- Written by ApplianceWorth Editorial Team
- Technically reviewed by Victor — appliance technician
- Applies to GE appliances
- Date formats covered 1
- Sources Manufacturer service documentation, field-repair experience and owner-confirmed serial numbers · Methodology · Report a correction
How GE serial numbers encode the date
GE does not print the manufacture date in plain text on most units — it is encoded into the serial number. The decoder recognises one format for this brand:
Repeating letter date code
The 2nd character of the serial number is the year code. The 1st character is the month.
Applies to serial numbers of at least 2 characters.
| Year code | Means |
|---|---|
| F | 1991 · 2003 · 2015 · 2027 |
| G | 1980 · 1992 · 2004 · 2016 · 2028 |
| H | 1981 · 1993 · 2005 · 2017 · 2029 |
| L | 1982 · 1994 · 2006 · 2018 · 2030 |
| M | 1983 · 1995 · 2007 · 2019 · 2031 |
| R | 1984 · 1996 · 2008 · 2020 · 2032 |
| S | 1985 · 1997 · 2009 · 2021 |
| T | 1986 · 1998 · 2010 · 2022 |
| V | 1987 · 1999 · 2011 · 2023 |
| Z | 1988 · 2000 · 2012 · 2024 |
| A | 1989 · 2001 · 2013 · 2025 |
| D | 1990 · 2002 · 2014 · 2026 |
Month codes for this format
| Code | Month |
|---|---|
| A | January |
| D | February |
| F | March |
| G | April |
| H | May |
| L | June |
| M | July |
| R | August |
| S | September |
| T | October |
| V | November |
| Z | December |
Worked examples
Each example below is decoded by the same engine that powers the tool on this page, so what you see here is exactly what you would get by typing it in.
This tool returns August 2018 · medium confidence
The same code could also mean 1982, 1994, 2006.
Worked example matching GE's documented month and year letter codes.
This tool returns December 2020 · medium confidence
The same code could also mean 1984, 1996, 2008.
Owner confirmed December 1996, not 2020 — the true year is one of the alternates listed above.
The month is exact. The year letter repeats every 12 years, and here the true year is two cycles back from the newest one — the clearest illustration of why we list the alternates instead of showing a single number.
Why the year can be ambiguous
GE reuses the same year character across repeating cycles, so one character on its own cannot pin down an absolute year. When that happens the tool picks the most recent year that has already occurred, marks the result medium confidence, and lists the other years the same code could mean.
Where to find the GE serial number
The serial number is printed on the rating label, usually alongside the model number. Depending on the appliance it may be inside the door frame, under the lid, behind a drawer or on the rear panel. Our label location guide shows where to look for each appliance type.
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