Why do you need my Kenmore model number?

Because the serial format depends entirely on who built the appliance, and only the model number says who that was. A Kenmore serial with no model number is genuinely undecodable — not difficult, but impossible.

Where do I find the manufacturer prefix?

It is the first three digits of the model number, before the dot. On a label showing 110.12345678, the prefix is 110. Canadian models carry a C first, as in C110.

My Kenmore was built by LG. Can you still date it?

Not yet — we have not sourced an LG serial format we are confident enough to publish. We will still confirm that LG built it, which points you at the right support site and the right parts catalogue.

Is Kenmore still made now that Sears has shrunk?

The brand still exists and appliances are still sold under it, though the retail footprint is far smaller than it was. For dating purposes nothing changes: the model prefix still identifies the builder, and the builder's serial format still applies.

Kenmore serial number lookup

Kenmore is the one brand where the model number is not optional, because Kenmore has never built an appliance in its life.

Look up a Kenmore appliance

How Kenmore serial numbers work

The model number prefix is the key. 110 and 106 are Whirlpool, 363 and 362 are GE, 253 and 417 are Frigidaire, 795 and 796 are LG, and so on. Once the builder is known, that manufacturer's serial rules apply unchanged.

The model number on a Kenmore label looks like 110.12345678. The 110 is the manufacturer prefix; the rest identifies the specific model. Once you know the prefix, the appliance follows its actual builder's serial system exactly, with no Kenmore-specific translation involved.

The common prefixes are worth knowing. 110 and 106 are Whirlpool. 362, 363 and 464 are GE. 253, 417 and 970 are Frigidaire. 795 and 796 are LG. 592 is Samsung. 665 and 664 are Whirlpool dishwashers, and 666 is KitchenAid. Canadian appliances carry a C prefix, so C110 is Inglis, Whirlpool's Canadian operation.

Sears used multiple suppliers for the same product category at the same time, which is what makes Kenmore genuinely difficult. Two Kenmore washers of the same vintage sitting side by side in a showroom could have been built by different manufacturers with completely unrelated serial formats. There is no shortcut around checking the prefix.

Where the builder is one we decode — Whirlpool, GE or Frigidaire — you get that manufacturer's full result, caveats included. Where it is one we do not, such as LG or Samsung, we still tell you who made it. That is often the more useful answer anyway, because it tells you whose support site and whose parts catalogue to use.

Example Kenmore serial format

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

CR2412345

With model number 110.12345678, the 110 prefix identifies Whirlpool as the builder, so the Whirlpool rules apply: C is the division, R is the year code for 2004, and 24 is the twenty-fourth week.

Appliance types we can decode for Kenmore

Refrigerator
Freezer
Washing machine
Clothes dryer
Dishwasher
Range
Oven
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 Kenmore appliance

The Kenmore data plate carries both numbers together. The model number is the one with a dot in it, like 110.12345678.
Refrigerators: inside the fresh-food compartment.
Washers and dryers: under the lid or inside the door opening.
Ranges: behind the storage drawer.

Production-period caveats

Without the model number a Kenmore serial cannot be decoded at all. This is the one brand where the model number is not optional.
Sears used several suppliers for the same category at the same time, so two similar-looking Kenmore washers can carry entirely different serial formats.
Some Kenmore appliances were built by manufacturers we do not yet decode. In those cases we still tell you who made it, which is often the more useful answer.

Why a lookup commonly fails

The model number was entered without its first three digits, or the digits after the dot were entered on their own.
The appliance was built by LG, Samsung or another manufacturer for which we do not yet hold a sourced rule.

Sources for the Kenmore rules

Sears Appliance Manufacturing Codes
Appliance Aid · retrieved 29 July 2026
Who makes Sears, Kenmore appliances?
Appliance411 · retrieved 29 July 2026
Sears and Kenmore Appliance Model Prefix Chart
PartSelect · retrieved 29 July 2026
Whirlpool Date Codes
Electrical Forensics · retrieved 29 July 2026
GE Appliance — How to Determine the Age or Manufacture Date
GE Appliances (Haier) · retrieved 29 July 2026
GE Date Codes
Electrical Forensics · retrieved 29 July 2026
Electrolux Date Codes
Electrical Forensics · retrieved 29 July 2026

Official Kenmore support: Kenmore support. Rules last reviewed 29 July 2026.

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Kenmore serial number questions

Why do you need my Kenmore model number?: Because the serial format depends entirely on who built the appliance, and only the model number says who that was. A Kenmore serial with no model number is genuinely undecodable — not difficult, but impossible.
Where do I find the manufacturer prefix?: It is the first three digits of the model number, before the dot. On a label showing 110.12345678, the prefix is 110. Canadian models carry a C first, as in C110.
My Kenmore was built by LG. Can you still date it?: Not yet — we have not sourced an LG serial format we are confident enough to publish. We will still confirm that LG built it, which points you at the right support site and the right parts catalogue.
Is Kenmore still made now that Sears has shrunk?: The brand still exists and appliances are still sold under it, though the retail footprint is far smaller than it was. For dating purposes nothing changes: the model prefix still identifies the builder, and the builder's serial format still applies.