Whirlpool serial number lookup: how old is the appliance?
The serial number is on a tag inside the appliance: on the wall of the fresh-food compartment of a refrigerator, or on the rim of the door opening of a washer, dryer or dishwasher. In a Whirlpool serial the second character is the year and the two digits after it are the week.
Decode a Whirlpool serial number
How to read a Whirlpool serial number
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.
C60842986 reads as week 8 of 2016 (around February).
Year code
- 0 2010
- 1 2011
- 2 2012
- 3 2013
- 4 2014
- 5 2015
- 6 2016
- 7 2017
- 8 2018
- 9 2019
- X 1990, 2020
- A 1991, 2021
- B 1992, 2022
- C 1993, 2023
- D 1994, 2024
- E 1995, 2025
- F 1996, 2026
- G 1997
- H 1998
- J 1999
- K 2000
- L 2001
- M 2002
- P 2003
- R 2004
- S 2005
- T 2006
- U 2007
- W 2008
- Y 2009
The letters X and A to J are reused after 30 years, so they fit the 1990s and the 2020s. Digits stand for 2010 to 2019. Several websites print this table shifted by one year. Recall notices settle it: serials with R were sold in 2004 and serials with W and Y in 2008 and 2009.
Where to find the serial number
Whirlpool puts the model and serial tag where it can be read without moving the appliance.
| Appliance | Where the serial tag is |
|---|---|
| Refrigerator | Inside the fresh-food compartment: on the left wall of top-freezer, bottom-freezer and French-door models, on the right wall of side-by-side models |
| Freezer | Upright: right-hand side near the top. Chest: left interior side wall |
| Washer | Front-load: on the rim of the door opening. Top-load: under the lid, on the rim of the tub |
| Dryer | On the rim of the door opening |
| Dishwasher | On the left side of the tub frame, visible with the door open |
| Range | On the oven frame or on the frame of the storage drawer |
| Built-in oven | At the top of the oven cavity |
| Microwave | Over-the-range: on the front frame, visible with the door open. Built-in: under the control panel on the right |
If the serial number does not decode
- A digit as the year code means 2010 to 2019 in this layout. Whirlpool also used digits in the 1970s and 1980s, in a layout the decoder does not cover.
- A serial with two letters before the year code comes from a unit another company built for Whirlpool, such as some microwaves. The decoder does not read those.
- 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 Whirlpool
Whirlpool Corporation of Benton Harbor, Michigan builds major appliances under the Whirlpool, Maytag, KitchenAid, Amana and JennAir names. Whirlpool-brand water heaters are a separate business, built by the American Water Heater Company under licence.
Brands that share this serial system: KitchenAid, Maytag, Amana, Kenmore.
Questions and answers
Which characters in a Whirlpool 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 1990.
The decoder shows more than one possible year. Which one is right?
Part of the Whirlpool 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.
Is the letter R 2004 or 2005?
R is 2004. Several websites print the Whirlpool year table one year late for 1999 to 2009. Recall notices settle it: Whirlpool ovens with serials from R15 to R25 were sold from April to July 2004, and dishwashers with W39 to W52 followed by Y01 onward were built in 2008 and 2009.
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/
- Whirlpool: where is my model and serial number located? (manufacturer): https://producthelp.whirlpool.com/FAQ/Where_is_my_Model_and_Serial_Number_Located%3F
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.