Kenmore Appliance Age: Model Prefix and Serial Number Lookup

Kenmore appliances were built by several manufacturers, so they do not share one serial number structure. The first three digits of the model number identify the manufacturer: for example, 110 indicates Whirlpool, 795 indicates LG, and 790 indicates Frigidaire/Electrolux. Appliage first reads this model prefix and then applies that manufacturer’s date coding method to the serial number.

For example, model number 795.7554440 identifies an LG-built Kenmore, while the opening digits 405 in its serial number indicate May of a year ending in 4. The model and dated production information narrow the year to 2004, so the manufacture date is May 2004. You need both numbers from the same rating plate. If the available model information identifies one year, Appliage returns one manufacture date and an estimated age. Otherwise, it shows every possible date or explains why the serial number cannot be decoded.

Appliage dates Kenmore appliances from 1991 to today. The model prefix picks the maker’s system, the date characters sit where that system places them, and the result is whatever that system gives, one manufacture date or a short list of years. If the maker’s system is not in the decoder yet, the unit is recognized without a date.

Kenmore Age Rules

A Kenmore model number has two useful parts. The first three digits identify the manufacturer, while the remaining characters identify the product and version. The serial number is a separate code on the same plate. Its structure depends on the manufacturer, so a Whirlpool-built Kenmore and an LG-built Kenmore do not store the date in the same positions.

1. model 1–3 manufacturer prefix
2. model remainder product identity
3. serial date fields depend on manufacturer

Kenmore has no universal month or year table. First match the three-digit model prefix in the table below. Appliage then uses the listed manufacturer’s serial-number rules to find the date fields.

The table contains fifteen Kenmore model prefixes. Prefixes 106, 110, 116, and 665 use Whirlpool serial rules; 580, 795, and 796 use LG rules; 253, 417, 587, and 790 use Frigidaire rules; and 363 dishwashers use GE rules. Three of the remaining routes have narrower limits.

Appliage applies the Maytag date rule only to the TRIO model series in CPSC recall 03-533 (596.73502, 596.73503, 596.73504 and 596.73509) when the serial ends with the letter pair printed there: A for 2002 followed by V or X, meaning November or December 2002. That Maytag rule does not apply to every 596 refrigerator.

CPSC 95-023 lists six Amana-built Kenmore 596 models: 596.9530820, 596.9530850, 596.9530880, 596.9535610, 596.9535650, and 596.95356800 (also accepted as 596.9535680). For these models only, a ten-digit serial from 9304000000 through 9409156208 uses Amana’s older YYMM format: the first two digits give the year and the next two give the month. For example, model 596.9530820 with serial 9304000000 returns April 1993 (Estimated). The recall identifies the Amana-built group; the YYMM code gives the unit’s month. Outside these two documented groups, the 596 prefix alone is not enough to date the refrigerator.

Prefix 204 points to Galanz, but Appliage reads the date only for microwave model 204.77603610 with a serial from 17042700001 to 17042700684. Its first six digits mean April 27, 2017.

Prefix 407 identifies Gree-made dehumidifiers. The tool can name the maker but has no verified serial-date rule for them.

On a Whirlpool-built Kenmore, X in the year position can mean 1990 or 2020. The 1990 reading comes from tables published by building inspectors, while Whirlpool’s later service table uses X for 2020. Appliage shows both years unless dated records for the model narrow the result. If the plant code is F, C, or M and the year letter is E or F, the older table gives 1995 or 1996, but Whirlpool has not published a newer E/F date. Appliage shows the older year as a candidate and does not guess 2025 or 2026.

If the first three digits of your model number are not in the table, Appliage cannot identify the manufacturer. It does not apply a date coding method from an unrelated brand, so the result provides no manufacture date.

Age Decode Examples

Kenmore Serial Numbers Appliage Cannot Find the Age

If the model begins with an unsupported prefix, such as 999, Appliage cannot identify the manufacturer and therefore returns no date.

If you enter a serial number without the model number, Appliage cannot determine which manufacturer’s rules apply. Several manufacturers use similar combinations of letters and digits, so Appliage asks for the Kenmore model number before calculating the age.

Kenmore Elite, Series 80, and Heavy Duty are marketing names; an Elite refrigerator uses the same three-digit manufacturer prefix as any other Kenmore. Kenmore water heaters and heating and cooling equipment use other identification systems. Those products, along with Canadian models that begin with C, are not covered by the model-prefix table on this page.

After the prefix: Whirlpool, LG, and Frigidaire serial guides

Each manufacturer’s own guide explains its complete serial structure. For a 106, 110, 116, or 665 model, see the Whirlpool serial number lookup; for 580, 795, or 796, see the LG serial number lookup; and for 253, 417, 587, or 790, see the Frigidaire serial number lookup. Model prefix 363 identifies a GE-built dishwasher, so Appliage uses GE’s month-and-year letter rules for its serial number.

Sources

• CPSC: LG and Sears refrigerator recall (2005). The notice includes Kenmore 795 models with serial prefixes 405–410.
• CPSC: Frigidaire and Kenmore range recall (2024). Kenmore 790 models are listed with serial prefixes VF122–VF334.
• CPSC: Whirlpool washer and dryer recall (2002). Whirlpool made the Kenmore 110 models named in this notice.
• Sears PartsDirect: Kenmore 106.52552100. Sears lists parts for the Kenmore refrigerator used in the example.
• CPSC: Amana refrigerator notice (95-023). Names the six Kenmore 596 models, serial range 9304000000–9409156208, and April 1993–September 1994 production span.
• CPSC: Maytag-built Kenmore Elite TRIO recall (03-533). Lists the 596 models and serial ranges used for the bounded Maytag route.
• CPSC: Galanz-made Kenmore microwave recall (20-020). Gives the exact 204 model, serial range, and April 27, 2017 build date.
• CPSC: Gree dehumidifier recall (23-262). Names Kenmore 407 models and Gree as manufacturer; it does not publish a serial-date rule.

For other brands, see our appliance serial number lookup.