How old is my Maytag washer or dryer?
Find the serial number on the label, then read it with one of Maytag’s two formats. Newer machines use Whirlpool’s code: one or two plant letters, then a year character and a two-digit week. Older Maytag-era machines end in two letters: the year, then the month. Step 1 below shows how to tell them apart.
| Laundry appliance | Where Maytag says the label is |
|---|---|
| Top-load washer | Beneath the washer lid, on the tub rim |
| Front-load washer | Inside the washer door, on the rim of the opening |
| Dryer | Inside the dryer door, on the rim of the opening |
| Ventless dryer | Behind the water tank |
| All-in-one washer/dryer | On the door frame, just inside the door |
| Stacked laundry | On the inside of the dryer door |
- Maytag: under the lid, on the tub rim or the back of the opening
- Maytag: on the rim, trim or frame of the door opening, often at the top
- Maytag: rim of the door opening, often at the top
- Ventless Maytag dryers: behind the water tank
Basis: Maytag's official help pages. Diagrams are simplified; your model's exact spot can differ.
Basis: official (Maytag Product Help, “Where is my Model and Serial Number Located?”). On the MAH9700 and MAH8700 front-load washers in CPSC’s 2005 and 2007 recalls, CPSC puts the tag at the bottom of the door opening, below the rubber boot.
Worked laundry examples
| Unit | Serial | Format | Reads as |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maytag front-load washer, model MAH9700 | 10188468GA to 11683946GJ | Legacy | G = 2005 (or 1981); A = January, J = May, so January to May 2005 |
| Maytag dryer, model MED7230HW0 | MX06404786 | Modern | X = 2020, week 06: February 2020 |
| Admiral dryer (an old Maytag brand), model AED4675YQ1 | M44819595 | Modern | 4 = 2014, week 48: late November 2014 |
Basis: official (CPSC recalls 05-280 and 07-135) for the washer; electrical-forensics.com documents the two dryers. The washer serials are the first and last in the range covered by recall 05-280, for washers sold in April and May 2005. CPSC’s 2007 recall of MAH9700 and MAH8700 washers (07-135) lists serials ending GA to GX as 2005 models and JA to JN as 2006 models, which matches the legacy table below.
We haven’t found a documented modern-format Maytag washer serial. electrical-forensics’ Whirlpool table uses the same code for washers, dryers and refrigerators, so a modern Maytag washer reads like the two dryers above.
Where the serial number is on other Maytag appliances
| Appliance | Where Maytag says to look |
|---|---|
| Top-freezer, bottom-freezer or French-door fridge | Inside the refrigerator compartment, left-hand side |
| Side-by-side fridge | Inside the refrigerator compartment, right-hand side |
| Built-in dishwasher | Left side of the tub frame |
| Gas or electric range | On the oven frame or the storage-drawer frame |
| Commercial-style range | Ceiling of the oven cavity |
| Wall oven | Top of the oven cavity |
| Cooktop | Rating plate on the underside of the cooktop |
- Maytag: upper left wall of the fresh-food section
- Maytag side-by-side models: upper right wall
- Maytag: left edge of the tub frame
- Maytag: oven frame or side trim, seen with the door open
- Maytag: frame of the storage drawer, with the drawer pulled out
- Maytag cooktops: on the underside
Basis: Maytag's official help pages. Diagrams are simplified; your model's exact spot can differ.
Basis: official (Maytag Product Help, “Where is my Model and Serial Number Located?”). Older Maytag-era units may differ; the owner’s manual for the model shows the exact spot.
Step 1: Which format do you have?
Whirlpool bought Maytag in 2006 and phased out Maytag’s own date code. Units built from about 2006 to 2014 can carry either format. Tell them apart by the pattern, not by the brand name:
| What the serial looks like | Format | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Starts with a letter; the 2nd (sometimes 3rd) character is a letter or digit, followed by two digits that form a real week (01–53) | Modern (Whirlpool code) | MX06404786 |
| Mostly digits and ends in two letters | Legacy Maytag code | 16240783NR |
The legacy code was also used on other brands of the old Maytag group, including Amana, JennAir, Admiral, Magic Chef, Norge and Crosley.
Step 2a: Decode a modern Maytag serial
Read the year character right after the plant letter(s), then the two-digit week.
| Decade | Year codes |
|---|---|
| 2020s | X = 2020, A = 2021, B = 2022, C = 2023, D = 2024, E = 2025, F = 2026 |
| 2010s | Digits 0–9 = last digit of the year (0 = 2010 … 9 = 2019) |
| 2000s | K = 2000, L = 2001, M = 2002, P = 2003, R = 2004, S = 2005, T = 2006, U = 2007, W = 2008, Y = 2009 |
| 1990s | X = 1990, A = 1991, B = 1992, C = 1993, D = 1994, E = 1995, F = 1996, G = 1997, H = 1998, J = 1999 |
Basis: electrical-forensics.com’s Whirlpool date-code table, cross-checked against other independent references. The Whirlpool page explains the position rules in more detail.
