Finding your number

Where the model number hides on your appliance

Every appliance carries a rating plate - a small sticker or metal tag with the model number on it. It is never on the front, which is why it takes a minute to find. Here is where to look, by appliance.

The number you need is the model number, not the serial number. Where two numbers sit side by side, the model is usually the shorter one, and often labelled MODEL or MOD.

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  Refrigerator

  Open both doors. The plate is usually on the left inside wall, low down and often hidden behind the bottom drawer, so pull the drawer out. On some French-door models it sits on the ceiling of the fresh-food compartment instead.

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  Washer

  Open the door. The plate is on the door frame itself - the ring of metal you see once the door swings clear - most often along the lower or side edge. On top-loaders, lift the lid and look under its rim.

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  Dryer

  Open the door. Look at the inside of the door opening, near the bottom. On some machines the plate is behind the lint filter instead: pull the filter out and look down into the slot.

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  Dishwasher

  Open the door all the way. The plate is on the edge of the door, on the left or right side - the narrow strip you can only see while the door is open.

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  Range & oven

  Open the oven door. The plate is on the frame around the opening, usually at one side. If it is not there, pull out the warming drawer at the bottom and look at its side wall.

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  Microwave

  Open the door and look at the inside of the frame. On an over-the-range unit that is the only place you will reach without taking it down; on a countertop unit the plate is usually on the back or the underside.

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  Cooktop

  The plate is on the underside of the body. On a slide-in unit you can often see it by opening the cabinet below and looking up; otherwise it is on the paperwork that came with the appliance.