Where to find the model number on a refrigerator

A refrigerator's model and serial label is a white or silver sticker, usually inside the fresh-food compartment near the top, where it's easy to miss behind a crisper drawer, a shelf or the milk. Built-in refrigerators are the exception: their tag is often by a hinge or a drawer instead.

Where the label usually is

Most fridges: open the fridge door and look high up on the inside side walls; some also have a second label low on the outside.

By brand

• Whirlpool, Maytag, KitchenAidOpen the fridge door; the label is inside on the left wall (on side-by-side models, the right wall).
• GE, Café, MonogramOpen the fresh-food door and look on the left or right wall near the top; on side-by-sides it can also be low by the crisper drawers.
• SamsungOpen the fridge door; the label is inside on the left wall, and a second one is outside at the bottom left.
• LGOpen the fridge door; the label is inside on the right wall (on newer models, the left wall).
• Frigidaire, ElectroluxOpen the fridge door; the label is high on the right wall inside (on top-freezer models, high on the left wall).
• Sub-ZeroOpen the door; the tag is on the inside of the door near the top hinge (on column and 700 models, inside the cabinet by the upper drawer).
• ThermadorOpen the door; the label is on an inside side wall near the door: upper right on French-door models, low on the left wall by the drawers on columns.

Each brand's spot is from that maker's own "where is my model number" page or manual, linked under Sources. Models vary, so if it isn't there, check the other spots above.

How to find and record the numbers

1. 1. Make it safeNothing to switch off just to read the label. If you pull the fridge out to look at the back, slide it straight and mind the water line.
2. 2. Look in the usual spot firstOpen the fridge door and look high up on the inside side walls; some also have a second label low on the outside.
3. 3. Find the two numbersLook for the words Model (or M/N, Mod.) and Serial (or S/N, Ser.). The model is the product; the serial is your one unit.
4. 4. Take a sharp photoUse the flashlight at an angle so the label doesn't glare, and get the whole label in the frame. A photo beats copying by hand: 0 and O, 1 and I, 5 and S are easy to mix up.
5. 5. Keep it where you'll find itSave the photo with the appliance's name, or write both numbers on the receipt or in your home records.

Model number or serial number?

The model number names the product: every unit of that model shares it, and it's what you need for the manual, replacement parts and recall searches. The serial number is your one unit. Makers use it for warranty claims, and many build the date it was made into it, which is how you can tell an appliance's age without the receipt. Each maker uses its own code for the date, so look up your brand's pattern or ask the maker before you trust a guess.

What you'll use it for

The model number is what makes a water filter fit: fridges with a filtered water dispenser or ice maker take a specific cartridge, and the model number is how you find it. It's also what you need for a replacement shelf, bin or door gasket, for the manual's coil-cleaning and filter intervals, and to check the model against recalls. If the fridge stops cooling and you call for service, have it ready: it saves a trip.

If the label isn't there

Take everything off the top shelf and look again, and check the wall behind the crisper drawers. On a side-by-side, check both the freezer and fresh-food walls. Then look outside: low on the left side, at the back, or behind the kick plate at the bottom front (pull it off gently; it usually snaps in). The manual or the receipt from the delivery may also list it.

Questions people ask