Where the serial number is on a GE appliance
GE puts the model and serial on one tag. The position varies more than it does on most brands, so GE lists several possible spots for each product type.
- GE: ceiling of the fresh-food section
- GE: beside, behind or under the crisper drawers
- Some GE models: outside, on the bottom front edge
- GE: on the rim, trim or frame of the door opening, often at the top
- Some GE models: outside, lower right front corner
- GE: under the lid, near the right hinge
- GE: back of the control panel or the back panel
- Some GE models: outside, lower corner of the cabinet
- GE: left or right side of the drum opening
- GE: left edge of the tub frame
- GE: right edge of the tub frame
- GE: side or top edge of the door, or its inside
- GE: oven frame or side trim, seen with the door open
- GE: frame of the storage drawer, with the drawer pulled out
- GE: under the cooktop or behind the control panel on some models
Basis: GE's official help pages. Diagrams are simplified; your model's exact spot can differ.
| Appliance | Where GE says the tag can be |
|---|---|
| Top-freezer fridge | Fresh-food section, left wall near the top; left or right wall near the crisper drawer; freezer ceiling near the front; near the temperature controls; behind the crisper drawers; bottom front edge |
| Bottom-freezer fridge | Fresh-food section, left or right wall near the top; or the freezer section’s left or right wall |
| Side-by-side fridge | Fresh-food floor (remove the crispers); behind the crispers; left or right wall near the crispers or near the top; fresh-food ceiling |
| Top-load washer | Under the lid near the right hinge; back of the control panel; exterior bottom-left corner; exterior back near the water inlets |
| Front-load washer | Inside the door panel on the wash compartment face; exterior right side, lower front corner |
| Dryer | Inside front face of the drum opening, left or right side, with the door open |
| Dishwasher | Left or right front inside edge of the tub; right side edge of the door |
| Range | Front frame behind the oven door; under the front control panel; behind the rear control panel (gas, a metal flag); under the left front coil (electric); under a lift-up cooktop; left leg behind the drawer or kick panel; front frame inside the drawer |
Basis: official (GE Appliances Model and Serial Number Locator pages).
Two tips from GE:
- GE and GE Profile model numbers always begin and end with a letter. That helps you tell the model line from the serial line.
- Newer tags may carry a QR code that opens that product’s information on your phone.
How to read the date
Look only at the first two letters of the serial:
- 1st letter = month
- 2nd letter = year
Both use the same 12 letters.
| Letter | As 1st letter (month) | As 2nd letter (year) |
|---|---|---|
| A | January | 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013, 2025 |
| D | February | 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014, 2026 |
| F | March | 1979, 1991, 2003, 2015 |
| G | April | 1980, 1992, 2004, 2016 |
| H | May | 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017 |
| L | June | 1982, 1994, 2006, 2018 |
| M | July | 1983, 1995, 2007, 2019 |
| R | August | 1984, 1996, 2008, 2020 |
| S | September | 1985, 1997, 2009, 2021 |
| T | October | 1986, 1998, 2010, 2022 |
| V | November | 1987, 1999, 2011, 2023 |
| Z | December | 1988, 2000, 2012, 2024 |
Basis: official (GE, “How to Determine the Age or Manufacture Date”; the Café page carries the same chart). GE’s chart also lists 1970–1976 for L through Z on the same 12-year cycle, plus some earlier years. They’re left out here because they don’t apply to appliances still in use.
The rest of the serial (six digits and a trailing letter) is a production sequence. It doesn’t carry date information.
Worked examples
- LR821547C: L = June, R = 2008 or 2020. On a current-style unit that’s June 2020.
- RL059433C: R = August, L = 2006 or 2018, so most likely August 2018.
- ZR525322 (GE refrigerator TBX22PAYARBB): Z = December, R = 1996, 2008 or 2020. electrical-forensics.com documents this unit as December 1996, a reminder that the most recent reading isn’t always right.
- GE’s own example: a serial beginning GA was built in April 2001 or April 2013. Under the current chart it could also be April 2025.
- A GE appliance built in September 2026 starts SD.
Examples 1–3 are real units documented by electrical-forensics.com. Each is decoded with GE’s chart.
