Bosch prints three numbers, not two
Most brands give you a model number and a serial number. Bosch rating plates carry three, each with a German abbreviation, and only one of them holds the date.
| On the plate | Stands for | What it is | Use it for |
|---|---|---|---|
| E-Nr | Erzeugnisnummer (product number) | The model number, including any digits after the slash | Parts, manuals, spec sheets, recall notices |
| FD | Fertigungsnummer (production number) | Four digits that work as the production date (year, then month) | Working out how old the appliance is |
| Z-Nr | Zählnummer (counting number) | The serial number of your individual unit | Registration, service records, warranty |
Basis: official (Bosch’s own product-number and production-number documentation).
This is the single thing that trips people up on a Bosch. If you type the long serial number into an age decoder, you get nothing useful, because the date is in the FD number. The checker above expects the FD number for Bosch.
Step 1: Find the rating plate
The rating plate is a sticker on the appliance itself. On some models the details are printed on the top edge or the outer rim rather than on a separate label.
- Bosch: side or top edge of the door, or its inside
- On the rim, trim or frame of the door opening, often at the top
- Outside, lower right front corner
- Upper left wall of the fresh-food section
- Upper right wall
- Ceiling of the fresh-food section
- Beside, behind or under the crisper drawers
- Outside, low on the front
- Oven frame or side trim, seen with the door open
- Frame of the storage drawer, with the drawer pulled out
- Under the cooktop or behind the control panel on some models
Basis: Official manufacturer help pages (Whirlpool, Maytag, KitchenAid, GE, LG, Samsung, Frigidaire, Bosch) and Sears PartsDirect for Kenmore. Diagrams are simplified; your model's exact spot can differ.
| Appliance | Where Bosch says to look |
|---|---|
| Dishwasher | On the top or side rim of the door, visible when the door is open |
| Washer or dryer | On the inner rim of the door, visible when the door is open |
| Oven | On a label on the outer rim of the oven opening, visible when the door is open |
| Refrigerator | Inside the fridge, visible when the bottom salad drawer is pulled out |
| Cooktop | On the data label underneath the unit |
Basis: official (Bosch’s serial-number finder and its “where to find the model number” pages). Bosch’s finder is interactive and steps through each appliance category, so check it for your exact model.
Step 2: Read the FD number
Find FD followed by four digits. It may be printed as FD 9111, FD9111 or FD: 9111, sometimes followed by a longer run number.
- First two digits = the year. Add 1920. So 91 is 2011, 86 is 2006, 96 is 2016.
- Last two digits = the month, 01 to 12.
- If step 1 lands before 1970, the code has wrapped. Add another 100. So 03 gives 1923, which is impossible, and therefore means 2023.
FD year codes
| Code | Year | Code | Year | Code | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 80 | 2000 | 90 | 2010 | 00 | 2020 |
| 81 | 2001 | 91 | 2011 | 01 | 2021 |
| 82 | 2002 | 92 | 2012 | 02 | 2022 |
| 83 | 2003 | 93 | 2013 | 03 | 2023 |
| 84 | 2004 | 94 | 2014 | 04 | 2024 |
| 85 | 2005 | 95 | 2015 | 05 | 2025 |
| 86 | 2006 | 96 | 2016 | 06 | 2026 |
| 87 | 2007 | 97 | 2017 | ||
| 88 | 2008 | 98 | 2018 | ||
| 89 | 2009 | 99 | 2019 |
Codes 50 to 79 run back the same way: 50 is 1970, 60 is 1980, 70 is 1990, 79 is 1999.
Basis: electrical-forensics.com’s Bosch date-code table and Tab-TV’s FD chart, cross-checked against the documented examples below. Bosch’s own documentation says where the FD number is, but does not publish a conversion table, so treat the 2020-onward rows as likely rather than certain.
