How Old Is My Refrigerator? GE, Whirlpool, Samsung and Other Brands
Find how old your refrigerator or fridge is from its serial number: GE, Whirlpool, Samsung, LG, Frigidaire, Kenmore and more. Pick your brand, enter the serial, and we'll decode the manufacture date.
Where’s the serial number?↓
- Inside the fresh-food compartment, on the side wall near the crisper drawers — this is the most common spot by far.
- On the ceiling of the fresh-food compartment, toward the front.
- Behind or underneath the crisper drawers (you may need to pull a drawer out).
- On the back of the unit, near the compressor — usually only on older or commercial models.
Not the model number, which usually sits on the same sticker and is often shorter. Model numbers describe the product line; only the serial carries the date.
- GE encodes month and year as the first two letters of the serial, using only 12 letters — the year letter repeats every 12 years, so confirm the result against roughly when you bought it.
- Samsung reads its year from a letter partway into the serial, not the leading digits — a common source of wrong answers from other decoders.
- Bosch does not date the serial at all. The date lives in the separate FD number.
Is your refrigerator broken, or are you just checking?
The age means different things depending on the answer. Pick one and we'll show you only what applies.
What the age actually means for a refrigerator
A refrigerator typically lasts 10–18 years, averaging about 13.
What does the age mean if something is wrong?
Age changes the economics; symptoms tell you what to diagnose. Neither alone determines the answer.
Usually worth diagnosing/repairing
Replacement becomes more worth considering when
Still not sure? See the full repair-or-replace guide →
And the money: An expensive repair on a refrigerator near or beyond its typical lifespan deserves closer comparison with replacement.
Where a refrigerator sits in its lifespan
10–18 years
Typical range
~13 years
Planning average
Early life (Years 1-5)
A major repair usually doesn’t make replacement economical yet. Isolated faults can occur (ice maker, door-seal gasket), but these are examples, not the only possibilities.
Mid-life (Years 6-10)
Repair history and component cost start to matter more than the age number alone. Defrost heater, thermostat or control-board issues are examples of repairs where the decision gets closer.
Planning window (Years 11-15)
Expensive or labour-heavy repairs deserve more scrutiny as the refrigerator approaches its typical lifespan. Compressor or sealed-system work are examples of repairs where replacement economics may become more relevant.
Beyond typical range (Years 16+)
A working refrigerator can keep going, but an expensive repair deserves closer scrutiny, and energy use becomes more relevant to the decision.
*Actual lifespan depends on usage, maintenance and quality. Well-maintained appliances often exceed these averages.
If there’s a problem, age changes the repair economics; if it’s working, maintenance is the next step.
A refrigerator lasts 10 to 18 years, averaging about 13. On a younger unit, isolated faults — an ice maker, a door gasket, a defrost heater or control board — are often relatively inexpensive next to a new refrigerator, so repairing is frequently the more straightforward call.
As a refrigerator ages, compressor and sealed-system repairs become more relevant to the repair-vs-replace decision, and repair history starts to matter as much as the age number itself. These repairs can be labour-heavy since the sealed system is not designed to be opened, which is part of why the cost can run high regardless of the specific part involved.
A useful screening line: a repair approaching half the price of a comparable new refrigerator is worth treating as a warning sign, especially on an older unit — but age, repair history and the specific failure still matter more than any single number.
Things worth knowing about your refrigerator
The only appliance that never switches off
Your refrigerator is the one machine in the house running every hour of every day for its entire life. That is why age matters more here than anywhere else — an older unit can quietly add more to every electricity bill than most other appliances would.
Efficiency moved a long way
Refrigerator energy use fell substantially through the 1990s and 2000s under successive efficiency standards. A fridge from that era can draw on the order of twice what a comparable new one does, which is why a working-but-ancient garage fridge is rarely the bargain it feels like — though the exact gap varies by model and size.
Why the sticker is inside, not behind
Manufacturers moved the rating plate into the fresh-food compartment precisely because nobody wants to pull a loaded fridge away from the wall. If you are reaching behind the unit, you are almost certainly looking in the wrong place.
Common questions
How can I tell how old my refrigerator is?
Find the serial number on the sticker inside the fresh-food compartment — usually on the side wall near the crisper drawers — and enter it into the decoder above. Most manufacturers encode the manufacture month and year directly into the serial.
Where is the serial number on a refrigerator?
Open the fresh-food door and look along the side wall near the crisper drawers, then check the ceiling of the compartment toward the front. On older units it may instead be on the back near the compressor.
How long does a refrigerator last?
A typical refrigerator lasts 10 to 18 years, averaging about 13. Side-by-side and built-in models with more electronics tend toward the shorter end of that range.
