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How old is my Kenmore appliance?
Type the serial number from the Kenmore label to see when it was built. Kenmore units are built by Whirlpool, Electrolux, GE, LG or Samsung, so the serials follow that company's format.
Reading a Kenmore serial number
Sears did not build appliances. The three digits before the dot in the model number name the maker: 106, 110, 664 and 665 are Whirlpool; 253, 417, 587, 790 and 970 are Electrolux (Frigidaire); 362 and 363 are mostly GE; 795, 796 and 721 are LG; 401 and 592 are Samsung; 596 is Amana.
The serial uses the maker’s own code. A Kenmore 110 washer reads like a Whirlpool, and a 790 range reads like a Frigidaire.
If more than one maker’s code fits, use the model number prefix to pick the right one.
About Kenmore
- The Kenmore name first appeared on a Sears washing machine in 1927.
- Kenmore went on sale on Amazon in July 2017, its first broad sale outside Sears stores.
- Transformco, formed in 2019 to buy Sears Holdings’ assets, owns the Kenmore brand.
- In September 2026 Curtis International took an exclusive North American license to make and sell Kenmore appliances, including refrigeration. The first products were due in late 2026.
Sources: Kenmore (brand) - Wikipedia, Sears Launches Kenmore Products On Amazon.com, Including Alexa-Enabled Smart Appliances - Transformco, Curtis lands Kenmore appliance license for North America - HomePage News
Whirlpool plant, year and week
Used 1970s to today. Example: C60842986
The serial starts with a plant code of one or two letters. The next character is the year and the two digits after it are the week. Year codes repeat: digits stand for the 1970s, 1980s or 2010s, and the 1990s letters came back in 2020.
Worked example: VF71042765 fits Week 10 of 1977 (around March) or Week 10 of 1987 (around March) or Week 10 of 2017 (around March). The page above explains how to tell which.
The full lookup tables are on the Whirlpool page, since Kenmore uses the same code.
Sources: Whirlpool service manual W11197006, model and serial nomenclature (PDF), Whirlpool service manual W11174422, wall ovens (PDF), Electrical-Forensics: Whirlpool date codes
Electrolux plant, product, year digit and week
Used 1986 to today. Example: 3F91400621
The first character is the plant and the second letter is the product type. The third character is the last digit of the year, and the fourth and fifth are the week. The decade is not in the serial, so one code fits a year in each decade.
Worked example: VF71042765 fits Week 10 of 1987 (around March) or Week 10 of 1997 (around March) or Week 10 of 2007 (around March) or Week 10 of 2017 (around March). The page above explains how to tell which.
The full lookup tables are on the Whirlpool page, since Kenmore uses the same code.
Sources: Electrical-Forensics: Electrolux date codes, Building Intelligence Center: Frigidaire
GE month and year letters
Used 1970 to today. Example: LR821547C
The first letter is the month and the second letter is the year, followed by six digits and usually one more letter. The year letters repeat every 12 years, so the same code fits several dates.
Worked example: LR821547C fits June 1972 or June 1984 or June 1996 or June 2008 or June 2020. The page above explains how to tell which.
The full lookup tables are on the Whirlpool page, since Kenmore uses the same code.
Sources: GE Appliances: how to determine the age of your appliance, Monogram: how to determine the age of your appliance, Electrical-Forensics: GE date codes
LG year digit and month
Used mid-1990s to today. Example: 603KWWZ73713
LG says the serial starts with three digits: the last digit of the year, then the month as two digits. The decade is not in the serial, so 603 can mean March 2006 or March 2016.
Worked example: 603KWWZ73713 fits March 1996 or March 2006 or March 2016 or March 2026. The page above explains how to tell which.
Sources: LG: how to find my model and serial number, Electrical-Forensics: LG date codes
Samsung year and month at characters 8 and 9
Used 2001 to today. Example: 0AHQ4BBGB00337B
On the 15-character serial, character 8 is a year letter and character 9 is the month, 1 to 9 then A, B, C for October to December. Samsung does not publish this code, but repair references agree on it.
Worked example: 0AHQ4BBGB00337B was built November 2015, so it is 10 years, 11 months old as of October 2026.
The full lookup tables are on the Whirlpool page, since Kenmore uses the same code.
Sources: Electrical-Forensics: Samsung date codes, Tab-TV: decoding Samsung washer serial numbers, ApplianceWorth: Samsung age lookup