What is the difference between the E-Nr and the FD number on a Bosch?

The E-Nr is the model number — it identifies which appliance you have, and it is what you need for parts and manuals. The FD number is the manufacturing date. They sit next to each other on the rating plate, and only the FD number carries date information.

Why does the year calculation add twenty?

It is simply how the code is defined: the first two digits are read as a year in the 1900s and twenty years are added. It means the printed digits stay short while covering the modern production range. FD 91 is 2011, not 1991.

Does this work for Siemens, Neff or Gaggenau?

Those brands are also part of the BSH group and use FD numbers in the same way, but our rule is scoped to Bosch because that is what our sources specifically document. We would rather keep the claim narrow than extend it on assumption.

My Bosch dishwasher's FD number gives a future date. What happened?

A digit has almost certainly been misread. We reject any FD number that decodes to a date in the future rather than showing it, because a future manufacture date always means the code was read wrong.

Bosch appliance age finder

Bosch is the easiest brand on this site to date, provided you look at the right number — and most people start by looking at the wrong one.

Look up a Bosch appliance

How Bosch serial numbers work

The FD number is four digits. The first two give the year — read as a year in the 1900s with twenty added, so 91 is 2011 — and the last two give the month. Anything printed after the first four digits is a production sequence.

The FD number is four digits. The first two give the year and the last two give the month. The year is read as a year in the 1900s with twenty added, so FD 9111 is 1991 plus twenty, giving November 2011. FD 8504 is April 2005. FD 0601 is January 2026.

That offset looks odd until you see what it buys: a code that identifies exactly one year. Every American brand on this site has a repeating cycle that forces us to return a shortlist. Bosch does not. If the FD number is legible, the answer is a single month in a single year, and there is nothing to disambiguate.

FD numbers are frequently printed with extra digits after the first four — something like FD 961200000. Only the first four carry the date; the rest is a production sequence. You can enter the whole thing or just the first four, and we handle both.

The rating plate location varies by product. On dishwashers it is on the door edge, visible only with the door open, or on the inner tub wall. On refrigerators, look inside on the side wall or behind the crisper drawers. On washing machines, check around the door opening or the rear panel. On ovens, open the door and look at the frame.

Example Bosch serial format

An example built from published documentation. We never use real customer serial numbers.

FD9111

91 gives the year: 1991 plus twenty is 2011. 11 is November. So the appliance was built in November 2011.

Appliance types we can decode for Bosch

Dishwasher
Refrigerator
Freezer
Washing machine
Clothes dryer
Oven
Range
Cooktop
Microwave

Categories not listed here are either not made under this brand or not covered by a rule we can source.

Where to find the label on a Bosch appliance

Dishwashers: on the door edge with the door open, or on the inner tub wall. Look for a line beginning FD.
Refrigerators: inside on the side wall or behind the crisper drawers.
Washing machines: around the door opening or on the rear panel.
Ovens: on the frame inside the door opening.

Production-period caveats

The E-Nr is the model number, not the serial, and does not carry a date. If you only have an E-Nr, the FD number will be printed nearby.
Unlike the American brands, the FD number is unambiguous. There is no repeating cycle to disentangle.
Bosch and Siemens share this system across the BSH group, but our rule is scoped to Bosch because that is what our sources cover.

Why a lookup commonly fails

The E-Nr was entered instead of the FD number.
Only part of the FD number was copied. Four digits are needed.

Sources for the Bosch rules

Bosch Date Codes
Electrical Forensics · retrieved 29 July 2026
Bosch FD number production date decode, explained
Tab-TV · retrieved 29 July 2026

Official Bosch support: Bosch home appliance service. Rules last reviewed 29 July 2026.

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Bosch serial number questions

What is the difference between the E-Nr and the FD number on a Bosch?: The E-Nr is the model number — it identifies which appliance you have, and it is what you need for parts and manuals. The FD number is the manufacturing date. They sit next to each other on the rating plate, and only the FD number carries date information.
Why does the year calculation add twenty?: It is simply how the code is defined: the first two digits are read as a year in the 1900s and twenty years are added. It means the printed digits stay short while covering the modern production range. FD 91 is 2011, not 1991.
Does this work for Siemens, Neff or Gaggenau?: Those brands are also part of the BSH group and use FD numbers in the same way, but our rule is scoped to Bosch because that is what our sources specifically document. We would rather keep the claim narrow than extend it on assumption.
My Bosch dishwasher's FD number gives a future date. What happened?: A digit has almost certainly been misread. We reject any FD number that decodes to a date in the future rather than showing it, because a future manufacture date always means the code was read wrong.