Is it worth repairing a 15-year-old refrigerator?
Usually not, if the repair involves the sealed system or compressor. At 15 years the unit is at the end of its expected life and a major repair often costs half of a replacement — while a new model will use noticeably less electricity.
For refrigerators that are still working, coil cleaning and efficiency upkeep are the practical next steps.
Recommended products
Help an aging refrigerator last
Refrigerator Condenser Coil Cleaning Brush
A long flexible brush for periodic condenser-coil cleaning, which can help the refrigerator run more efficiently and reduce strain on the cooling system.
Check price on Amazon →
Taylor Large Dial Refrigerator/Freezer Thermometer
An easy-read analog dial with color-coded safe-temperature zones — the fastest way to check whether a spoilage or ice-buildup issue is actually a temperature problem.
Check price on Amazon →As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. How this works
The tool above reads these automatically — this is the reference if you want to check it yourself, or your brand isn’t listed above. Where the sticker is on a refrigerator is covered in step 1 — below is how each brand encodes the date once you’ve found it.
How old is my GE refrigerator?
- Covers:
- GE, General Electric, GE Profile, Café, Monogram, Hotpoint (US only) — they share one dating scheme.
- What the serial looks like:
- Two letters + 6 digits, sometimes a letter at the end (e.g. TL123456B)
- Reading the year:
- GE reuses year letters every 12 years, so one serial can match two or three plausible years — pick the one that matches when you bought or moved in.
- How we narrow it down:
- When we can find a dated GE spec sheet or a retailer's listing history for the specific model, we narrow the cycle automatically instead of defaulting to the newest option — for example, GE's own GSD2100V/2101V dishwasher spec sheet is stamped April 2011, which rules out a 2024 or 2000 reading of that model's serial. See our full case log.
- Don’t use:
- Not the model number (the longer code with digits and letters mixed throughout, e.g. GTS18GTHWW).
- Worked example:
TL123456 → October 2018
How old is my Kenmore refrigerator?
- Covers:
- Kenmore, Kenmore Elite, Kenmore Pro, Sears — they share one dating scheme.
- What the serial looks like:
- 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.
- Reading the year:
- Kenmore units were built by Whirlpool, LG, Frigidaire and others, each with its own dating scheme. Where a serial reads plausibly on more than one of them, the model number settles it.
- How we narrow it down:
- We identify the actual builder from the model number's 3-digit prefix and defer to that builder's own scheme in full — including every plausible cyclic year, not just its top pick — rather than collapsing to a single guess. For a specific model line where we've found dated corroboration, we narrow further: one LG-built Kenmore refrigerator line (prefix 795.72043) is bounded to before 2015 based on owner reports and a contemporaneous review of the sibling product line. See our full case log.
- Don’t use:
- The MODEL number is genuinely useful here (it starts with three digits and a dot, e.g. 110.45862400) — it tells us who built the unit. Enter it in the model box if the serial alone is ambiguous.
- Worked example:
810KWXX12345 → October 2018
How old is my Whirlpool, Maytag or KitchenAid refrigerator?
- Covers:
- Whirlpool, Maytag, KitchenAid, Amana, Jenn-Air, Roper, Inglis, Kenmore (Whirlpool-built) — they share one dating scheme.
- What the serial looks like:
- A letter, then a year code (letter or digit), then digits — e.g. C21234567. The 3rd-4th digits are the week (01-53).
- Reading the year:
- Whirlpool reuses letter year codes about every 30 years (e.g. A = 2021 or 1991) — the week digits and your purchase era settle it.
- Don’t use:
- Not the model number (starts with letters like WRF, MVW, KDT). The serial is the second code on the same tag.
- Worked example:
C21234567 → March 2012
How old is my Samsung refrigerator?
- What the serial looks like:
- 15 characters — the 8th is the year letter, the 9th the month (on short 11-character serials it's the 4th and 5th)
- Reading the year:
- Samsung reuses year letters every 20 years, so the letters that have come round again (L, R, T, W, X, Y) match two plausible years — your purchase era settles it.
- Don’t use:
- Not the model number (starts with RF, WF, DW etc.). The serial is on the same sticker, usually below a barcode.
- Worked example:
0AB74AEKA00123Z → October 2018
How old is my LG refrigerator?
- Covers:
- LG, Kenmore (LG-built) — they share one dating scheme.
- What the serial looks like:
- Starts with 3 digits: first = year, next two = month 01-12 (e.g. 810KW... = Oct 2018)
- Reading the year:
- The year is a single digit, so it repeats every 10 years (8 = 2018 or 2008) — your purchase era settles it.
