Why nothing moves without it
Two refrigerators that look the same in a showroom can share almost no parts, and the model number is what tells them apart.
Parts change partway through a production run
Manufacturers revise boards, fans, valves and gaskets partway through a production run, and the model number, sometimes with a revision suffix at the end, is how a supplier knows which version you have. A technician who arrives without it can diagnose the problem but may not be able to order the right part until after the visit.
It decides which documentation applies
The same display message can mean different things on different product lines, and the tables in our error code library are only useful once the model is known. That is why this page is linked from so much of the site.
Source: Sears PartsDirect (Kenmore parts) — How to find your appliance model number — Kenmore prefix names the builder; 790 Frigidaire, 795 LG; suffixes mark revisions
The refrigerator model number location, type by type
Labels are usually a white or silver sticker, sometimes a small metal plate, showing the model, the serial number and electrical ratings. It is placed where it will survive cleaning but stay visible with the door open, which narrows the search considerably.
The refrigerator model number location varies more by style than by brand, so start from the table below and look where your type usually puts it.
| Type | Look here first | Also check |
|---|---|---|
| French door | Inside the fresh-food section on the left or right wall, near the top by the light | Low down behind the crisper drawers |
| Side-by-side | The fresh-food side, high on the wall nearest the center divider or on the ceiling | Some also carry a copy on the back of the cabinet |
| Top and bottom freezer | The fresh-food wall near the top | Behind the crispers; the freezer compartment rarely carries it |
| Built-in | Near the top of the fresh-food compartment, on the ceiling or upper side wall | On some makes, the frame behind the top grille |
| Column | Inside each column's own cabinet, usually on an upper side wall | A pair means two labels and two model numbers |
| Undercounter | An inside side wall or the ceiling | On some units, the frame behind the lower grille or toe kick |
Source: Sears PartsDirect (Kenmore parts) — How to find the age of your Kenmore refrigerator — Label on upper side wall or ceiling; serial encodes production date; GE Appliances — side-by-side refrigerator owner's manual 49-60198 — Side-by-side label at the top right of the fresh-food compartment; GE Monogram — 36, 42 and 48-inch built-in side-by-side owner's manual — Built-in label above the freezer compartment, behind the grille panel
What the major makes tend to do
Brand habits are a useful second clue once you know where your type usually puts the label.
Kenmore and the three-digit prefix
Kenmore is the special case. Kenmore models are built by other manufacturers, and the model number carries a three-digit prefix before a dot that identifies the actual builder. Kenmore's own parts site names two of them:
- 790: Frigidaire.
- 795: LG.
Why the prefix matters most
That prefix decides which parts catalog applies, so it matters more on a Kenmore than any other part of the number.
Source: Sears PartsDirect (Kenmore parts) — How to find your appliance model number — Kenmore prefix names the builder; 790 Frigidaire, 795 LG; suffixes mark revisions; GE Appliances — side-by-side refrigerator owner's manual 49-60198 — Side-by-side label at the top right of the fresh-food compartment
What the serial number is for
The serial number identifies your individual unit rather than the design. It answers questions the model number cannot:
- How old the appliance is: most manufacturers encode the production date and factory in it, so a technician does not have to guess.
- Which mid-run revisions it already has.
- Whether a recall covers it.
- Whether any service bulletin a maker has issued on a batch applies to it.
- Whether the manufacturer's own coverage still applies.
Decoding the production date
Keep the serial with the model number; one without the other answers only half the questions.
Where a maker publishes a date key, the first few characters of the serial usually carry the year and month. Do not rely on decoding it yourself; it differs between manufacturers and has changed over the decades, and we read it as part of the visit.
Source: Sears PartsDirect (Kenmore parts) — How to find the age of your Kenmore refrigerator — Label on upper side wall or ceiling; serial encodes production date
Photographing the label so it can be read
Labels inside refrigerators are often small, glossy and half-hidden behind a shelf lip, and a quick phone photo comes out blurred or bleached by the flash. This order gets a readable picture the first time:
- Take the shelves or drawers in front of the label out.
- Wipe the label dry.
- Turn the flash off and leave the interior light on.
- Take one wide photo, straight on, so it is clear where the label is.
- Take one from about eight inches, close enough to fill the frame.
- Zoom in on your own screen to confirm every character is sharp before you close the door.
- Save it in a note along with the purchase date, and you will never need to empty the crisper for this again.
