Kenmore Serial Number Decoder: All OEM Manufacturers Covered

Why Kenmore Serial Numbers Are Different from Every Other Brand

Walk up to a Whirlpool washer and every unit in history uses the same serial format. Do the same with a Kenmore washer and you might be looking at a Whirlpool, an LG, or a Frigidaire wearing a Kenmore badge. The serial number formats for those three manufacturers are completely different — and applying the wrong decoder produces wrong results.

Sears has sold appliances under the Kenmore name since 1927, but Sears has never manufactured a single appliance. Instead, Sears contracted with whichever OEM offered the best price and quality for each category in each decade. That supplier mix changed repeatedly. The result: a washer and a refrigerator both labeled "Kenmore" sitting in the same house could have been made by entirely different companies using entirely different serial date codes.

The fix is a 3-step process: find your model prefix, identify the OEM, then apply that OEM's serial decoder. This guide covers all four major OEM groups with worked examples.

Step 1 — Identify the OEM Using Your Model Number Prefix

The model number — not the serial number — is your starting point. Every Kenmore model number begins with a 3-digit OEM code, usually followed by a period. For example: 110.24922600 — the "110" is the prefix. On older label formats the period is sometimes omitted, but the first three digits still identify the OEM.

Where to find your Kenmore model number: check the same label that carries the serial number — they appear together. Common locations by appliance type:

• Refrigerator: Interior right-hand wall of the fresh-food compartment, near the top
• Top-load washer: Inside the lid opening on the right rear rim, or on the back panel
• Front-load washer / dryer: Inside the door frame (door jamb), or behind the lower kickplate
• Dishwasher: Left or right inner door edge when door is opened
• Range / oven: Storage drawer frame left side, inside the broiler drawer, or back panel

Once you have the first three digits, match them in the table below to identify the OEM. Then jump to the corresponding OEM section for the exact decode formula.

Complete Kenmore Model Prefix Reference Table

Sears changed OEM suppliers periodically. A prefix may have had a different manufacturer in a different decade. The table above reflects the dominant supplier relationship for units currently in service. If your prefix isn't listed, consult ApplianceAid's Sears code list for older and specialty prefixes.

Whirlpool-Built Kenmore (Prefixes 106, 110, 111, 562, 665)

Whirlpool has been Kenmore's largest manufacturing partner across virtually every major appliance category. The Whirlpool serial scheme encodes a year letter and a two-digit production week number. The letter set repeats on a 12-year cycle, so one letter can map to up to three plausible years — see the decade resolution section.

The most important rule: which position holds the year letter depends on whether the serial is 9 or 10 digits long.

• 9-digit serial: Position 2 = year letter · Positions 3–4 = production week (01–52)
• 10-digit serial: Position 3 = year letter · Positions 4–5 = production week

Always count total characters before decoding. Mixing up the 9-digit and 10-digit formats is the single most common error on Whirlpool-scheme Kenmore units, producing a date that can be off by a decade.

Letters I, O, Q, U, W, Y, Z are not used to avoid confusion with numerals. For the full authoritative chart including all letters from 1983 forward, see our Whirlpool decoder post or Lumaye Consulting.

Worked example — 9-digit Kenmore 110 top-load washer:

• Model: 110.24922600 → Prefix 110 = Whirlpool
• Serial: CX2203456 (count: 9 characters → use 9-digit format)
• Position 1 (C): Division / factory plant code — not a date
• Position 2 (X): Year letter X → 2007, 2019, or 2031
• Positions 3–4 (22): Production week → Week 22 (early June)
• Decade resolved by model introduction date → Manufactured Week 22, 2019

GE-Built Kenmore (Prefixes 362, 363, 364, 630)

Kenmore ranges and dishwashers from the 1970s through the early 2000s were predominantly GE-built. GE's serial date code uses the simplest convention of any major OEM: the first letter = month, second letter = year. No counting from position 3 or 5 — always the first two characters, regardless of total serial length.

