How to read a Goodman serial number
Goodman’s limited warranty states the rule: “The first four digits of the serial number (YYMM) on the unit indicate the manufacture date. For example, a serial number beginning with ‘1306’ indicates the unit was manufactured in June 2013.”
| Digits | Means |
|---|---|
| 1st and 2nd | Year of manufacture (13 = 2013) |
| 3rd and 4th | Month of manufacture (01 = January to 12 = December) |
| The rest | Other production details. Goodman says the serial also helps it identify the model and many of the unit’s subcomponents |
Basis: official (Goodman limited warranties for furnaces, Part No. PWCFURNUL, and for air conditioners and heat pumps, Part No. PWCACHPCG; Goodman’s homeowner FAQ, which describes the serial number as a ten-digit code). That’s the whole Goodman serial number age rule. The checker above applies it and gives your Goodman AC age (or furnace age) in years.
Worked examples
These are the serial beginnings that Goodman, Daikin and CPSC publish. We don’t show full serial numbers, because none of these sources gives one.
| Serial begins | Reads as | Built | Where the example comes from |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1306… | 13 = 2013, 06 = June | June 2013 | Goodman limited warranty |
| 2303… | 23 = 2023, 03 = March | March 2023 | Daikin commercial warranty (DAR, DAT, DAX) |
| 0712… | 07 = 2007, 12 = December | December 2007 | CPSC recall 08-555 |
| 0801… | 08 = 2008, 01 = January | January 2008 | CPSC recall 08-555 |
| 0802… | 08 = 2008, 02 = February | February 2008 | CPSC recall 08-555 |
Basis: official. CPSC’s 2008 notice lists units with serial numbers beginning 0712, 0801 and 0802, sold from December 2007 through February 2008. Those dates fit the YYMM reading (our reading).
Year and month, not week
The second pair of digits is the month, not a week of the year. Goodman’s warranty says month, and its own example only works that way: read as a week, 1306 would point to early February 2013, not June. Daikin’s warranties use the same wording.
Where the serial number is
| Unit | Where to look |
|---|---|
| Goodman AC or heat pump (outdoor unit) | On the rating plate, “generally found slightly above the refrigerant valves on the back side of the unit” (Goodman) |
| Package unit (heating and cooling in one outdoor cabinet) | On the serial plate “attached to the control compartment door on the front of the unit” (CPSC 2008, for the recalled Goodman package units) |
| Furnace or air handler | On the inner wall of the cabinet, according to Goodman’s heating FAQ, which says a dealer should be involved in reaching it. More on plate locations: how old is my AC or furnace? |
Basis: official (Goodman cooling and heating FAQs; CPSC 08-555). The outdoor plate is on the outside of the cabinet; don’t open the electrical panel to look for it.
You may not need to look at the unit at all. Goodman says many dealers attach the “traveler label” from the shipping box to the paperwork they give the homeowner, and that label carries the serial number. Your installing dealer can also help you find it.
Amana HVAC and Daikin units use the same rule
Goodman-family warranties for other brands state the same YYMM rule:
- Amana heating and cooling: an Amana-brand limited warranty issued by Goodman Company (models APG14M and APU14M) says a serial “beginning with ‘2002’ indicates the unit was manufactured in February 2020.” So the Amana HVAC serial number reads exactly like Goodman’s.
- Daikin: Daikin’s US warranties use the same sentence: its residential air conditioner, heat pump and furnace warranties, and its commercial warranty (example 2303 = March 2023). So a Daikin serial number lookup for a US ducted central unit works the same way in the checker above.
Basis: official (Amana-brand and Daikin warranties). Amana-brand kitchen and laundry appliances are a different product line with different codes: see Amana appliance serial number lookup.
What this rule doesn’t cover
- Older Amana units. An Energy Trust of Oregon reference lists a letter code for older Amana air conditioners (the “BLACKHORSE” code), in which each letter stands for more than one year. The checker doesn’t decode it. Use a date printed on the plate or ask a technician.
- Daikin ductless and VRV systems. Daikin’s VRV LIFE warranty repeats the YYMM sentence, but we haven’t confirmed that VRV or ductless (mini-split) serials follow it in practice, and we found no Daikin document for the ductless line. The checker doesn’t read them. Use the plate date or ask Daikin.
- Warranty status. The serial gives the build date only. For coverage, use Goodman’s official Warranty Lookup.
How long a Goodman AC or furnace lasts
The brand doesn’t change the basic picture. ENERGY STAR suggests considering a replacement when a heat pump or air conditioner is more than 10 years old, or a furnace more than 15. Published lifespan ranges for each type, by source, are on our hub: how old is my AC or furnace?
Age alone doesn’t decide a repair. For a diagnosis or a replacement quote, hire a licensed HVAC technician; don’t attempt gas, refrigerant or electrical work yourself.
Recalls to know about
CPSC’s 2008 Goodman recall (08-555, April 3, 2008) covered about 1,000 single package gas-electric heating and cooling units. Models GPG13480901AC, GPG13481151AC, GPG13600901BB, GPG13601151BB and GPG13601401BB with serial numbers beginning 0712, 0801 or 0802 were affected. CPSC: “The serial plates on the units contain inaccurate information that could result in the use of undersized installation wiring, posing a fire hazard.” No incidents were reported, and the remedy was a free replacement serial plate and wiring inspection. Read the CPSC notice.
CPSC has since listed newer recalls by the same company, now named Daikin Comfort Technologies Manufacturing (formerly Goodman Manufacturing Company L.P.):
| Recall | Products | How CPSC says to identify them |
|---|---|---|
| 24-080 (Jan 2024) | Evaporator coil drain pans (expanded recall) | This expansion: coil serial prefixes 1901 through 2101, and certain prefixes 1811–1812. It expands earlier recalls from November 2021 and July 2022 |
| 24-260 (Jun 2024) | Amana, Daikin and Goodman packaged AC and heat pump units, sold January to March 2024 | Check goodmanmfg.com/package-recall using the model number on the outside panel |
| 24-286 (Jun 2024) | Daikin FIT, Amana S-series and Goodman SD heat pumps | Listed model numbers, on the serial plate on the side of the unit |
Basis: official (CPSC notices in the sources). Confirm the exact models on each notice before acting. The 24-080 notice also shows that a serial can be wrong: CPSC says some coils built between January 2019 and February 2020 “were incorrectly marked with a 2018 serial number.”
Our recall check covers appliances and water heaters only; it doesn’t check HVAC equipment yet.
Limitations
- The serial gives the month the unit was built, not the installation date. Goodman’s warranty assumes installation three months after the manufacture date when the real date can’t be verified.
- A split system has two serial numbers, indoor and outdoor, and they can differ. Check both.
- Rare marking errors happen, as the 24-080 recall shows. If the age looks wrong for the unit, ask Goodman or a technician.
Checked against the sources below on 14 October 2026.
