Amana serial number lookup: how old is the appliance?

The serial number is on a tag inside the appliance. Amana has had three owners and three codes. A serial of ten digits starts with the year and the month. A serial that ends in two letters is the Maytag code. A serial that starts with a letter is the Whirlpool code used since 2006.

Decode an Amana serial number

How to read an Amana serial number

Amana has used 3 serial formats. Find the one that matches the shape of your serial.

Built since 2006

Plant letter, year code, then week

The first letter is the plant. The second character is the year, as a letter or a digit. The two digits after it are the week.

Shape: a letter, a letter or digit, then seven or eight digits.

Mplant4year48week19595

Example: serial M44819595 reads as week 48 of 2014 (around November).

Year code

0 2010
1 2011
2 2012
3 2013
4 2014
5 2015
6 2016
7 2017
8 2018
9 2019
X 2020
A 2021
B 2022
C 2023
D 2024
E 2025
F 2026
T 2006
U 2007
W 2008
Y 2009

Whirlpool moved the Maytag plants to this layout one at a time after buying the company in 2006. The first confirmed unit is a dishwasher from week 39 of 2008.

Built until 2008

Year letter and month letter at the end

Only the last two characters are letters. The first of them is the year and the second is the month.

Shape: six to eight digits followed by two letters.

12772864EyearLmonth

Example: serial 12772864EL reads as June 2004. The same code also fits 1980.

Year letter

H 1969, 1993
K 1970, 1994
M 1971, 1995
Q 1972, 1996
S 1973, 1997
U 1974, 1998
W 1975, 1999
Y 1976, 2000
Z 1977, 2001
A 1978, 2002
C 1979, 2003
E 1980, 2004
G 1981, 2005
J 1982, 2006
L 1983, 2007
N 1984, 2008
P 1985
R 1986
T 1987
V 1988
X 1989
B 1990
D 1991
F 1992

Month letter (two letters for each month)

A January
B January
C February
D February
E March
F March
G April
H April
J May
K May
L June
M June
N July
Q July
P August
S August
R September
U September
T October
W October
V November
Y November
X December
Z December

The year letters repeat every 24 years, so most of them fit two years. Several websites say this code ended in 2006 or 2007. Recall notices show it on Maytag dishwashers built as late as September 2008.

Built until about 2001

Ten digits: year, then month

The first two digits are the year and the next two are the month.

Shape: ten digits with no letters.

94year09month156208

Example: serial 9409156208 reads as September 1994.

One reference calls the third and fourth digits the week. The dates in the 1995 notice fit a month: units made from April 1993 carry serials from 9304.

Where to find the serial number

Amana appliances built since 2006 use Whirlpool’s tag positions.

Appliance	Where the serial tag is
Refrigerator	Inside the fresh-food compartment on a side wall. Older models: top middle or upper left of the liner
Dishwasher	On the tub frame. Older plastic-tub models: inside the tub near the left of the door opening
Gas range	On the left or right side wall of the storage drawer

If the serial number does not decode

Amana appliances were built in Amana, Iowa until Maytag took over the business in 2001 and 2002. Whirlpool has owned it since 2006. Amana heating and cooling equipment is a different business, built by Goodman, with its own serial code.
Do not read a serial that ends in two letters with the Whirlpool year table. It is the Maytag code.
Amana-brand microwaves and some other products were built by other companies. Their serials are not covered here.
The print date in the owner’s manual or on the installation sheet shows which decade a repeating code belongs to.

What the age tells you

Equipment	Typical service life
Refrigerator	12 to 14 years
Clothes washer	10 to 13 years
Clothes dryer	13 to 14 years
Dishwasher	9 to 15 years
Range or oven	13 to 17 years

About Amana

Amana began in Amana, Iowa in 1934 and was owned by Raytheon from 1965. Goodman bought the company in 1997, kept the heating and cooling side and passed the appliance side to Maytag in 2001 and 2002. The appliances went to Whirlpool with Maytag in 2006. The two businesses use unrelated serial codes.

