The label is worn and I cannot read it. What now?

Try raking light — hold a torch almost flat against the plate so the embossing casts shadows. Photograph it and zoom in rather than squinting. If it is genuinely gone, the manufacturer can often identify the appliance from other markings, and many appliances carry a second label inside a panel or on the rear.

Which number is the serial number?

It is usually marked SERIAL NO., SERIAL or S/N. If nothing is marked, the serial is typically the shorter number, often starting with letters. The model number is usually longer and mixes letters and digits throughout. On Bosch appliances the E-Nr is the model and the FD number carries the date.

Can I use the number on the box or the energy label?

No. The carton and the energy guide often carry a model number but not the unit's serial, and sometimes carry a different number entirely. Always work from the plate attached to the appliance itself.

Where to find the model and serial number

Every appliance has a data plate. Manufacturers put it somewhere different on every category, and often somewhere you would not think to look.

By appliance type

The usual location for each appliance type, and the typical service life while you are here.

Refrigerator

Inside the fresh-food compartment, usually on the left-hand wall, on the ceiling near the front, or behind the crisper drawers. Some models put it behind the kick plate at the bottom of the door.

Typical service life 10–15 years

Freezer

Inside the door opening on an upright freezer, or on the back wall of a chest freezer near the compressor housing.

Typical service life 12–20 years

Washing machine

Around the door opening on a front loader, under the lid on a top loader, or on the rear panel near the top.

Typical service life 10–13 years

Clothes dryer

Inside the door opening, on the rear panel, or behind the lint filter housing.

Typical service life 10–13 years

Dishwasher

On the edge of the door, visible only when the door is open — usually the left side or along the top edge. Some models put it on the inner tub wall.

Typical service life 9–12 years

Range

Behind the storage drawer or kick plate at the bottom, on the frame behind the oven door, or on the rear panel.

Typical service life 13–15 years

Oven

On the frame revealed when the oven door is open, usually along the left or bottom edge. On a wall oven it may be on the side of the cabinet cut-out.

Typical service life 13–16 years

Cooktop

On the underside of the unit, which normally means looking up at it from inside the cabinet below.

Typical service life 13–15 years

Microwave

On the back of the cabinet, inside the door frame, or on the underside of an over-the-range unit.

Typical service life 7–10 years

Water heater

On the outer jacket, normally a large printed label on the front or side near the top, above the thermostat access cover.

Typical service life 8–12 years

Air conditioner

On the outdoor condenser cabinet for a split system, or on the side or rear of the chassis on a window unit.

Typical service life 10–15 years

Furnace

Inside the front access panel, on the inner wall of the cabinet.

Typical service life 15–20 years

Heat pump

On the outdoor unit's cabinet, usually a metal plate on the side.

Typical service life 12–15 years

Dehumidifier

On the back or underside of the unit, or behind the water collection bucket.

Typical service life 5–10 years

Ice maker

Inside the storage bin, or on the rear panel of a standalone unit.

Typical service life 8–12 years

Reading a worn plate

Kitchen and utility spaces are hard on labels. Grease, condensation, cleaning products and sunlight all take their toll, and stamped plates fade until the characters are barely raised.

Use raking light. Hold a torch almost parallel to the plate rather than pointing at it. Shadows in the embossing are often readable when the print is not.
Photograph and zoom. A phone camera resolves more than your eye at an awkward angle, and you can rotate the image rather than your head.
Clean gently. A damp cloth is fine. Solvents and abrasive pads remove printed labels entirely.
Watch for the ambiguous characters. O and 0, I and 1 and L, S and 5, B and 8, Z and 2. If you are unsure, enter what you see — our decoder flags these rather than silently guessing.

Places people look that do not work

The original carton, the energy guide sticker, the instruction manual, and the receipt all commonly carry a model number and no serial, or a different number entirely. The appliance’s own data plate is the only reliable source. If a previous owner or installer left a service sticker, that gives the installation date rather than the build date.

Brand-specific guides

Whirlpool and GE are the two brands people most often struggle with, and both have per-category quirks worth reading before you start pulling drawers out.

Where is the serial number on a Whirlpool appliance?Where is the serial number on a GE appliance?

Common questions

The label is worn and I cannot read it. What now?: Try raking light — hold a torch almost flat against the plate so the embossing casts shadows. Photograph it and zoom in rather than squinting. If it is genuinely gone, the manufacturer can often identify the appliance from other markings, and many appliances carry a second label inside a panel or on the rear.
Which number is the serial number?: It is usually marked SERIAL NO., SERIAL or S/N. If nothing is marked, the serial is typically the shorter number, often starting with letters. The model number is usually longer and mixes letters and digits throughout. On Bosch appliances the E-Nr is the model and the FD number carries the date.
Can I use the number on the box or the energy label?: No. The carton and the energy guide often carry a model number but not the unit's serial, and sometimes carry a different number entirely. Always work from the plate attached to the appliance itself.