Samsung serial number lookup: how old is the appliance?
The serial number is on a label inside the appliance: at the upper left inside a refrigerator, or around the door of a washer or dryer. A Samsung serial has 15 characters. The eighth is the year and the ninth is the month.
Decode a Samsung serial number
How to read a Samsung serial number
Year letter and month code, characters 8 and 9
Count to the eighth character: it is the year letter. The ninth character is the month, 1 to 9 for January to September, then A, B and C for October, November and December.
Shape: fifteen letters and digits.
J0V07DDD801404K reads as August 2013.
Year letter
- R 2001, 2021
- T 2002, 2022
- W 2003, 2023
- X 2004, 2024
- Y 2005, 2025
- L 2006, 2026
- P 2007
- Q 2008
- S 2009
- Z 2010
- B 2011
- C 2012
- D 2013
- F 2014
- G 2015
- H 2016
- J 2017
- K 2018
- M 2019
- N 2020
Month code
- 1 January
- 2 February
- 3 March
- 4 April
- 5 May
- 6 June
- 7 July
- 8 August
- 9 September
- A October
- B November
- C December
The year letters repeat after 20 years. Recall notices confirm R for 2021 and T for 2022. The letters for 2023 to 2026 follow the same cycle and are not yet confirmed by a dated notice. Some Samsung models use an eleven-character serial that this decoder does not read.
Where to find the serial number
Samsung serials are long, so count the characters carefully. The date is in positions eight and nine.
| Appliance | Where the serial tag is |
|---|---|
| Refrigerator | Inside at the upper left. A second label is on the outside at the bottom left |
| Washer | Front-load: on a sticker around the front door. Top-load: inside the top lid, with a second label at the rear |
| Dryer | On a sticker around the front door |
| Dishwasher | On the top or side of the inner rim of the door, or on the inside edge of the tub |
| Range | On the right or left of the front frame, or on the left side of the storage drawer |
| Microwave | On the back, or on the door frame |
If the serial number does not decode
- Samsung does not publish this code. It comes from independent references and is checked against the serial numbers in recall notices.
- The print date in the owner’s manual or on the installation sheet shows which decade a repeating code belongs to.
- The manufacturer can confirm the date from the serial: Samsung registration, warranty or serial lookup.
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 Samsung
Samsung Electronics of South Korea builds its own appliances in plants in Korea, Thailand, China and Malaysia. Samsung also built some Maytag front-load washers in 2005 and 2006, but those carry Maytag serial numbers.
Questions and answers
Which characters in a Samsung serial number show the date?
Count to the eighth character: it is the year letter. The ninth character is the month, 1 to 9 for January to September, then A, B and C for October, November and December. This applies to units built since 2001.
The decoder shows more than one possible year. Which one is right?
Part of the Samsung 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.
Sources
- Electrical Forensics (Ray Franco, forensic engineer): Samsung date codes (independent reference): https://www.electrical-forensics.com/MajorAppliances/SamsungDateCodes.html
- Building Intelligence Center: Samsung appliance age (independent reference): https://www.building-center.org/samsung-appliances/
- CPSC recall: Samsung top-load washers sold June 2021 to December 2022, sample serials (US Consumer Product Safety Commission): https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2023/Samsung-Recalls-Top-Load-Washing-Machines-Due-to-Fire-Hazard-Software-Repair-Available
- CPSC recall: Samsung over-the-range microwaves made January to July 2009, eighth character S (US Consumer Product Safety Commission): https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2010/Samsung-Over-the-Range-Microwaves-Recalled-Due-to-Shock-Hazard-
- Samsung Canada: find the model and serial numbers for your Samsung device (manufacturer): https://www.samsung.com/ca/support/home-appliances/find-the-model-and-serial-numbers-for-your-samsung-device/
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.