How old is my KitchenAid dryer?

Serial number age decoder for KitchenAid clothes dryers: 3 format eras, the decode rule in plain English, transcribed tables, and the official lookup.

• KitchenAid dryer serial numbers in the 1990 to present format encode the year as position 2 via table (table below) and the week as digits 3-4 (source: building-center.org).
• Example: serial MX040676 decodes to week 4 of 1990 or 2020.
• The 1990 to present format is ambiguous: Year code REUSES letters: 2020-2032 repeat the 1990-2002 letters (X..L), and 2011-2019 are digits, so a 1990s letter and a 2020s letter are indistinguishable without model era. 1970-1989 used a single digit (0-9 twice). Note: the building-center chart shows W=2019 which is almost certainly a typo for W=2009 (9=2019 on the same chart) - flag for verification against a second source. Maytag pre-2006 and Amana pre-2002 used their own formats (ESTIMATE, not fetched).
• KitchenAid dryer serial numbers in the 1990 to present format encode the year as single character after the plant letter(s); cycles every 30 years (1990-2019 = X,A-J,K-Y then digits 0-9 for 2010-2019; X,A.. again from 2020) and the week as the two digits after the year character (01-53) (source: building-center.org).
• Example: serial MX06404786 decodes to week 6 of 1990 or 2020.
• The 1990 to present format is ambiguous: TABLE CONFLICT for 1999-2010: building-center (the table already in formats.json) says I=1999 J=2000 K=2001 L=2002 M=2003 P=2004 R=2005 S=2006 T=2007 U=2008 W=2009 Y=2010; appliancedates says J=1999 K=2000 L=2001 M=2002 P=2003 R=2004 S=2005 T=2006 U=2007 W=2008 Y=2009 0=2010; Sears PartsDirect (official Sears, current) says J=1999 K=2000 L=2001 M=2002 N=2003 P=2004 R=2005 T=2006 U=2007 W=2008 Y=2009 0=2010. Two of three sources put K=2000, Y=2009 and 0=2010 (the building-center chart has no 0 and uses I, which Whirlpool otherwise skips) so treat the building-center table as off-by-one for 1999-2010 until a Whirlpool document settles it. All three agree X=1990..H=1998 and 1-9=2011-2019, X=2020, A=2021.. Letters repeat every 30 years, so model era is needed to pick 1991 vs 2021. Worked examples: MX06404786 = 2020 wk 6 (appliancedates, Maytag dryer MED7230HW0); MB1402320 = 1992 wk 14 (appliancedates Kenmore); RA01xxxx = wk 1 of 1991 or 2021, FM644xxxx = wk 44 of 1986 or 2016 (Sears).
• KitchenAid's official lookup at whirlpool.com returns unknown.

Format eras

• 1990 to present VERIFIED
  AA######position 2 via table: X=1990/2020 A=1991/2021 B=1992/2022 C=1993/2023 D=1994/2024 E=1995/2
• 1990 to present VERIFIED
  AA########single character after the plant letter(s); cycles every 30 years (1990-2019 = X,A-J,K-Y t
• 1970 to 1989 PARTIAL
  no date in serialsingle digit = last digit of year, used for both 1970-79 and 1980-89 (0=1970/1980 ... 9=19

How to read the serial

1990 to present formatVERIFIED

Shape AA###### · example MX040676 · confidence medium

Year

position 2 via table: X=1990/2020 A=1991/2021 B=1992/2022 C=1993/2023 D=1994/2024 E=1995/2025 F=1996/2026 G=1997/2027 H=1998/2028 I=1999/2029 J=2000/2030 K=2001/2031 L=2002/2032 M=2003 P=2004 R=2005 S=2006 T=2007 U=2008 W=2009 Y=2010 1=2011 2=2012 3=2013 4=2014 5=2015 6=2016 7=2017 8=2018 9=2019

Week or month

week = digits 3-4

Plant

letter 1 = plant code (e.g. M = Marion OH; table not published on the fetched page)

Example: serial MX040676 decodes to week 4 of 1990 or 2020.

Listed under Whirlpool in the source; KitchenAid is named in that format's family and the corporate link is an estimate, not a checked fact.

1990 to present formatVERIFIED

Shape AA######## · example MX06404786 · confidence medium

Year

single character after the plant letter(s); cycles every 30 years (1990-2019 = X,A-J,K-Y then digits 0-9 for 2010-2019; X,A.. again from 2020)

Week or month

week = the two digits after the year character (01-53)

Plant

leading letter = manufacturing division; a SECOND leading letter is added on units not built by Whirlpool (appliancedates) - Sears documents the LLYWW form

Example: serial MX06404786 decodes to week 6 of 1990 or 2020.

Listed under Whirlpool in the source; KitchenAid is named in that format's family and the corporate link is an estimate, not a checked fact.

1970 to 1989 formatPARTIAL

Year

single digit = last digit of year, used for both 1970-79 and 1980-89 (0=1970/1980 ... 9=1979/1989)

Week or month

week = digits after the year digit

Plant

leading letter(s) = manufacturing division

Listed under Whirlpool in the source; KitchenAid is named in that format's family and the corporate link is an estimate, not a checked fact.

Where the data plate is on a dryer

Inside the door opening on the frame, or on the back panel.

General guidance, not brand-specific: the owner's manual or the installer can point to the exact spot. See the data plate guide.

For scale only: the InterNACHI Standard Estimated Life Expectancy Chart for Homes lists Dryer (clothes) at 13 years of expected service (nachi.org). That chart is a guideline, not a prediction for your unit.

What we could not confirm

• KitchenAid is treated as sharing Whirlpool's format because the source lists it in that family; the corporate relationship itself is an estimate.
• The 1970 to 1989 format is only partially confirmed (PARTIAL).
• The 1970 to 1989 format is documented but not decodable here: no example serial.
• Building-center: Whirlpool style 1 (M X 04 0676) with the same 1990+/1970-89 charts. Kenmore prefix 666 = KitchenAid.

Sources

• https://www.building-center.org/whirlpool-appliances/
• img: whirlpool-1990-present-1.jpg + whirlpool-1970-to-1989.jpg (transcribed)
• https://appliancedates.com/MajorAppliances/WhirlpoolDateCodes.htmlofficial
• https://www.searspartsdirect.com/diy/article/how-to-find-the-age-of-your-kenmore-washer-or-dryerofficial
• https://www.searspartsdirect.com/diy/article/how-to-find-the-age-of-your-kenmore-refrigeratorofficial
• https://www.building-center.org/kitchen-aid-appliances/
• https://www.whirlpool.com/services/support.htmlofficial
• https://producthelp.kitchenaid.com/Product_Lookupofficial

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