Brands that share this serial system: Maytag, Whirlpool.

Questions and answers

Which characters in an Amana serial number show the date?

The first letter is the plant. The second character is the year, as a letter or a digit. The two digits after it are the week. This applies to units built since 2006.

Why does my Amana serial number look different?

Amana has used 3 serial formats: plant letter, year code, then week (built since 2006); year letter and month letter at the end (built until 2008); ten digits: year, then month (built until about 2001). The decoder tries each one.

The decoder shows more than one possible year. Which one is right?

Part of the Amana date code repeats, so the serial alone fits more than one year. A manufacture date printed on the rating plate, the print date of the owner’s manual or the installation record settles it. For equipment that is still running, the more recent year is usually the right one.

Who makes Amana appliances?

Amana appliances were built in Amana, Iowa until Maytag took over the business in 2001 and 2002. Whirlpool has owned it since 2006. Amana heating and cooling equipment is a different business, built by Goodman, with its own serial code.

How do I tell the two layouts apart?

Look at where the letters are. A serial that ends in two letters is the older Maytag layout: the first of the two letters is the year and the second is the month. A serial that starts with a letter is the Whirlpool layout: the second character is the year and the next two digits are the week. Both were in use from 2006 to 2008.

Sources

Electrical Forensics (Ray Franco, forensic engineer): Whirlpool date codes (independent reference): https://www.electrical-forensics.com/MajorAppliances/WhirlpoolDateCodes.html
CPSC recall: Whirlpool and Kenmore dishwashers sold June 2004 to January 2005, serials from FR22 (US Consumer Product Safety Commission): https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2005/CPSC-Whirlpool-Corporation-Announce-Recall-of-Dishwashers
CPSC recall: Whirlpool and Kenmore washers and dryers sold January 2000 to May 2002, serials starting MK, ML or MM (US Consumer Product Safety Commission): https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2002/cpsc-whirlpool-announce-recall-of-washer-and-gas-dryer-units
CPSC recall: Maytag, Amana and Jenn-Air dishwashers sold 2006 to 2010, serial codes by build date (US Consumer Product Safety Commission): https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2010/Maytag-Recalls-Dishwashers-Due-to-Fire-Hazard
Building Intelligence Center: Whirlpool appliance age (independent reference): https://www.building-center.org/whirlpool-appliances/
Electrical Forensics (Ray Franco, forensic engineer): Maytag date codes (independent reference): https://www.electrical-forensics.com/MajorAppliances/MaytagDateCodes.html
CPSC recall: Maytag and Jenn-Air dishwashers sold July 1997 to June 2001, serial endings SM to YZ (US Consumer Product Safety Commission): https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2007/Maytag-Recalls-Dishwashers-Due-to-Fire-Hazard
CPSC recall: Maytag washers sold April and May 2005, serials ending GA to GJ (US Consumer Product Safety Commission): https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2005/CPSC-Maytag-Corp-Announce-Recall-of-Washing-Machines
Building Intelligence Center: Maytag appliance age (independent reference): https://www.building-center.org/maytag-appliances/
CPSC notice: Amana refrigerators made April 1993 to September 1994, serials 9304000000 to 9409156208 (US Consumer Product Safety Commission): https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/1995/CPSC-And-Amana-Work-To-Fix-Refrigerator-Shock-Hazard
CPSC recall: Amana gas ranges sold May 2000 to July 2001, serials starting 0005 to 0107 (US Consumer Product Safety Commission): https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2001/CPSC-Maytag-Corp-Announce-Recall-to-Repair-of-Amana-Gas-Ranges
Building Intelligence Center: Amana appliance age (independent reference): https://www.building-center.org/amana/

Formats last checked against these sources on October 5, 2026. Found a serial that does not fit? Send a correction. How formats are verified: method and sources.