Worked examples
| FD number | Working | Decodes to | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| FD 9111 | 91 + 1920 = 2011; 11 = November | November 2011 | documented unit (electrical-forensics.com) |
| FD 0301 | 03 + 1920 = 1923, before 1970, so + 100 = 2023; 01 = January | January 2023 | chart value (Tab-TV) |
| FD 8605 | 86 + 1920 = 2006; 05 = May | May 2006 | illustrative, by the rule |
| FD 9612 | 96 + 1920 = 2016; 12 = December | December 2016 | illustrative, by the rule |
Unlike most brands, a Bosch FD number is not ambiguous. Each four-digit code maps to one month in the 1970–2029 window, so there is no decade problem to resolve, which is why the checker returns one date for a Bosch rather than a list. (The checker treats readings more than 45 years old as implausible for an appliance still in use.)
Where sources disagree
Some decoder sites publish a different scheme, reading the first two digits as a plain year so that 91 means 1991 and 21 means 2021. That reading fails against the documented unit above: it would make the FD 9111 appliance a 1991 unit rather than the 2011 one it is.
We use the +1920 rule because it matches every documented example we have. If you find a Bosch whose FD number contradicts it, tell us — corrections go in the log on the methodology page.
Real FD numbers, decoded
CPSC’s 2009 recall of Bosch and Siemens dishwashers lists FD ranges and says when those units were made. That lets the +1920 rule be checked against an official record, not just a decoder chart.
| FD number | Appliance | How it reads | Built | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FD 7905 | Bosch dishwasher, model (E-Nr) starting SHU33: the earliest FD number in the recall | First two digits 79 + 1920 = 1999; last two digits 05 = May | May 1999 | CPSC recall 09-100 (January 2009) |
| FD 8507 | Bosch dishwasher from the same recall: the latest FD number it lists | First two digits 85 + 1920 = 2005; last two digits 07 = July | July 2005 | CPSC recall 09-100 |
Basis: official (CPSC recall 09-100 says the recalled dishwashers were manufactured from May 1999 through July 2005); the FD reading is ours. Read as plain years, 79 and 85 would give 1979 and 1985, each 20 years before the matching date in CPSC’s window.
The other BSH brands
Bosch home appliances are made by BSH Hausgeräte, which also owns Thermador, Gaggenau, Siemens and Neff. Independent repair references say Siemens, Neff and Gaggenau use the same FD code. We have not found a source confirming Thermador’s plates, so treat a Thermador reading as likely rather than certain. In the checker, choose “Bosch / Thermador” for any of them.
What the age means for a used Bosch
Once you have a year, compare it against typical service life for dishwashers, washers, refrigerators or ranges. Two Bosch-specific points:
- Use the E-Nr for everything except the date. Parts catalogues, manuals and recall notices are all organised by E-Nr, including the version digits after the slash.
- Check recalls with the E-Nr, not the FD. Run it through our recall check, then confirm on the official notice at CPSC.gov. Recall notices normally name affected model numbers plus a production-date or serial range, so having the FD number to hand helps you tell whether your unit falls inside it.
Limitations
- Bosch publishes where the FD number is and what it represents, but not a public year-conversion table. The table above comes from independent references that agree with documented units.
- The 2020-onward readings (codes 00 and up) rest on fewer documented examples than the earlier ones. The checker marks these as medium confidence.
- Rating-plate positions vary by model and production year. Bosch’s own finder is the authority for your specific appliance.
- The FD number is the production date, not the purchase or installation date.
Next steps
- Enter the FD number in the checker above, with the brand set to Bosch / Thermador.
- Not sure which number is which? Appliance model number lookup explains E-Nr, FD and Z-Nr against the usual model and serial.
- Run a recall check with the E-Nr.
- Buying used? Used appliance buying checklist.
- Comparing a Bosch dishwasher with other brands? See how old is my dishwasher in the dishwasher lifespan guide.
Checked against the sources below on 26 September 2026; the real-serial table on 20 October 2026.
