Every GE-built appliance starts its serial number with two letters: the first is the month (A=Jan, D=Feb, F=Mar, G=Apr, H=May, L=Jun, M=Jul, R=Aug, S=Sep, T=Oct, V=Nov, Z=Dec), the second is the year — repeating every 12 years. This covers GE, Hotpoint, Monogram, GE Profile, and GE Café.
The Two-Letter Rule
GE's serial encoding is arguably the cleanest of any major brand: the first letter is always the month and the second letter is always the year, in that order. Every subsequent character is a factory/sequence code and does not encode date information.
The letter set deliberately omits I, J, K, N, O, P, Q, U, W, X, Y to avoid look-alike confusion with numbers (0 vs O, 1 vs I). This leaves exactly 15 usable letters, 12 of which are assigned to months and years respectively.
Full Month Chart
| Letter | Month | Letter | Month |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | January | M | July |
| D | February | R | August |
| F | March | S | September |
| G | April | T | October |
| H | May | V | November |
| L | June | Z | December |
Year Chart (2001–2026)
| Letter | Years | Letter | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 1989, 2001, 2013, 2025 | M | 1995, 2007, 2019 |
| D | 1990, 2002, 2014, 2026 | R | 1996, 2008, 2020 |
| F | 1991, 2003, 2015 | S | 1997, 2009, 2021 |
| G | 1992, 2004, 2016 | T | 1998, 2010, 2022 |
| H | 1993, 2005, 2017 | V | 1999, 2011, 2023 |
| L | 1994, 2006, 2018 | Z | 2000, 2012, 2024 |
Worked Examples
Example 1: Serial begins HR → H = May, R = August? No — R is year letter, not month. So: H = May (month), R = 2020 (year). Manufactured May 2020.
Example 2: Serial LR821547C → L = June (month), R = 2020 (year). Manufactured June 2020.
Example 3 (ambiguous): Serial begins GA → G = April (month), A = 2001 or 2013 or 2025 (year). To disambiguate: check the owner's manual print date or the model's design era. An owner's manual printed "10-12" confirms a 2012–2013 manufacture date, making April 2013 the correct reading.
Sub-Brand Variations
All of the following brands use the identical GE two-letter month+year scheme:
- GE (all lines): GE, GE Profile, GE Café, GE Adora
- Hotpoint: acquired by GE; same encoding since the acquisition
- Monogram: confirmed by GE Monogram support documentation
- GE Canada (Camco, Moffat, McClary): same scheme
Where to Find the Serial Label by Appliance Type
- Refrigerator: Interior right wall, upper area near fresh-food section
- Range / Oven: Behind the storage drawer or behind the door on the frame
- Dishwasher: Inside door, top edge of the tub
- Washer: Inside the door opening on the lid or frame
- Dryer: Inside the door frame