GE and Hotpoint serials with known build dates
These are published examples, not units we inspected: three labels that electrical-forensics.com shows in photos and dates, and the first and last serials in a CPSC recall that says when the ranges were made. The dishwasher’s serial, RL778860B, starts RL like RL059433C above (August 2018), yet it was built in August 1994, two 12-year cycles earlier.
| Serial | Appliance | Code reading | Built | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RL778860B | GE dishwasher, model GSD700T-62BA | R = August; L = 1982, 1994, 2006 or 2018 | August 1994 | electrical-forensics.com, GE date codes |
| LV227019H | Hotpoint dryer, model NVLR333EV0WW | L = June; V = 1987, 1999, 2011 or 2023 | June 1999 | electrical-forensics.com, GE date codes |
| RD166115R | Hotpoint range, model RB526C3WW | R = August; D = 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014 or 2026 | August 2002 | electrical-forensics.com, GE date codes |
| TH 212588 | GE Monogram Professional gas range (four ZDP36 and ZDP48 models): the first serial CPSC lists | T = October; H = 1981, 1993, 2005 or 2017 | October 2005 | CPSC recall 07-555 (June 2007) |
| HL 203252 | The same recall’s last serial | H = May; L = 1982, 1994, 2006 or 2018 | May 2006 | CPSC recall 07-555 |
Basis: official for the two Monogram rows. CPSC recall 07-555 says those ranges were manufactured from October 2005 through May 16, 2006, and its eight serial letter pairs, TH to HL, match the eight months from October 2005 to May 2006 in GE’s chart; CPSC prints each serial as letters plus a number. electrical-forensics.com documents the three labels and their build dates. The letter readings are ours. On every row the checker shows the newest match first (August 2026 for the Hotpoint range), so settle the cycle as the next section explains.
The decade problem and how to settle it
A 12-year cycle means a working appliance can often match two dates, for example 2013 or 2025. GE’s own advice: most owner’s manuals show a print date on the front or back page. It “may not exactly match” the serial date, but if it’s close, you’ve picked the right cycle.
Other ways to decide:
- Model number era. Look the model up on GE’s support site. A model with current manuals and parts isn’t from the older cycle.
- Paperwork. A receipt, delivery note or registration email shows the unit was built on or before its date, so a later reading is out. If it was bought new, the reading 12 years earlier is very unlikely.
- Design. Controls, finish and features differ a lot across 12 years.
Why the date matters for warranty
GE says it uses the build date when there’s no receipt. Its “Warranty Begins” page, as of September 2026, says: “When proof of purchase or ownership is not available, the manufacturing date of the appliance will be used to determine the age of the appliance and warranty period of an appliance.”
If you’re buying a nearly new GE appliance without a receipt, the serial date is therefore the date GE would work from. Confirm current terms with GE before you rely on remaining coverage.
GE isn’t the only maker that does this. LG’s US refrigerator warranty starts 90 days after the manufacture date when there’s no valid proof of purchase. Some water heater makers work from the build date too: Rheem bases its warranty on the date of manufacture, and Bradford White starts coverage three months after manufacture when there’s no proof of installation.
What the age means for a used purchase
Once you have the year, compare it with typical lifespans:
For a GE range, use the repair or replace calculator together with the build date.
Limitations
- The chart covers GE Appliances products: GE, GE Profile, Café, Monogram and Hotpoint. Haier-branded products, and some products GE sources from other manufacturers, may use different codes.
- Kenmore units with the 363 model prefix were built by GE and use this chart. Other Kenmore prefixes don’t; see the Kenmore page.
- The build date doesn’t tell you how much the unit has been used, how it was maintained or whether it has been repaired.
Next steps
- Enter the serial in the checker above.
- Check for open recalls with the recall check.
- Use the used appliance buying checklist to inspect the unit itself.
- A GE dishwasher, washer or dryer? Compare it with other brands in how old is my dishwasher, how old is my washer and how old is my dryer; fridges from the other big brands are in how old is my refrigerator.
Checked against the sources below on 26 September 2026; warranty and paperwork notes on 6 October 2026; the table of dated GE and Hotpoint serials on 20 October 2026.
