The first three digits: year, then month
LG’s own wording, from its US support page as archived on 22 October 2026: the serial number “starts with 3 numbers (first one indicating year of manufacturing followed by 2-digits identifying the month).” LG has since replaced that page, and an LG HVAC product sheet gives the same rule for the outdoor units of its split-system air conditioners and heat pumps: the first digit is the year, the second and third the month.
| Position | Meaning | Example: 410… |
|---|---|---|
| Digit 1 | Last digit of the year | 4 → 2004, 2014 or 2024 |
| Digits 2–3 | Month, 01–12 | 10 → October |
| The rest | Production details | Not date information |
Basis: official rule (LG USA Support).
The month is simply the two digits: 01 = January through 12 = December. The year is the hard part, because LG gives only its last digit.
Which years each first digit can mean
| First digit | Possible years |
|---|---|
| 0 | 2000, 2010, 2020 |
| 1 | 2001, 2011, 2021 |
| 2 | 2002, 2012, 2022 |
| 3 | 2003, 2013, 2023 |
| 4 | 2004, 2014, 2024 |
| 5 | 2005, 2015, 2025 |
| 6 | 2006, 2016, 2026 |
| 7 | 2007, 2017 |
| 8 | 2008, 2018 |
| 9 | 2009, 2019 |
Basis: our derivation from LG’s official rule (the digit is the last digit of the year). The table shows the three decades most likely for an LG appliance on today’s used market. It isn’t an LG-published chart. Years after September 2026 aren’t listed because they haven’t happened yet.
The same rule covers LG-built Kenmore models (prefixes 795, 796 and 721). Other Kenmore prefixes were made by other companies; see the Kenmore page.
Finding LG’s silver label
LG’s model and serial label is usually a silver sticker. LG model numbers always start with a letter. The serial starts with three digits, which makes the two easy to tell apart.
- Newer LG models: upper left wall of the fresh-food section
- Most LG models: upper right wall
- LG: on the rim, trim or frame of the door opening, often at the top
- LG: under the lid, on the tub rim or the back of the opening
- LG: back of the control panel or the back panel
- LG: at the top of the door opening
- LG: side or top edge of the door, or its inside
- LG: oven frame or side trim, seen with the door open
- LG: frame of the storage drawer, with the drawer pulled out
Basis: LG's official help pages. Diagrams are simplified; your model's exact spot can differ.
| Appliance | Where LG says to look |
|---|---|
| Refrigerator | Inside the fridge on the right-hand side of the liner on most models. Newer models have it on the left-hand side of the liner |
| Front-load washer | Silver label on the front panel behind the door, near the drum opening, usually at the top |
| Top-load washer | Back panel toward the top; under the lid toward the bottom right; or the top right corner of the left side panel |
| Dryer | Silver label on the front panel behind the door, near the drum opening, usually at the top |
| Dishwasher | Right side of the door, when the door is open |
| Range or wall oven | Left side of the door or drawer; behind the oven panel headboard; left side of the bottom-drawer frame; or beneath the upper lip of the top oven with the door open |
Basis: official (LG USA Support, “How To Find My LG Model and Serial Number”).
If you’re checking a fridge and can’t see the label on one side of the liner, check the other side. LG moved it on newer models.
Reading real LG serials
Quick readings
- 301KRRELJ150: 3 = 2003, 2013 or 2023, and 01 = January. So January of one of those three years (example serial from partsdr.com’s LG guide).
- A serial starting 410: October 2014 or October 2024.
- A serial starting 802: February 2008 or February 2018.
- Kenmore model 795.7xxxxxxx, serial starting 512: the 795 prefix means LG built it, so it’s December 2015 or December 2025.
- An LG appliance built in March 2026 has a serial starting 603.
Build months confirmed by a dryer label and a CPSC recall
These are published examples, not units we inspected: a dryer label dated by electrical-forensics.com, and the serial range in a CPSC washer recall that gives the build window. The dryer’s serial starts 603, just like an LG built in March 2026, but this one dates from March 2016.
| Serial | Appliance | Code reading | Built | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 603KWWZ73713 | LG dryer, model DLEX7600WE | 6 = 2006, 2016 or 2026; 03 = March | March 2016 | electrical-forensics.com, LG date codes |
| 002KW… | LG top-load washer, model WT5001CW, WT5101HV or WT5101HW: start of the recalled serial range | 0 = 2000, 2010 or 2020; 02 = February | February 2010 | CPSC recall 13-073 (December 2012) |
| 111KW… | The same three washer models: end of the range | 1 = 2001, 2011 or 2021; 11 = November | November 2011 | CPSC recall 13-073 |
Basis: official for the washers. CPSC recall 13-073 says they were manufactured between February 2010 and November 2011, and the two ends of its serial range read as exactly those months; CPSC shows only the first five characters of each serial. The same recall lists three Kenmore Elite washer models (29002, 29272 and 29278) with serials from 005KW to 111KW. electrical-forensics.com documents the dryer’s build month. The readings are ours, from LG’s rule above.
Ten years apart: settling the decade
LG uses a one-digit year, so the cycle is only 10 years. That’s the shortest of the major brands. An LG washer starting with 4 could be two years old or twelve, and the difference matters a lot for a used purchase. LG has published the rule but no decade chart, so the decade is always an inference.
Ways to pin it down:
- Model number. Search the full model on LG’s US support site. If the model only has manuals and support pages from one period, that period settles the decade.
- Owner’s manual. A print or revision date on the manual should be near the build year.
- Purchase records. A receipt, delivery note or LG registration confirmation gives the latest possible build date. If it was bought new, a reading 10 years earlier is very unlikely.
- Another date on the label. If the label or a separate sticker shows a full manufacture date, use it. That date beats the decoded digit.
- Features and styling. A 10-year gap usually shows in the control panel, display and finish.
If you still can’t tell, contact LG support with the model and serial number.
Only once the decade is settled does the age mean much: compare it with the typical service life of refrigerators, washing machines, dryers and dishwashers. The code gives the month of manufacture only. It doesn’t show when the unit was sold or installed, or how heavily it was used. Warranty coverage is normally counted from the original purchase date, not the build date, so ask the seller for the receipt if a recent LG may still be covered.
Before you buy a used LG
- Enter the serial in the checker above.
- Check the model for safety notices with the recall check.
- Go through the used appliance buying checklist in person.
- Have an LG washer, dryer or fridge? Line it up against other brands in how old is my washer, how old is my dryer or how old is my refrigerator.
Checked against the sources below on 26 September 2026; purchase-records note corrected on 6 October 2026; the LG dryer and washer serial table on 20 October 2026.
