Samsung appliance, phone or TV?
“Samsung serial number lookup” covers a lot of products. This page is about home appliances: refrigerators, washers, dryers, dishwashers, ranges and microwaves. For other Samsung products, Samsung’s own support page gives these shortcuts:
| Product | Where to find the serial number |
|---|---|
| Galaxy phone or tablet | Settings, then About phone (or About tablet). Also printed in small text on the back |
| TV (2022 and newer) | Settings, All Settings, Support, About This TV |
| TV (2021 and older) | Home, Settings, Support, About This TV (or Contact Samsung) |
| Any TV | Label on the back panel |
Basis: official (Samsung CA support, “How to find the model and serial numbers for your Samsung product”).
Where the serial number is on a Samsung appliance
- Upper left wall of the fresh-food section (Whirlpool, Maytag, KitchenAid, Frigidaire top-freezer; Samsung French-door and side-by-side; newer LG models)
- Outside, low on the front (a second label on Samsung; GE bottom front edge on some models)
- On the rim, trim or frame of the door opening, often at the top (Whirlpool, Maytag, LG, Samsung, Frigidaire, GE)
- Back of the control panel or the back panel (GE, LG; Samsung top-loaders on the back)
- Rim of the door opening, often at the top (Whirlpool, Maytag, Samsung; LG and Frigidaire say the top)
- Left edge of the tub frame (Whirlpool, Maytag, KitchenAid, GE, Samsung)
- Right edge of the tub frame (GE, Frigidaire, Samsung)
- Side or top edge of the door, or its inside (LG, GE, Frigidaire, Bosch, Samsung)
- Oven frame or side trim, seen with the door open (Whirlpool, Maytag, Frigidaire, GE, LG)
- Frame of the storage drawer, with the drawer pulled out (Whirlpool, Maytag, Frigidaire, LG, GE)
- Under the cooktop or behind the control panel on some models (GE; Frigidaire and Maytag cooktops underneath)
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 Samsung says to look |
|---|---|
| Refrigerator | Inside, on the left-hand wall (near the top of the fresh-food section). A second label is outside, at the bottom left |
| Front-load washer | Label around the door opening: open the door and check the frame or the area near the door seal |
| Top-load washer | Label on the back of the machine. Some newer models also have one inside the lid (the WA49B–WA55A models in CPSC’s 2022 recall do) |
| Dryer | Same places as the matching washer; on front-loaders, around the door opening |
| Dishwasher | Open the door and check the top of the door’s inner rim, either side of the door rim, or the inside edge of the tub on either side |
| Range or oven | Open the oven door and check the right or left side of the front frame; on some models, the left side of the storage (warming) drawer |
| Microwave | Often on the back; otherwise the door frame or an inside wall |
| Cooktop | Underneath the unit (photograph it before installation; it’s also in the manual and on the receipt) |
Basis: official (Samsung CA and Samsung IE support pages); the top-load lid label is from CPSC recall 23-080.
Samsung’s model numbers also tell you the product type. Samsung lists these prefixes: RF French-door, RS side-by-side, RB or RL bottom-freezer and RT top-freezer refrigerators; DW dishwashers; and ME, MS, MW, MG or MC microwaves. The model number is on the same label as the serial number.
How to read the date
First count the characters in the serial number.
| Serial length | Year character | Month character |
|---|---|---|
| 15 characters (most appliances) | 8th | 9th |
| 11 characters | 4th | 5th |
Basis: independent reference (electrical-forensics.com, “Samsung Date Codes”).
Year letters
| Code | Year | Code | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| R | 2001 or 2021 | Z | 2010 |
| T | 2002 or 2022 | B | 2011 |
| W | 2003 or 2023 | C | 2012 |
| X | 2004 or 2024 | D | 2013 |
| Y | 2005 or 2025 | F | 2014 |
| A or L | 2006 | G | 2015 |
| P | 2007 | H | 2016 |
| Q | 2008 | J | 2017 |
| S | 2009 | K | 2018 |
| M | 2019 | ||
| N | 2020 |
Basis: electrical-forensics.com (covers 2001–2017) and an accepted answer on Samsung’s own US community forum (covers 2001–2025). The two agree where they overlap. Samsung publishes no official appliance decoder.
Month codes
| Code | Month | Code | Month |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | January | 7 | July |
| 2 | February | 8 | August |
| 3 | March | 9 | September |
| 4 | April | A | October |
| 5 | May | B | November |
| 6 | June | C | December |
Basis: same two sources as the year table.