- How we narrow it down:
- When a dated LG spec sheet, press review, or discontinued-model listing exists for the specific model, we use it to rule out impossible cyclic years instead of assuming the newest one — for example, LG's own WM2455 washer spec sheet is dated February 2008 and the model is on LG's discontinued list, which rules out a 2019 reading of that model's serial. See our full case log.
- Don’t use:
- Not the model number (starts with letters, e.g. LFXS26973S).
- Worked example:
810KWXX12345 → October 2018
How old is my Frigidaire or Electrolux refrigerator?
- Covers:
- Frigidaire, Electrolux, Kenmore (Electrolux-built), Gibson, Kelvinator, Tappan, White-Westinghouse — they share one dating scheme.
- What the serial looks like:
- Usually two letters + digits; some 10-character serials use digit + product letter (e.g. 4A53011705). Date starts at character 3: year digit + week.
- Reading the year:
- Only the last digit of the year is encoded, so it repeats every decade (8 = 2018, 2008 or 1998) — go by when you bought the home or unit.
- How we narrow it down:
- For models with a traceable retail history, we check when the exact model was actually being sold rather than assuming the newest decade — for example, the Frigidaire FFBD2406N dishwasher shows up in retailer archives from early 2013 with no listing after 2015, which rules out a 2022 reading of that model's serial. See our full case log.
- Don’t use:
- Not the model number (mixes letters throughout, e.g. FFTR1814TW).
- Worked example:
NF81064326 → March 2018
How old is my Beko refrigerator?
- What the serial looks like:
- Some Beko refrigerators use YY-######-MM (e.g. 10-100001-05): first two digits = year; last two = month.
- Reading the year:
- This dated format gives a two-digit year and month. The year is interpreted within the last 35 years; the documented manual example 10-100001-05 means May 2010.
- Don’t use:
- Not the model number; use the value labelled Serial Number on the rating label.
- Worked example:
10-100001-05 → May 2010
How old is my Electrolux (Europe) refrigerator?
- Covers:
- Electrolux (Europe), Zanussi — they share one dating scheme.
- What the serial looks like:
- 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.
- Reading the year:
- Only the last digit of the year is encoded, so it repeats every decade (a 1 could be 2021, 2011 or 2001) — go by when you bought the home or unit.
- Don’t use:
- Not the Product Number (PNC) — a separate number on the same plate, often 9 digits starting with "9", that is not a date. Look for the field actually labelled "Serial number", not "Prod. No." or "PNC".
- Worked example:
13500016 → September 2021
How old is my Bosch refrigerator?
- Covers:
- Bosch, Thermador, Gaggenau, Siemens, Neff — they share one dating scheme.
- What the serial looks like:
- The FD number: "FD" + 4 digits (FD 0301 = Jan 2023), often with extra digits after it (FD030100233 works too)
- Don’t use:
- NOT the E-Nr — that's the model number, and it's the first thing you'll see on the tag. The date lives only in the FD number next to it.
- Worked example:
FD030100233 → January 2023
How old is my Fisher & Paykel refrigerator?
- Covers:
- Fisher & Paykel, DCS — they share one dating scheme.
- What the serial looks like:
- Two or three letters then digits — e.g. RPU766991. The first letter is the year, the second is the month.
- Reading the year:
- The year is one letter for the final digit of the year, so it repeats every 10 years (B = 2004 or 2014) — your purchase era settles it.
- Don’t use:
- Not the model or product code (E522B, RF522BLPX6, DD24DDFTX2) — that names the model line, not the build date.
- Worked example:
RPU766991 → July 2016
How old is my Midea refrigerator?
- What the serial looks like:
- 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).
- Reading the year:
- Midea encodes only the last digit of the year, so it repeats every 10 years — pick the year that matches when you bought the appliance.
- Don’t use:
- Not the model number printed elsewhere on the same label.
- Worked example:
240100007015A010120001 → October 2025
How old is my Crosley refrigerator?
- What the serial looks like:
- 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.
- Reading the year:
- Crosley is built by Whirlpool or Frigidaire depending on the appliance, each with its own dating scheme. Where a serial reads on both, the year is only reported if they agree.
- Don’t use:
- Not the model number (e.g. CAE2743BQ0, VRT21F5AW) — though it is worth entering too, since it identifies the builder.
- Worked example:
C21234567 → March 2012
Did you find this helpful?
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The Refrigerator Series
- 1How Old Is My Refrigerator? GE, Whirlpool, Samsung and Other BrandsYou’re here — the tool above.
- 2How Long Does a Refrigerator Last?What changes as it ages, and what can shorten or extend it.
- 3Should You Repair or Replace a Refrigerator?The decision, in one place — including the "is it actually broken" check.