Appliance Age Finder & Calculator: How Old Is My Appliance by Serial Number?
This appliance age finder tells you how old your appliance is by decoding the manufacture date from its serial number. Pick your appliance below, and we'll show you where the serial is and what the age means.
What appliance is it?
Pick yours to open its decoder. Each one is built for that specific appliance — it shows where the serial number is on that model and what its year code looks like.
What you'll get
Most appliance age calculators give you a year and stop there. TidyBoss goes further — showing what that age means, where your appliance sits within its typical lifespan, how to extend its useful life, and whether repairing or replacing it makes more sense.
Your appliance's age
We decode the manufacture date from the serial number and show you how old your appliance is today.
Where it sits in its typical lifespan
See how its current age compares with the typical lifespan range for that type of appliance.
How to extend its useful life
Get practical maintenance guidance based on your appliance type and where it is in its lifespan.
Repair or replace guidance
Understand when continuing to use, repairing, or replacing your appliance may make more sense.
Don't see your appliance?
Use the general decoder for ranges, microwaves, freezers and other supported appliances.
How appliance dating works
- Find the rating plate — a metal or sticker label showing the model and serial number.
- Use the serial number, not the model number.
- Each manufacturer uses a different date code.
- TidyBoss applies the appropriate brand rule automatically.
GE — letters
Two letters + 6 digits, sometimes a trailing letter (e.g. TL123456B).
Whirlpool — year/week code
A letter, then a year code, then digits — e.g. C21234567.
Bosch — FD number
"FD" + 4 digits (FD 0301 = Jan 2023).
Check the Rating Plate
Most appliances have a rating plate (also called a data plate or nameplate) showing the model number, serial number, and sometimes the manufacture date. Where to look first:
- • Refrigerator: Inside the fresh-food compartment, on the side wall near the crisper drawers — this is the most common spot by far.
- • Washing Machine: Top-loaders: under the lid, on the rim of the opening — lift the lid and look at the metal lip.
- • Dishwasher: On the inner edge of the door — open the door fully and look along the left or right side of the door panel.
- • Dryer: Inside the door opening, on the rim or frame visible when the door is open.
Decode the Serial Number
If the date isn't printed directly, most manufacturers encode it in the serial number — each brand differently:
- • GE: Two letters + 6 digits, sometimes a letter at the end (e.g. TL123456B)
- • Whirlpool: A letter, then a year code (letter or digit), then digits — e.g. C21234567. The 3rd-4th digits are the week (01-53).
- • Samsung: 15 characters — the 8th is the year letter, the 9th the month (on short 11-character serials it's the 4th and 5th)
- • LG: Starts with 3 digits: first = year, next two = month 01-12 (e.g. 810KW... = Oct 2018)
- • Frigidaire: Usually two letters + digits; some 10-character serials use digit + product letter (e.g. 4A53011705). Date starts at character 3: year digit + week.
- • AEG: An 8-digit serial such as 13500016: 1st digit = year's last digit; digits 2-3 = production week (01-52).
- • Beko: Some Beko refrigerators use YY-######-MM (e.g. 10-100001-05): first two digits = year; last two = month.
- • Electrolux (Europe): A short all-digit number with no letters (e.g. 61300719): 1st digit = year's last digit, 2nd-3rd digits = week 01-52. Different from North American Electrolux, which is the separate "Electrolux (North America)" option built by Frigidaire.
- • Bosch: The FD number: "FD" + 4 digits (FD 0301 = Jan 2023), often with extra digits after it (FD030100233 works too)
- • InSinkErator: Before Aug 2024: starts YYMM. Newer: two location letters + year letter + 2-digit production week + 5-digit sequence (e.g. IHD2101201).
- • Speed Queen: All digits, usually 10, starting with the two-digit year — e.g. 1505000001 = May 2015
- • Fisher & Paykel: Two or three letters then digits — e.g. RPU766991. The first letter is the year, the second is the month.
- • Hisense: 11 digits starting with "000" — e.g. 00021530345 (the 4th digit is the year, the 5th-6th are the week)
- • Midea: Washers: 22 characters, e.g. 240100007015A010120001 (positions 12-13 are the year and month). Refrigerators: dash-separated, e.g. 340-B8250401-1113-10C0223 (the 3rd segment's first two digits are the year and month).
- • Crosley: Whatever the actual builder uses — Crosley units are made by Whirlpool (laundry, fridges) or Frigidaire (dishwashers). Enter the serial and, if you have it, the model number.
- • Kenmore: Whatever the actual builder uses — Sears sold other makers' machines under the Kenmore name. Enter the serial and, if you have it, the model number.
| Appliance | Average Lifespan | Range |
|---|---|---|
| Refrigerator | 13 years | 10-18 years |
| Washing Machine | 10 years | 8-14 years |
| Dryer | 13 years | 10-15 years |
| Dishwasher | 9 years | 7-12 years |
| Water Heater | 10 years | 8-15 years |
| Furnace / AC | 20 years | 15-25 years |
| Gas Range / Stove | 15 years | 13-20 years |
| Electric Range / Stove | 13 years | 10-15 years |
| Microwave | 9 years | 7-12 years |
*Actual lifespan depends on usage, maintenance, and quality. Well-maintained appliances often exceed these averages.
Common Questions
How do I find out how old my appliance is?
Find the serial number on the appliance's rating plate, pick the brand above, and this tool reads the build year (and often the month) out of it. Most manufacturers encode the manufacture date in the serial number.
Where is the serial number on an appliance?
It's on the rating plate — a metal or sticker label showing the model and serial number. Refrigerators: inside on a side wall. Washers: under the lid. Dishwashers: on the door edge. Dryers: inside the door opening. Each decoder above lists the exact spot for that appliance.
Can I tell how old an appliance is without the serial number?
Sometimes — some rating plates print the manufacture date directly. Otherwise you need the serial number. There is no reliable way to date an appliance from the model number alone.
What if my brand isn't listed or the serial number won't decode?
Brands not in the list either use a format we haven't verified or don't encode the date readably. If a supported serial won't decode, it's usually a typo or a model number entered as the serial — re-check it against the rating plate.
How accurate is this?
For supported brands the year is usually exact. GE, LG, Samsung and Frigidaire reuse the same short code every 10–12 years, so the tool may return two or three possible years rather than guess between them. We log every decode and dig into the ambiguous ones — when one exposes a gap in how we read a brand, we research that model and tighten the rule, so more serials resolve to a single year over time. Full method and accuracy notes are on our methodology page.
Does knowing the age tell me whether to replace it?
It's the starting point, not the answer. Compare the age to the typical lifespan for that appliance, then weigh the repair cost against how much life is left. Each decoder above walks through that.
Want to plan for all of your home's aging appliances?
Estimate what to set aside each year for future replacements.
Try the maintenance budget calculator →Did you find this helpful?