How to Find Your Appliance Serial Number (and Why It Matters)
How to find an appliance serial number: where the label sits on refrigerators, washers, water heaters and HVAC units, and how to read the date code.
In this article
- Why you need the serial number
- Model number versus serial number
- Where to find it by appliance
- How to read the date in a serial number
- Finding the age of an HVAC unit, brand by brand
- If the label is missing or unreadable
- Record it once, then use it
- How this varies by home and region
- Frequently asked questions
Quick answer: Appliance serial numbers are printed on a data label, usually inside the door or cabinet of a refrigerator, washer, dryer, dishwasher or range, on the rating plate of a water heater, and on the outdoor and indoor units of an HVAC system. Photograph the label, because the model and serial numbers are what manufacturers ask for on warranty calls and what recall notices use to identify affected units.
Why you need the serial number
The serial number identifies your individual unit, and four common tasks depend on it:
- Recalls. Recall notices often name affected models and serial number ranges. A CPSC recall of GE electric cooktops, for example, listed model numbers and serial number prefixes and said where to find them on the unit.
- Warranty and service. Manufacturers ask for model and serial number before they help. Whirlpool, for one, tells customers to have both ready before calling, and Rheem and A. O. Smith run warranty lookups that take the serial number.
- Age. Many serial numbers encode the date of manufacture, which tells you how old a unit is when you have no receipt.
- Insurance. The National Association of Insurance Commissioners advises keeping an inventory with photos and receipts, stored somewhere other than the house, to support a claim.
Model number versus serial number
The model number identifies the product line, and every unit of that model shares it. The serial number is unique to your unit. They usually sit together on the same label, so record both. GE notes that its model numbers always begin and end with a letter, which helps you tell the two apart.
Where to find it by appliance
Labels move between brands and generations, so treat these as the usual places to look, taken from manufacturer support pages.
| Appliance | Usual locations |
|---|---|
| Refrigerator | Inside the fresh-food compartment on the left or right wall, often near the top. Samsung adds a second label outside at the bottom left. |
| Washer | Front-load: inside the door opening or on the front panel behind the door. Top-load: under the lid, or at the back of the machine. |
| Dryer | Inside the door opening, on the front face of the drum compartment. |
| Dishwasher | Open the door and check the inside edge of the tub or door rim, on the left or right. |
| Range, oven or cooktop | Oven frame or the storage drawer, or the top of the oven cavity on a built-in oven. Cooktops often carry it on the underside. |
| Water heater | The rating label on the tank, typically on the side or back. A. O. Smith units also carry a QR code on the rating plate. |
| Outdoor AC or heat pump | The rating plate on the outdoor unit. Trane puts it at the top right-rear of the unit and Goodman slightly above the refrigerant valves on the back. |
| Furnace or air handler | A label on a side panel of the furnace or the front panel of the air handler. |
Newer GE appliances may have a QR code on the tag that you can scan with a phone for product information. The manufacturer pages for GE, Whirlpool, LG and Samsung show labeled diagrams for each product type.
How to read the date in a serial number
There is no universal format. Each manufacturer encodes the date its own way, and some publish the key while others do not. Three published examples:
| Brand and product | How the date is encoded |
|---|---|
| Rheem water heaters | First two digits are the month and next two the year, so 1209D01234 was built in December 2009. |
| Bradford White water heaters | The first two characters are letter codes for year and month. The year letters repeat every 20 years, so match the code to a table and the unit's approximate age. |
| LG appliances | The serial starts with three numbers: the first indicates the year of manufacture and the next two the month. |
If your brand is not here, search the manufacturer's support site for its serial number key, or call support with the model and serial number. Treat a date from an unofficial decoder site as a guess. The water heater age guide walks through this for the appliance where age matters most.
Finding the age of an HVAC unit, brand by brand
Air conditioners, heat pumps and furnaces are where age matters most for replacement planning, and where the date code is hardest to find. Manufacturers differ in what they publish, so look first for a manufacture date printed on the rating plate, then use the notes below.
- Carrier. Carrier's warranty lookup takes a serial number and returns your warranty record with coverage lengths and end dates. It does not explain the date code, so for the build date check the label or call Carrier customer care at 1-800-227-7437.