Example: Maytag dryer, model MED7230HW0, serial MX06404786. M is the plant, X is the year and 06 is the week. That’s early February 2020 (X can’t be 1990 on a current-generation model).
Step 2b: Decode a legacy Maytag serial
Take the last two letters. The first is the year and the second is the month.
Maytag serial number chart: legacy year letters (24-year cycle)
| Letter | Years | Letter | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| B | 1966, 1990, 2014 | E | 1980, 2004 |
| D | 1967, 1991 | G | 1981, 2005 |
| F | 1968, 1992 | J | 1982, 2006 |
| H | 1969, 1993 | L | 1983, 2007 |
| K | 1970, 1994 | N | 1984, 2008 |
| M | 1971, 1995 | P | 1985, 2009 |
| Q | 1972, 1996 | R | 1986, 2010 |
| S | 1973, 1997 | T | 1987, 2011 |
| U | 1974, 1998 | V | 1988, 2012 |
| W | 1975, 1999 | X | 1989, 2013 |
| Y | 1976, 2000 | ||
| Z | 1977, 2001 | ||
| A | 1978, 2002 | ||
| C | 1979, 2003 |
Maytag serial number chart: legacy month letters (two per month)
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A/B | C/D | E/F | G/H | J/K | L/M | N/Q | P/S | R/U | T/W | V/Y | X/Z |
Basis: electrical-forensics.com’s Maytag date-code tables. Hunker independently describes the same 24-letter cycle (no I or O), including B = 1966/1990/2014. Every letter except I and O is used.
Legacy examples
- Amana dryer 12772864EL: E = 2004, L = June → June 2004
- JennAir range 16240783NR: N = 2008, R = September → September 2008. This is a Maytag-group unit built after the Whirlpool takeover that still uses the legacy code.
- JennAir range 17657865KM: K = 1994, M = June → June 1994
- JennAir double oven 12150883QY: Q = 1996, Y = November → November 1996
- Maytag dryer 717486QX: Q = 1972 or 1996, X = December. The documented unit is from December 1972, which shows why the 24-year gap needs a sanity check.
All five are documented by electrical-forensics.com.
Legacy letters checked against a CPSC build window
This is a published recall record, not a unit we inspected: CPSC’s 2004 notice on JennAir downdraft gas cooktops gives both a serial range and the dates Maytag made them, an official check on the legacy letters. CPSC prints the rest of each serial as x.
| Serial | Appliance | Code reading | Built | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| xxxxxxxEA | JennAir downdraft gas cooktop, model JGD8348CDP: first code in the recalled range | E = 1980 or 2004; A = January | January 2004 | CPSC recall 05-050 (November 2004) |
| xxxxxxxER | The same cooktop model: last code in the range | E = 1980 or 2004; R = September | September 2004 | CPSC recall 05-050 |
Basis: official (CPSC recall 05-050 says Maytag made these cooktops between January 1 and September 17, 2004); the letter readings are ours, from the legacy tables above. CPSC’s dates rule out 1980 for E, and the two ends of the range fall in the first and last months of production.
Amana appliances
Amana refrigerators, washers, dryers, ranges and dishwashers came into the Maytag group in 2001, so an Amana serial uses one of the two Maytag formats above. The tables and Step 1 apply as they are. What differs for an Amana is which years are realistic, where the label sits, and the fact that “Amana” on a furnace means a different company.
Appliance or heating and cooling?
“Amana” is two different businesses today, and they don’t share a serial number code.
- Amana major appliances (refrigerators, washers, dryers, ranges, dishwashers and microwaves) are built by Whirlpool Corporation. This page and the checker above cover them.
- Amana furnaces, air conditioners and heat pumps are a separate business that stayed with Goodman, which Daikin has owned since 2012. They use Goodman’s code, where the first four digits are the year and month. Don’t use the tables on this page for them; Goodman serial number age explains the code, and the checker reads it when you choose an AC or furnace with the brand Amana (HVAC).
The split happened in 2001: Goodman sold the Amana appliance business to Maytag and kept the Amana HVAC brand. Whirlpool then completed its acquisition of Maytag on 31 March 2006, which is how Amana appliances came to use Whirlpool’s code.
Basis: Maytag’s SEC filings for the 2001 Amana purchase and the 2005 merger agreement, Whirlpool’s 2006 completion release, and Daikin’s own history of the Goodman acquisition, all listed below.
