- Written by ApplianceWorth Editorial Team
- Technically reviewed by Victor — appliance technician
- Applies to Speed Queen appliances
- Date formats covered 1
- Sources Manufacturer service documentation, field-repair experience and owner-confirmed serial numbers · Methodology · Report a correction
How Speed Queen serial numbers encode the date
Speed Queen 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:
Year and production week
The first two digits are the year and the next two are the production week of that year (1–53), which we convert to an approximate month.
Two-digit years up to 79 are read as 20xx; higher values are read as 19xx.
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 March 2002 · production week 12 · medium confidence
The first two digits are the year — 2002 — which every source agrees on. Sources disagree on whether the next pair is the production week or the month, so the month is shown as an approximation rather than a fact.
Where to find the Speed Queen 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:
| Speed Queen appliance | Where the rating label usually is |
|---|---|
| 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. |
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 Speed Queen appliance age
How old is my Speed Queen washer?
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 Speed Queen serial number contain the manufacture date?
Yes, but encoded rather than printed. Speed Queen 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 Speed Queen 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. It sits on the same label as the model number. Photograph it — misreading one character is the usual reason a lookup fails.
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