How we checked the code against official records
Samsung doesn’t publish this code, so we compared it with serial numbers in US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recall notices. The two notices give different strengths of evidence.
Direct evidence for S = 2009. CPSC’s 2009 microwave recall (10-031) states that SMH9151 microwaves “produced from January through May 2009” have serials from xxxxxxxS1xxxxxx to xxxxxxxS5xxxxxx. That ties characters 8–9 to the production month and year, exactly as our table reads them.
Supporting evidence for R = 2021 and T = 2022. CPSC’s 2022 washer recall (23-080) lists the serial ranges covered and says the washers were sold from June 2021 through December 2022. It gives sale dates, not build dates, so it can’t prove the month code, but every range fits our reading:
| Serial in the CPSC notice | Characters 8–9 | Our reading |
|---|---|---|
| 01H257BR600003R (first WA51A5505AV/US serial) | R, 6 | June 2021 |
| 01J457BT700001W (first WA49B5105AV/US serial) | T, 7 | July 2022 |
| 01H257BTB02018L (last WA51A5505AV/US serial) | T, B | November 2022 |
Basis: our decoding of serial ranges published by CPSC. Every range in the washer notice reads as June 2021 to November 2022, consistent with the sale dates; a different reading of R or T would put these washers outside the period they were sold. The letters for 2018–2020 and 2023–2025 rest on the community answer alone. If you have a Samsung rating plate that prints a manufacture date, send us a photo and we’ll use it to check the table.
Worked examples
- J0V07DDD801404K, a Samsung range: character 8 is D (2013), character 9 is 8 (August). August 2013.
- 0ARV5BBJ400798K, a Samsung dryer: J (2017) and 4 (April). April 2017.
- Y09S54AZ709271R, a Samsung front-load washer: Z (2010) and 7 (July). July 2010.
- 01H257BR600003R, from the CPSC washer recall above: R (2021) and 6 (June). June 2021.
The first three are photographed units documented by electrical-forensics.com.
The 20-year repeat and the 2026 question
Samsung’s letters R, T, W, X and Y were used in 2001–2005 and again in 2021–2025. A 20-year-old appliance and a 4-year-old one can share a code, but they rarely look alike. If the model number, the features (Wi-Fi, a touch display) or the manual point to the 2020s, trust the 2020s year. Our checker shows both and picks the likely one.
No published source confirms Samsung’s 2026 letter yet. If the 20-year cycle continues, 2026 would reuse 2006’s letter (A or L), but that’s a guess. If a Samsung made recently shows A or L in position 8, confirm the date with Samsung support, the receipt or the manual.
Samsung recalls to check
A few Samsung appliance recalls are large enough to matter when you buy used. Always check the exact model with our recall check, and confirm on the CPSC notice.
| Recall date | Product | Hazard | Units | Remedy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 8, 2024 | Slide-in electric ranges (NE58 and NE63 models) | Front knobs can be turned on by accidental contact (fire) | About 1,120,905 | Free knob locks or covers |
| Dec 22, 2022 | Top-load washers, WA49B–WA55A series | Short circuit and overheating (fire) | About 663,500 | Free software repair |
| Nov 4, 2016 | Top-load washers (34 models) | Top can detach during use (impact) | About 2.8 million | Repair with warranty extension, rebate, or refund for recent buyers |
| Nov 5, 2009 | Over-the-range microwaves (SMH9151 models) | Shock hazard if an installation bolt touches an electrical component inside and the outlet is ungrounded | About 43,000 | Free repair |
Basis: official (CPSC notices listed in the sources). For the 2022 washer recall, CPSC’s notice offers a free software repair (over the air on Wi-Fi models, or with a free dongle from Samsung), and Samsung’s page samsung.com/us/support/tlw-sw-update explains how to check whether it was done.
What the age means for a used Samsung
Once you know the build date, compare it with typical service life on our refrigerator, washing machine, dryer and dishwasher lifespan pages. If a recent Samsung might still be under warranty, ask the seller for the receipt and check Samsung’s warranty terms for your product.
Limitations
- The year and month tables come from independent references and our own check against CPSC records, not from Samsung.
- The code gives the month the unit was built. It doesn’t show when it was sold, installed or how hard it was used.
- An 11-character serial on a phone or other electronics isn’t covered here; this page decodes home appliances only.
Next steps
- 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.
- Comparing fridges from several brands? See how old is my refrigerator.
Checked against the sources below on 27 September 2026.