Where Amana puts the label
Amana’s model-number page lists these spots, some of which differ from Maytag’s:
- Refrigerator: inside the refrigerator, on the wall.
- Top-load washer: on the top, at the rear of the well around the clothes container, visible once the lid is open. Front-load washer: vertically on the outer edge of the door.
- Front-load dryer: horizontally on the shroud inside the door, right in front of the lint screen. Top-load dryer: inside the door, in the upper recessed area of the front panel.
- Dishwasher: in front of the door seal, on the tub, top left-hand corner.
- Freestanding range: on the frame behind the storage drawer. Built-in oven: single oven, left side of the front frame at the bottom; double oven, on the lower oven with the door open. Cooktop: on the bottom of the burner box.
Basis: official (Amana’s model-number page). Older units and Amana-built Kenmore models may differ; the manual for your model, from Amana’s manual finder, shows the exact spot.
Which years are realistic for an Amana
Both codes repeat, but an Amana’s history rules most readings out:
- Legacy code (ends in two letters): Amana joined the Maytag group in 2001 and the legacy code was phased out by about 2014, so a legacy Amana serial belongs to roughly 2001 to 2014. That makes B 2014, not 1990.
- Modern Whirlpool code: Amana only switched to it after Whirlpool bought Maytag in 2006, so readings run from 2006 on. X and A–J mean the 2020s, not the 1990s, and a digit in the year position means the 2010s.
- The manual as a cross-check: look up the model number in Amana’s manual finder; the manual’s print date should be close to the build year.
The checker uses the general Maytag-group and Whirlpool tables, so it can list an older alternative date as well. For an Amana, pick the reading inside these windows.
Documented units. Our sources document only one Amana label: the dryer 12772864EL in the legacy examples above (June 2004). Two sister-brand units from the old Maytag group show both formats after the 2006 takeover: the JennAir smooth-top range 16240783NR, model JES8750BAB (legacy, September 2008) and the Admiral dryer M44819595 (modern, week 48 of 2014). All three fall inside the Amana windows.
Basis: electrical-forensics.com, which documents each unit with its build date.
Amana-built Kenmore models (596)
A Kenmore with a 596 model prefix was built by Amana, usually a refrigerator. Decide the format the same way: if the serial ends in two letters, use the legacy table; otherwise use the Whirlpool rule. Sears PartsDirect describes 596 serials as a year digit followed by a two-digit week, which is the Whirlpool pattern, so most 596 units you’ll meet decode that way. Full prefix table: Kenmore serial number lookup.
Limits for Amana serials
- Amana publishes no public serial-number age decoder. Both tables come from independent references that agree with documented units, not from Amana.
- Amana units built before 2001, under Raytheon or Goodman, may use a format neither table covers. If neither fits, contact Amana customer care with the model and serial.
The decade problem
- Legacy code: letters repeat every 24 years. The gap is usually obvious from the unit’s design. The main risk is B, which can mean 1966, 1990 or 2014.
- Modern code: X and A–J can mean the 1990s or the 2020s, and digits can mean the 2010s, or the 1970s or 1980s on very old units.
For both formats, look up the model in Maytag’s Product Lookup and check the manual’s print date. A receipt or delivery note helps too: the unit was built on or before its date, so any later reading is wrong. If it was bought new, a reading 24 or 30 years earlier is very unlikely.
Our checker offers readings from the last 45 years. When an older one is also possible, as with the 1972 dryer above, it shows the newer date, names the older one and marks the result “Check the decade”. Enter the year in “Year made” (1960 or later) if the plate or the manual gives it.
What the age means if you’re buying used
For Maytag laundry, start with how long washing machines last and how long dryers last. The refrigerator and dishwasher guides cover the rest. The used washer price page shows how age affects price. Warranty coverage, if any is left, normally runs from the original purchase date, not the build date.
Limitations
- No official Maytag decoder was found as of September 2026. Both tables come from independent references that agree with documented units, and CPSC’s washer recall notices match the legacy year letters (see the laundry examples above).
- A few decoding sites publish legacy tables that contradict these examples, for instance reading EJ as 1990. Trust the tables above over any table that fails the examples.
- The serial shows when the unit was built, not how it was used or maintained.
Next steps
- Enter the serial in the checker above.
- Run a recall check.
- Inspect the machine with the used appliance buying checklist.
- Buying a Maytag washer and dryer as a pair? Date each one: How old is my washer and how old is my dryer show the label spots by machine type. For a Maytag fridge, see how old is my refrigerator.
Checked against the sources below on 26 September 2026; the washer and dryer section on 6 October 2026; the JennAir cooktop recall table on 20 October 2026. The Amana section moved here from its own page on 25 October 2026, with its Amana sources.
