Find Your Model Number

Your appliance's model number is the single most important piece of information on this entire site. Every parts-compatibility lookup and every repair guide is matched to a specific model number — not a nickname, not a color, not "the washer from the garage." The model number identifies the exact production version of your washer, dryer, refrigerator, dishwasher, range, or microwave, down to details like the door latch style or the control board revision. Get it right and a parts search takes thirty seconds. Copy it down wrong, or guess from a partial number, and you can end up looking at a part that looks identical to the one you need but will not connect, seat, or seal correctly.

Where to find the model and serial plate, appliance by appliance

Manufacturers hide this plate in a handful of predictable spots. Bring a flashlight, and use your phone's camera to zoom in on the sticker — the print is often small and can fade after years of heat, steam, and cleaning.

Top-load washer

Open the lid and check the underside of the lid itself. If it is not there, look at the back panel of the cabinet, usually along the top edge near where the water hoses connect.

Front-load washer

Open the door and look around the door opening — the metal or plastic frame that surrounds the rubber door boot. Most brands print or rivet the plate directly onto this frame, sometimes tucked slightly behind the door on the hinge side.

Dryer

Check three spots in order: inside the door opening (on the frame, similar to a front-load washer), behind the lint trap (pull the lint screen all the way out and look down into the slot), and on the back panel of the cabinet.

Refrigerator

Open the fridge compartment and check the ceiling or one of the interior side walls near the top. If it is not there, look in the crisper area — on the wall behind or above the produce drawers — or check behind the bottom grille, the kick-plate panel you can pop off near the floor.

Dishwasher

Open the door and look along the door's edge — the metal strip visible when the door is open — or along the inside rim of the tub near the top of the door opening.

Range or oven

Pull out the storage drawer at the bottom of the range and check the wall or floor behind it. If it is not there, open the oven door and check the door frame, or look at the back panel of the unit.

Microwave

Open the door and check inside the door frame. If you cannot find it there, look on the back of the unit, or — for an over-the-range model — check the underside where it mounts to the cabinet above the stove.

Model number vs. serial number: what is the difference?

The model number identifies the design — the specific version of a washer, dryer, or refrigerator that came off the assembly line. The serial number identifies one individual unit and usually encodes a manufacture date. Both are typically printed on the same plate, but they are not interchangeable. A parts-compatibility search needs the model number; the serial number mostly matters for warranty or manufacture-date questions. Model numbers are usually a mix of letters and numbers, roughly eight to fourteen characters long. Serial numbers are often all-numeric or begin with a date code. If you are looking at a plate and are not sure which string is which, look for the label that reads "Model," "Model No.," or "MOD" — not "Serial No." or "S/N."

What to do when the sticker is worn off or missing

Grease, steam, and years of wiping down the appliance can rub the print off a plate completely. If yours is unreadable, try these in order:

• Check the original paperwork. The owner's manual, the warranty card, or the box the appliance shipped in usually lists the full model number on the cover or the first page.
• Check the retailer's order history. If you bought the appliance online or with a store account, the order confirmation email or the retailer's order-history page usually lists the exact model.
• Check the manufacturer's registration. If you registered the appliance for warranty coverage, the manufacturer's website or account page usually has the model number on file.

If none of those options exist, a local appliance repair technician can sometimes identify a model from its features and a partial serial number, but that is a fallback guess, not a substitute for reading the actual plate.

Why a partial model number leads to the wrong part

Manufacturers frequently reuse a base model number across several production years and add a short suffix — a letter and one or two digits — to mark a mid-cycle revision, such as a redesigned door latch, a different control board, or a reshaped gasket. Two appliances that look identical and share the first eight characters of their model number can require two completely different check valves, sensors, or gaskets. Searching or ordering with only the first part of the number — because that is all you could read on a worn plate, or all you remembered from memory — is one of the most common reasons a part that appeared to match does not actually fit. Always copy down the complete string, suffix included, before you search.

A few extra tips

• Take a photo of the plate with your phone as soon as you find it, so you have a permanent, zoomable record even if the sticker keeps fading.
• If two similar-looking codes are printed close together, the shorter alphanumeric one is usually the model number and the longer, mostly numeric one is usually the serial number.
• Some plates also list a "PNC" or product number in addition to the model number — when in doubt, the field explicitly labeled "Model" is the one to use for a parts search.

Next step

Once you have your full model number, head to our tools to look up compatible parts and repair guides for your exact appliance.