GE uses a two-character date code at the beginning of the serial. The first character is the manufacturing month (A=January, D=February, F=March, G=April, H=May, L=June, M=July, R=August, S=September, T=October, V=November, Z=December — yes, the skips are intentional). The second character is the year (T=2013, V=2014, Z=2015, A=2016, D=2017, F=2018, G=2019, H=2020, L=2021, M=2022, R=2023, S=2024, T=2025 — note the year code reuses the same letter sequence).

Bosch: The serial number encodes the manufacture date in the format FD followed by a 4-digit number: the first two digits are the production year (two-digit), the second two digits are the production week. FD9423 = manufactured in 1994, week 23. FD2312 = manufactured in 2023, week 12.

Why the Age Matters: Repair vs. Replace

Once you know the manufacture date, you can make a much more informed repair-or-replace decision. The general rule of thumb: if the appliance is more than 75% through its expected lifespan and the repair cost exceeds 50% of replacement cost, replacement is usually the better financial choice.

Expected lifespans vary by appliance type and brand, but general benchmarks are: refrigerators 12-17 years, washers and dryers 10-13 years, dishwashers 9-12 years, ranges and ovens 15-18 years.

For more detail on how to run the numbers on that decision, see our guide to appliance repair vs. replace.

Where is the model number on a refrigerator?▾

On most refrigerators, the model and serial number tag is inside the fresh food compartment on the left or right interior wall near the top, or on the ceiling of the compartment. Samsung and LG often place it inside the door on the door frame edge. Sub-Zero places it behind the grille panel at the bottom of the unit. Always photograph the entire label — not just the model number — before you move or lose access to the appliance.

How do I find the age of my appliance from the serial number?▾

Serial number date codes vary by brand. Samsung uses a letter code in position 1 for year (Q=2016 through Z=2025) and position 2 for month. LG uses the first digit for the last digit of the year, and the first letter for the month (A through L). GE uses a letter-month and letter-year code in the first two serial characters. Whirlpool's modern format uses two letter codes where position 4 is the year (R=2019 onward) and position 5 is the production week.

Why does the model number matter when ordering parts?▾

Manufacturers produce multiple revision versions of the same product line under nearly identical model numbers. A single suffix letter or number difference can mean a completely different control board, motor, or wiring harness. Ordering parts by symptom or brand alone leads to wrong parts and wasted time. The full model number — every character including suffixes — is required for accurate parts lookup.