We advise you to enter the model number as well because dated records for the model help Appliage choose the correct year. If the search result shows only one possible year, Appliage returns the most likely production week and an estimated age. Otherwise, it shows every possible year.
Appliage decodes two Whirlpool year systems. Serial numbers from 2010 to today can use a numeric year code. Whirlpool also documents a later letter period at the Findlay (F), Clyde (C), and Marion (M) plants, beginning with X for 2020. Earlier serials used letters for 1990 through 2009. X and A through D can have both an older and a newer meaning at these plants. At other plant codes, Appliage still lists both years as candidates and notes that the newer table has not been checked for that plant. Dated model records may narrow those documented pairs. Both systems are covered under Whirlpool Age Rules below, and the letter years have their own table and section.
Position 2 tells the two systems apart: a digit is the repeating numeric code, and a letter comes from a letter table.
Whirlpool Age Rules
- 1 manufacturing site
- 2 year character
- 3–4 production week
- 5–9 sequence
Position 1 is the manufacturing site code. Whirlpool assigns this letter to the plant that built the appliance. In serial number M92510000, M is the plant code. It helps Whirlpool identify where the unit was made, but it does not tell you when it was made. To find the date, Appliage takes 9 in position 2 as the year code and 25 in positions 3–4 as the production week.
This layout identifies a production week rather than a month. Positions 3–4 must contain a valid week number.
| Code | Year meaning |
|---|---|
| 0 | year ending in 0 |
| 1 | year ending in 1 |
| 2 | year ending in 2 |
| 3 | year ending in 3 |
| 4 | year ending in 4 |
| 5 | year ending in 5 |
| 6 | year ending in 6 |
| 7 | year ending in 7 |
| 8 | year ending in 8 |
| 9 | year ending in 9 |
The year character gives only the final digit of the manufacture year, so every numeric code repeats after ten years. For example, 9 can mean 2019 or 2029. Appliage keeps every matching year that is not in the future, and dated records for the model decide which decade fits.
From 2020, some serial numbers from Whirlpool’s Findlay plant use a letter in position 2 instead of a digit. In FX2512345, F is the Findlay plant, X can mean 2020 or 1990, and 25 is the production week. The 1990 date comes from tables published by building inspectors, while Whirlpool’s later service table uses X for 2020. Dated model records can narrow the pair. On the later table A means 2021 and B means 2022. Both letters also sit in the older letter table, so a serial like FB2512345 comes back with both years, 2022 and 1992.
Letter Year Codes (1990–2009)
On earlier serial numbers in this layout, position 2 holds a letter instead of a digit. The other positions do not change: position 1 is still the manufacturing site, positions 3–4 are still the production week, and positions 5–9 are still the unit sequence. Whirlpool’s published letter years run from A for 1991 through Y for 2009 and skip I, N, O, Q, and V. Tables published by building inspectors also assign X to 1990, while Whirlpool’s later table assigns X to 2020, so that letter returns both years unless model records narrow it.
| Code | Year |
|---|---|
| A | 1991 |
| B | 1992 |
| C | 1993 |
| D | 1994 |
| E | 1995 |
| F | 1996 |
| G | 1997 |
| H | 1998 |
| J | 1999 |
| K | 2000 |
| L | 2001 |
| M | 2002 |
| P | 2003 |
| R | 2004 |
| S | 2005 |
| T | 2006 |
| U | 2007 |
| W | 2008 |
| Y | 2009 |
| X | 1990 or 2020 |
A letter may have more than one meaning. At the F, C, and M plants, X and A through D can match both the older and newer tables. At other plant codes, Appliage still lists both years as candidates and notes that the newer table has not been checked for that plant. An E or F there gives 1995 or 1996 in the older table, but Whirlpool has not published a newer E/F assignment. Appliage keeps that older date as a candidate, not a settled date, and does not guess 2025 or 2026. Dated model records may help with the documented pairs of years. In MU2508163, M is the manufacturing site, U is 2007, and 25 is the production week. So MU2508163 is week 25 of 2007.
When a Whirlpool Serial Number Gives No Date
If the letter in position 2 is I, N, O, Q, or V, Appliage returns no year from this layout. X is handled separately above because it appears in both the older inspector table and Whirlpool’s newer table. Appliage does not guess a meaning the manufacturer never published.
Some Whirlpool serial numbers are longer or begin with two letters. Appliage does not assign a date when the identifier does not match the nine character layout described above. Whirlpool water heaters and water treatment products also use separate label systems. If the rating plate is unreadable, contact Whirlpool with the model and any remaining serial characters.
Other Brands That Use the Whirlpool Layout
After Whirlpool acquired Maytag on March 31, 2006, Maytag product families gradually adopted the same layout of site, year and week. A 2007 dryer is the earliest documented Maytag example in this guide. Older Maytag serial numbers still require the Maytag date tables.
KitchenAid, JennAir, Amana appliances, Roper, Estate, and Inglis also use this layout. Appliage decodes their serial numbers in the same way. Amana heating and cooling equipment is the exception because it uses a different serial system.
Sears sold machines built by Whirlpool under the Kenmore label for decades. A Kenmore model number beginning with 110 identifies Whirlpool laundry equipment, while 665 identifies a Whirlpool dishwasher. A 2005 federal recall names Whirlpool as the manufacturer of those 665 dishwashers and lists serial numbers beginning with FR. The Kenmore serial number lookup explains which manufacturer belongs to each Sears prefix.
Sources
- Whirlpool laundry service manual (W11197006). Whirlpool explains the factory, year and week positions and the year codes.
- Whirlpool technical manual (W11542838 Rev A). Its serial table prints X=2020, A=2021, and B=2022 for Findlay.
- Whirlpool service pointer (W11766193 Rev G). Its Clyde and Marion serial ranges continue through D=2024. Neither document assigns a newer year to E or F.
- Whirlpool model and serial number locations
- CPSC: Whirlpool dishwasher recall (05-123). The notice includes Kenmore 665 dishwashers with FR serial ranges.
- CPSC: Whirlpool washer and dryer recall (2002). Whirlpool made the Kenmore 110 models named in this notice.
- Whirlpool’s announcement of the Maytag purchase (2006)
For other brands, see our appliance serial number lookup.
