Before you begin. This procedure is general reference information, not professional advice. Equipment varies by manufacturer, model, and year. Always follow the documentation supplied with your equipment — where it differs from this page, follow the manufacturer. Verify that you have the tools, the working conditions, and the ability to do this task safely. If anything is unclear, if the equipment is damaged, or if the task exceeds your experience, stop and use a qualified professional. You are responsible for your own safety and for the outcome. This site accepts no liability for any loss, damage, or injury arising from the use of this information.
Specifications marked unverified could not be traced to a manufacturer source. Do not rely on them — obtain the value from your equipment documentation.
Summary
A dead appliance, a warranty claim, a recall check or a home inspection all come back to the same question: how old is this thing? The rating plate on the back, the door frame or inside a drawer carries the two numbers that answer it, the model number and the serial number, and on some brands the serial number hides a date code that only the manufacturer's own scheme can unlock correctly. This page shows how to find the plate, record both numbers safely, and get a real date, either by reading a date the plate prints directly, by applying a scheme the manufacturer has published on its own website, or by using the manufacturer's own lookup tool or support line.
What this page will not do is hand you one decode table that covers every brand, because no honest table like that exists. GE Appliances publishes its scheme, and so do its Café and Monogram brands, so this page cites all three directly. Sub-Zero, Wolf and Cove print the manufacture date on the plate itself, so there is nothing to decode. LG publishes where the year and month digits sit in its serial number, though not which decade a single digit belongs to. Whirlpool, Samsung and Bosch publish no decode scheme on their own support sites, as far as this page could confirm by reading those sites directly, and every third-party chart claiming to fill that gap is unverified by definition.
Necessary equipment
| Item | Note |
|---|---|
| Flashlight or bright light | Use this light to read small or worn print on the rating plate. |
| Pen and paper | Use these to record the numbers from the rating plate. |
| Camera or phone optional | Use this to make a photograph of the rating plate. |
| Dry cloth optional | Use this cloth to clean dust from the rating plate. |
Find the rating plate
Estimated 4 min to 8 min
- Find the appliance that you want to date.<1mReport a problem with step 1, Find the rating plate
DO NOT PULL A FULL-SIZE APPLIANCE FROM THE WALL TO READ THE RATING PLATE.
A heavy appliance can crush your foot as it tips.
- Find the rating plate on the appliance.2mReport a problem with step 2, Find the rating plate
- A refrigerator carries the plate inside the fresh food compartment, on the door frame or on the back.
- A range or an oven carries the plate behind the storage drawer or on the frame behind the oven door.
- A dishwasher carries the plate on the edge of the door or inside the tub wall.
- A washer or a dryer carries the plate on the frame behind the door.
DO NOT TOUCH THE INSIDE OF AN OVEN OR A RANGE RIGHT AFTER YOU USE IT.
The metal inside can burn your hand.
DO NOT REMOVE A PANEL FIXED WITH SCREWS TO SEARCH FOR THE RATING PLATE.
This action can damage the appliance and end its warranty.
- Open the door, the drawer or the panel that gives access to the rating plate.1mReport a problem with step 3, Find the rating plate
- Some plates are visible without opening anything.
- Do not remove a panel fixed with screws.
- Point a light at the rating plate from one side.<1mReport a problem with step 4, Find the rating plate
- Light from one side makes stamped or printed characters legible.
- Light from the front causes a reflection.
DO NOT CLEAN THE RATING PLATE WITH A WET CLOTH.
Water can make the print unreadable.
- Wipe dust or residue from the rating plate with a dry cloth.<1mReport a problem with step 5, Find the rating plate
Record the numbers
Estimated 3 min to 5 min
- Write the brand name from the rating plate.<1mReport a problem with step 1, Record the numbers
- The brand on the plate can differ from the brand on the shop receipt.
- Write the model number from the rating plate.<1mReport a problem with step 2, Record the numbers
- Write the serial number from the rating plate, character for character.1mReport a problem with step 3, Record the numbers
- The letter O and the number zero are easy to confuse.
- The letter I and the number one are also easy to confuse.
- Make a photograph of the full rating plate.<1mReport a problem with step 4, Record the numbers
- The photograph keeps the data after the label becomes unreadable.
- Make a second photograph that shows the appliance and its surroundings.
Find the date of manufacture
Estimated 9 min to 19 min
Source: GE Appliance - How to Determine the Age or Manufacture Date · tier 1 · accessed 2026-08-04
Source: GE Appliance - How to Determine the Age or Manufacture Date · tier 1 · accessed 2026-08-04
Source: Café Appliance - How to Determine the Age or Manufacture Date · tier 1 · accessed 2026-08-04
Source: Monogram Appliance - How to Determine the Age or Manufacture Date · tier 1 · accessed 2026-08-04
Source: GE Appliance - How to Determine the Age or Manufacture Date · tier 1 · accessed 2026-08-04
Source: How To Find My LG Model and Serial Number · tier 1 · accessed 2026-08-04
Source: Sub-Zero Serial Tag Locations | How to Guide · tier 1 · accessed 2026-08-04
No tier-1 source was found for this value. Take it from the documentation supplied with your equipment.
