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Appliance Age Finder

Model number vs serial number

They sit next to each other on the same label and do completely different jobs. Mixing them up is the most common reason a lookup fails.

What each one is for

The model number identifies the product: which appliance it is, what specification, which production run. Every unit of the same model shares it. It is what you need for manuals, spare parts, recall checks and reviews.

The serial number identifies the individual unit. No two appliances share one. It is what encodes the build date, and it is what a manufacturer uses to trace a specific appliance through warranty and service records.

How to tell them apart on the label

The label usually marks them, but the print is small and often worn. If it is not marked, a few conventions help.

  • Model numbers are usually longer and mix letters and digits throughout — WRS325SDHZ01, MED7230HW0, SHPM88Z75N.
  • Serial numbers are usually shorter and often start with a run of letters followed by digits — MX06404786, FR123456.
  • Kenmore model numbers contain a dot: 110.12345678. Nothing else on the label looks like that.
  • Bosch is the exception worth memorising: the E-Nr is the model, the FD number is the date. The serial number itself does not carry a date.

Why we ask for both

The serial gives the date. The model narrows it down when the date code repeats. Because a GE year letter fits four different years and a Whirlpool year code fits two or three, the model number's production era is frequently what settles which one is right.

For Kenmore it goes further: the model number is mandatory. Kenmore is a retail brand that has never manufactured anything, and the first three digits of the model number are the only thing that identifies who actually built the appliance — and therefore which serial format applies at all.

Last reviewed 29 July 2026.

Common questions

I only have the serial number. Can you still help?
For every brand except Kenmore, yes — you will just get a wider range of candidate years. For Kenmore, no: without the model prefix there is no way to know which manufacturer's format to apply.
Is the serial number the same as the product number?
No. Some manufacturers print a product number or an E-Nr, which is another form of model identifier. The serial is the unit-specific one, usually marked SERIAL NO. or S/N.

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