The second letter is the year code, repeating on a 12-year cycle. See our full GE serial decoder for the complete year letter chart covering 1965–2026.

Worked example — Kenmore 363 gas range:

• Model: 363.57290100 → Prefix 363 = GE
• Serial: GR123456
• Position 1 (G): Month = April
• Position 2 (R): Year = 1999, 2011, or 2023 (GE year chart)
• Decade resolved by model design era → April 1999

Frigidaire-Built Kenmore (Prefixes 253, 417, 790, 970)

Frigidaire (now owned by Electrolux Group) built most Kenmore chest freezers and many Kenmore refrigerators (prefix 253), plus most Kenmore front-load laundry pairs from the mid-2000s onward (prefix 417). Frigidaire's serial scheme is positional and digit-based rather than letter-based:

• 3rd character of the serial: last digit of the manufacture year
• 4th and 5th characters: two-digit production week (01–52)
• Positions 1–2 are factory plant codes with no date significance

The critical limitation: a "3" in position 3 could mean 1993, 2003, 2013, or 2023. The decade is not encoded in the serial at all. Use the model's product generation to resolve it — see the decade section below.

Worked example — Kenmore 253 chest freezer:

• Model: 253.16422600 → Prefix 253 = Frigidaire
• Serial: XA30412345
• Positions 1–2 (XA): Factory plant codes — not date information
• Position 3 (3): Year digit → 2003, 2013, or 2023
• Positions 4–5 (04): Production week → Week 4 (late January)
• Decade resolved by model introduction year (launched 2011) → Week 4, 2013

LG-Built Kenmore (Prefixes 795, 796)

LG became a major Kenmore supplier starting in the late 2000s — primarily for premium French door and 3-door refrigerators (795) and high-efficiency front-load laundry pairs (796). LG's serial format is the most immediately readable of all four OEM groups: pure digits, no letter codes needed.

• 1st digit: Last digit of the manufacture year
• 2nd–3rd digits: Two-digit manufacture month (01 = January through 12 = December)
• Digits 4–12: Factory plant code and sequential unit number — no date information

LG serials are always exactly 12 characters. If your serial has a different length, you are likely reading the model number. On Kenmore appliances, the model number and serial number appear on the same label and start with similar-looking characters — the model always includes a decimal point after the first three digits, while the LG serial does not.

Worked example — Kenmore 795 French door refrigerator:

• Model: 795.73157.610 → Prefix 795 = LG Electronics
• Serial: 603KWWZ73713 (12 characters)
• Position 1 (6): Year digit → 2006, 2016, or 2026
• Positions 2–3 (03): Month → March
• Decade resolved by product launch date (~2011) → March 2016

For the full LG month chart and decade resolution methods, see our LG serial number decoder.

Resolving the Decade Ambiguity (Applies to All Four OEMs)

Every OEM scheme encodes only a partial year — either the last digit or a letter repeating every 12 years. No Kenmore serial under any OEM encodes the full four-digit year. Here are three reliable methods to lock the correct decade:

1. Owner's manual print date: The manual is printed within 1–2 years of manufacture. If the manual shows copyright "2013," the unit is 2013 or 2014, not 2003.
2. Model introduction date: A specific model series cannot have been manufactured before it was designed. If your Kenmore 795 refrigerator series first appeared in 2012, a year digit of "3" must be 2013, not 2003.
3. Physical design era: White/almond plastic handles → typically 1990s to early 2000s. Brushed stainless with digital touch controls → 2010+. Built-in WiFi app connectivity → 2015 at the earliest.

ApplianceIQ resolves decade context automatically by cross-referencing model series launch dates — enter any Kenmore model number at app.appliance-IQ.com. The free tier includes 25 lookups per month with no credit card required.

Where to Find the Serial Number Label on Kenmore Appliances

Kenmore label placement follows the same conventions as the OEM that built the unit. Here are confirmed locations by appliance type:

On older Kenmore units (pre-1995), labels often fade. Photographing the label with your phone's flash — or using a UV / blacklight pen — can reveal characters that appear blank in normal lighting.