- Goodman. Goodman describes the serial number as a ten-digit code that identifies when the unit was produced, along with its model and many of its components, but its FAQ does not give the position-by-position breakdown. Many installers attach the traveler label from the shipping box to the owner's paperwork, so check your closing or installation file. Goodman's FAQ.
- Lennox. For a cooling system, Lennox says the model and serial numbers are on the nameplate sticker near the service panel. Its warranty lookup accepts the serial number printed on the equipment label.
HVAC.com describes two patterns that many HVAC manufacturers use: the first four digits give the year, or the first two digits give the production week and the next two give the year, so a serial starting 3915 would read as week 39 of 2015. It does not say which brand uses which, so treat a decoded date as an estimate and confirm it with the manufacturer or an HVAC technician. HVAC.com's guide (March 2025).
If the label is missing or unreadable
- Check the owner's manual, the original receipt and any paperwork the previous owner left.
- Look for a second label. Refrigerators and some HVAC units carry more than one.
- For HVAC, ask the installer or look for the shipping label that some dealers attach to homeowner paperwork.
- Try a flashlight at an angle, or take a phone photo and zoom in, before you give up on a worn label.
- Call the manufacturer with the model number and the appliance's location. Support can often narrow it down.
Record it once, then use it
Write every model and serial number down in one place, with a photo of the label. Steadwell's AI scan can read a nameplate photo and fill in brand, model, serial number and manufacture date for you on the Plus and Pro plans. On the free plan you can enter the details by hand. Once an item is tracked, recall alerts check it against federal CPSC recalls using the brand, product type and model number at no cost, and its warranty dates are tracked next to it.
How this varies by home and region
No state law changes what the label says, because appliance labels follow manufacturer practice nationwide. What changes is where the appliance sits and how reachable the label is.
| Setup | What to expect |
|---|---|
| Cold-climate homes | Water heaters and furnaces are commonly in basements, so labels are usually easy to reach. |
| Warm-climate and slab-on-grade homes | Water heaters and air handlers may be in garages, closets or attics. Photograph the labels in cooler weather, and avoid long attic visits in peak heat. |
| Outdoor units anywhere | Sun and weather can fade labels over the years. Photograph them early. |
Frequently asked questions
What does a serial number look like?
It is a string of letters and numbers printed beside the model number on the data label. Rheem and Goodman, for example, use 10-character serial numbers, but length and layout depend on the manufacturer.
Is the serial number the same as the model number?
No. The model number is shared by every unit of a product line, and the serial number identifies your single unit. Warranty and recall checks usually want both.
Can I find the age of an appliance from the serial number?
Often, yes. Many manufacturers encode the month and year of manufacture, but each uses its own format. Use the manufacturer's published key.
What if I cannot find the serial number on my appliance?
Check for a second label, the manual, your receipt and any installer paperwork. Failing that, call the manufacturer with the model number and ask where the label sits on your product.
Do I need the serial number to check for a recall?
Not always. You can start by searching the CPSC recall site by brand and product. Some recalls then narrow affected units by serial number prefix or date code, so keep both on file.
How can I tell how old my Carrier, Lennox or Goodman air conditioner or furnace is?
Check the rating plate for a printed manufacture date first. If there is none, the serial number usually encodes it, but these manufacturers do not publish the date code on their homeowner pages. Carrier and Lennox both offer a serial-number warranty lookup, Goodman describes the serial as a ten-digit code that identifies when the unit was produced, and an HVAC technician or the manufacturer's customer care can confirm the build date.
Where is the serial number on an air conditioner or furnace?
On the rating plate or nameplate. Trane puts it at the top right-rear of the outdoor unit, Goodman says it is generally slightly above the refrigerant valves on the back, and Lennox says the model and serial numbers on a cooling system are on the nameplate sticker near the service panel. On a furnace, check a side panel of the furnace or the front panel of the air handler. Photograph it so you do not have to go back.
Can I tell the age of an air conditioner or furnace from any serial number?
Not with one rule. Formats vary by brand and model line, and some manufacturers do not publish theirs. HVAC.com notes two common patterns, a four-digit year or a two-digit week followed by a two-digit year, but a decoded date is still an estimate. Confirm it with the manufacturer, your installation paperwork or an HVAC technician.