How to Find Your Appliance’s Model Number Before Searching

Find the official rating plate

Use the appliance’s official rating plate, also called a data badge. Marketing badges on the front, energy-guide stickers, receipts, and manual covers may identify a product series rather than the exact appliance revision needed for accurate documentation or error-code information.

Look for a field labeled MOD, Model, or E-Nr. Copy the complete alphanumeric model code exactly, including slashes, dashes, and revision suffixes. Also record the serial number, which may be labeled SER, SN, or FD; factory revisions can affect error definitions and wiring layouts.

• Some modern appliances have a QR code on the rating plate that you can scan with a smartphone to reach product documentation from the manufacturer.

Refrigerator, freezer, and dishwasher locations

Check these areas during normal use, opening doors or sliding out drawers as needed:

A dishwasher plate is generally visible when its door is open. Do not dismantle anything to reach a label.

• Refrigerators and freezers: the upper interior side wall or ceiling of the fresh-food compartment; the cabinet wall behind the lower salad or crisper drawer; or the lower door frame or kickplate.
• Dishwashers: the upper rim or side edge of the stainless-steel inner door, or the outer tub frame visible when the door is open flat.

Laundry, cooking, and microwave locations

For washers and dryers, check the door or lid opening and other visible areas. For ranges and ovens, check around the oven cavity frame or the lower drawer area only when it is safe to do so.

A cooktop label may be underneath the burner box, accessible from inside the lower cabinet; do not take apart a cooktop or access an enclosed area to look for it. A countertop microwave label may be on its rear exterior, but do not move an appliance if doing so could strain a connection.

• Top-load washers: underside of the lid near the hinges, or the lower exterior cabinet base.
• Front-load washers: inside the door opening on the cabinet tub frame, or around the inner perimeter of the door.
• Dryers: the inner rim of the door cavity or the upper door-opening perimeter.
• Ranges and ovens: around the oven cavity frame behind the door seal, or on the side rail or inner wall of the lower broiler or storage drawer.
• Microwaves: inside the door frame or cavity face, along the interior oven wall, or on the rear exterior of countertop models.

Keep the inspection within safe limits

Inspect only areas accessible during routine operation, such as by opening doors, sliding out drawers, or looking at visible exterior trim. Make sure a range or oven is completely cool before reaching near hinges, drawer rails, or frames.

Do not drag a freestanding appliance across a finished floor or strain flexible water, drain, or gas supply lines to see a rear label.

When to stop and call a qualified technician

Do not dismantle cabinets or panels to find a plate. If it is behind a hardwired rear panel, underneath a drop-in cooktop, or inside an enclosed structure, leave it in place rather than opening panels, electrical junction boxes, or ventilation cowlings.

Do not access areas containing live electrical terminals, sealed refrigeration tubing, or gas-train components. If reading the label requires moving built-in, heavy, hardwired, or plumbed equipment—such as a built-in oven or gas range—defer finding it and any subsequent diagnostics to a qualified service technician.

Frequently asked questions