No tier-1 source was found for this value. Take it from the documentation supplied with your equipment.
No tier-1 source was found for this value. Take it from the documentation supplied with your equipment.
No tier-1 source was found for this value. Take it from the documentation supplied with your equipment.
- Look on the rating plate for a printed date of manufacture.1mReport a problem with step 1, Find the date of manufacture
- Sub-Zero, Wolf and Cove print the manufacture date directly on the plate.
- If the plate gives the date, do not use the serial number at all.
- If the plate gives no date, identify the brand from the rating plate.<1mReport a problem with step 2, Find the date of manufacture
- If the brand is GE, Café or Monogram, apply the published date code to the serial number.2mReport a problem with step 3, Find the date of manufacture
- GE Appliances states that the serial number starts with two letters, then six numbers.
- GE Appliances states that the first letter gives the month and the second letter gives the year.
- The year letter repeats every twelve years, so one letter can name several years.
- Use the print date on the Owner's Manual to choose between the possible years.
- If the brand is LG, apply the published date code to the serial number.2mReport a problem with step 4, Find the date of manufacture
- LG states that the serial number starts with three numbers.
- LG states that the first number gives the year and the next two numbers give the month.
- One digit cannot identify the decade of manufacture.
- Use the print date on the Owner's Manual to choose the correct decade.
- If the brand publishes no date code, open the official website of that brand.1mReport a problem with step 5, Find the date of manufacture
- Whirlpool, Samsung and Bosch publish no date code for their own serial numbers.
- Use the brand name that is on the rating plate.
- Give your serial number to the lookup tool of the manufacturer, or contact its support team.2mReport a problem with step 6, Find the date of manufacture
- Do not use a decode table from a third party.<1mReport a problem with step 7, Find the date of manufacture
- A chart that is wrong about the decade gives the wrong age.
- Write the date of manufacture and the method that gave it to you.<1mReport a problem with step 8, Find the date of manufacture
- A date from the manufacturer is stronger than a date from a code you applied yourself.
After the job
Estimated 1 min
- Keep the photograph and the numbers with your home records.<1mReport a problem with step 1, After the job
- An insurer or a repair technician will ask for these data.
- Do not use the date alone for a decision about a repair or a replacement.<1mReport a problem with step 2, After the job
- A qualified technician must examine the condition of the appliance.
Terminology
This page uses one term for each item and holds it throughout, as ASD-STE100 requires. Equipment sellers and other guides use the names below for the same parts.
- rating plate
- Also called: data plate, nameplate, name plate, spec plate, specification label, serial number sticker, sticker on the appliance, silver tag inside the door
- date of manufacture
- Also called: manufacture date, date code, build date, when was my appliance made, how old is my appliance, year of manufacture, manufacturing date
- serial number
- Also called: serial no, SN, appliance serial number lookup, serial number decoder, serial number date code, serial number age calculator
- model number
- Also called: model no, model #, product number, catalog number, catalogue number
When to use a professional
This page reads a label. It does not open a sealed compartment, disconnect a hose, or unplug a running appliance.
Speak to a qualified technician if you cannot find the rating plate. Speak to a qualified technician also if rust or damage makes the rating plate impossible to read. Speak to a qualified technician also if the appliance shows a fault or a leak. A missing plate does not make the appliance safe to open.
Do not remove a panel fixed with screws to search for the rating plate. A qualified technician can find it during a service visit.
A qualified technician must make the decision about a repair or a replacement. The date of manufacture is only one fact in that decision. The condition of the appliance matters more than its age.
Common questions
How can I tell how old my appliance is?
Start with the rating plate, the small metal or paper label carrying the model and serial numbers, because a growing number of brands now print the manufacture date on it directly and you are done as soon as you find it. Sub-Zero, Wolf and Cove do this on every unit. If your plate only gives a serial number, the date is coded into it according to a scheme each manufacturer sets for itself, and the reliable way to read it is the manufacturer's own published scheme, its own lookup tool, or a call to its support line. GE, Café and Monogram all publish their scheme on their own websites, so this page can show you those directly. Whatever route you take, write down which one gave you the date, because a date from the manufacturer is worth more than a date you decoded yourself.
Is there a universal appliance date code decoder?
No, and every chart that claims to be one is a compilation somebody assembled from other people's compilations, not from the manufacturers themselves. Each brand sets its own scheme, changes it without notice, and is under no obligation to publish it outside its own dealer network. GE Appliances, and its Café and Monogram brands, are the exception: all three publish the position of the month and year letters on their own support sites, so this page cites those three directly rather than a third-party summary of them. For every other brand this page names, the honest answer is the manufacturer's own tool or its support line, not a chart.
