KNOW YOUR MACHINE

Washer serial number: where to find it and how to read the age.

Where to find the label

Whirlpool’s help page gives these locations for the model number: on a front-load washer, inside the washer door on the rim of the opening; on a top-load washer, beneath the washer lid on the tub rim. That page lists only the model number location and says nothing about reading a date from the serial number. The example label on our model number page shows the model and serial numbers side by side; confirm the exact spot in your owner’s manual.

Use the serial number for age, not the model number. GE’s page says the same: the model number identifies the washer family, and the serial number identifies one machine.

GE: read the manufacture month and year

GE’s page says its serial numbers begin with two letters, followed by six numbers, with a letter at the end. The first letter is the month and the second letter is the year. GE’s example: a serial number starting with “GA” was made in April of 2001 or April of 2013. GE’s current chart also lists 2025 for the letter A, so the same serial could now be April 2025.

The decoder uses GE’s chart for 2000 to 2026. Because the year letters repeat, the serial number alone may not settle the year. GE suggests checking the print date in the owner’s manual (usually on the front or back page, near the publication number), which should be close to the serial-number date. If you still cannot decide, GE says to contact them with the model and serial numbers.

GE’s full chart also lists older year codes back to 1944, and several letters (B, C, E, J, K, N, P) appear only as year letters for years before 2000, so they never start a modern serial number.

Whirlpool, Maytag, LG, Samsung: what we could not confirm

Whirlpool’s page covers where the model number is, not how to read a date. For LG and Samsung we did not find an official US page that explains a date code, and one LG help page we tried returned only the library’s landing page. Websites that sell decoder tables for these brands are not the manufacturers, and a wrong year is worse than no year. Instead:

• Look at the rating label: some labels print a manufacture date outright.
• Check your purchase receipt, delivery paperwork or warranty registration for the date.
• Contact the maker with the model and serial number and ask for the manufacture date.

Why the age matters

The age tells you whether the washer is likely still under warranty, and it is one input when you decide whether a repair is worth it. Use it with a quote in the repair-or-replace calculator. A serial number is also what service will ask for after the model number, so keep a photo of the label in your washer log.