- 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 — never on the front of the appliance where you would look first. Where that label sits depends on what the appliance is:
| GE appliance | Where the rating label usually is |
|---|---|
| Refrigerator | Inside the fresh-food compartment on a side wall; near the upper shelf; behind crisper drawers; or on the exterior side/rear panel. |
| Washer | Front-load: on the cabinet or door frame behind the open door, near the hinge, or on the rear panel. Top-load: under the lid near a hinge, on the rear console, or near the water-inlet connections. |
| Dryer | Around the drum opening behind the door; on the cabinet side; or on the rear panel. |
| Dishwasher | On the left, right or top edge of the door; on the tub frame; sometimes on the kick plate. |
| Range / Oven | On the frame behind the oven door; behind the lower drawer; beneath the cooktop; or on the rear panel. |
| Microwave | Inside the door frame or cavity wall; on the vent grille housing for over-the-range models. |
Photograph the label rather than copying it by hand. The character that carries the year is one of about a dozen on the line, and a 0 read as an O costs you the lookup. Our label location guide has the same guidance for every brand.
Common questions about GE appliance age
How old is my GE refrigerator?
Read the serial number off the rating label and type it into the tool at the top of this page. It returns the month and year the unit left the factory, which is not the day it was sold: an appliance commonly spends six to twelve months between the production line and a kitchen, and clearance stock far longer.
Does a GE serial number contain the manufacture date?
Yes, but encoded rather than printed. GE carries the date in one format, where one character stands for the year and another for the month. The tables above name those positions, so you can check the tool's answer by hand.
Where is the serial number on a GE refrigerator?
Inside the fresh-food compartment on a side wall; near the upper shelf; behind crisper drawers; or on the exterior side/rear panel. It sits on the same label as the model number. Photograph it — misreading one character is the usual reason a lookup fails.
Why does the tool show more than one possible year?
GE reuses year characters on a cycle, so a single character cannot separate, say, 2005 from 2025. The tool shows the most recent year that has already passed and lists the alternatives rather than hiding the doubt. If you know roughly when the appliance was bought, the candidate nearest that date is the right one.
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