My GE appliance serial number starts with two letters. What does that mean?
GE Appliances publishes the answer on its own support site, and the same scheme applies under the Café and Monogram brand names. The first letter gives the month and the second letter gives the year, but the year letter repeats every twelve years, so a serial number beginning "GA" could mean April of several different years. GE Appliances tells owners to check the print date on the Owner's Manual to choose between the possible years, and to contact GE Appliances directly with the model and serial number if that still leaves doubt.
Why doesn't this page give me a date-code chart for every brand?
Because for most brands there is no chart this page could stand behind. A scheme that exists only on a reseller's blog or a repair forum is unverified by definition, however confident the page sounds, and those independent-looking pages copy each other constantly. This page checked the manufacturer's own support site for GE, Café, Monogram, LG, Sub-Zero, Wolf, Cove, Whirlpool, Samsung and Bosch directly, and publishes a decode only where that manufacturer's own site actually gives one.
My Sub-Zero or Wolf appliance: where is the manufacture date?
Sub-Zero, Wolf and Cove state on their own support site that the serial tag, which they also call the rating plate, prints the manufacture date directly alongside the model and serial numbers. There is no code to work out and no serial-number arithmetic involved. Find the rating plate, and the date is printed right on it.
What if my brand isn't named on this page?
Treat the date code as unpublished until you confirm otherwise, and go to that brand's own website or support line with your serial number rather than trusting a chart from a parts reseller or a forum. This page only publishes a decode scheme for a brand whose own site was read directly this session and found to give one. A brand that is silent on its own site may still answer by phone or through a registration lookup, and that answer is worth more than any third-party guess.
Related procedures
- How to find and record the model and serial number of every appliance in the house
- How to read a tire sidewall and find out how old your tires are
- How old is my water heater and how do I read the serial number
- How do I read the label on my hot water heater and figure out what the numbers mean
- Find the date code on a vehicle battery and work out how old it actually is
- How do I find the date on my smoke alarm and how old can it be before I replace it
- How to check if something you own has been recalled
- How to read the label on a power tool and understand what the numbers mean
Sources
Every specification on this page is traced to one of these sources. Tier 1 is a manufacturer document, a published standard, or a government safety authority. See Standards for the full tiering rule.
- Tier 1GE Appliance - How to Determine the Age or Manufacture Date
- Tier 1Café Appliance - How to Determine the Age or Manufacture Date
- Tier 1Monogram Appliance - How to Determine the Age or Manufacture Date
- Tier 1How To Find My LG Model and Serial Number
- Tier 1Sub-Zero Serial Tag Locations | How to Guide
- Tier 1Product number (E-Nr.) and production number (FD)
- Tier 1Where is my Model and Serial Number Located? - Product Help
- Tier 1How to find the model and serial numbers for your Samsung product
Revision history
Current version 1 · updated 2026-08-04 · next review due 2027-08-04
- v1 · 2026-08-04First draft. Publishes a verified date-code position only for the brands whose own support site was read directly this session and found to give one: GE Appliances, independently confirmed under its Café and Monogram brand names (all three cite products.geappliances.com, contentId 16195, 37870 and 37871, each fetched and parsed directly with its own chart or repeat-cycle statement quoted verbatim), and LG (lg.com/us/support, position of the year and month digits only, since LG's own page does not resolve which decade a single digit names). Sub-Zero, Wolf and Cove are cited for a different, stronger fact: their own support site states that the manufacture date is printed on the rating plate directly, so no decoding applies at all. Whirlpool, Samsung and Bosch are each cited for a negative finding, read directly from that brand's own support page: none of the three publishes a decode scheme for its serial number or FD production number on the page this session could reach, so the record routes readers to the manufacturer rather than to any third-party chart, all of which disagree with each other in the research for this record (whirlpool.com/services/contact-us/find-your-model---serial-number.html returned HTTP 403 and is not cited). No competitor or reseller decode page was opened while drafting (brief rule 10 / independent creation); every specification in this record traces to a manufacturer's own domain, fetched and read in full this session, with the source sentence quoted in that source's own notes. The heavy-appliance and oven-interior hazards are both WARNING level because their consequence text names an injury (crush, burn); the wet-cloth and screwed-panel hazards are NOTICE because neither names one.
Corrections to this page are listed in the public corrections log. Reports that are credible and not yet verified are listed in the public errata register, and an open one renders above the step it concerns.
Comments and corrections
Found an error? A correction with a manufacturer source is applied and logged publicly. You can also write to corrections@fixchecklist.com.
Every step above carries its own report control, which tags the report with that step so a correction reaches the right place. For anything about the procedure as a whole — the order of the sections, a step that is missing, something that did not match your equipment — use this: report something about this whole procedure.