--- title: "Find the freezer model plate on an upright, chest, column or drawer" description: "Top liners and side trim inside uprights, the back or left wall outside chests, drawer guides and cabinet ceilings on built-ins, and how to read a plate that is…" url: "https://freezerrepair.center/guides/find-the-freezer-model-plate/" date_modified: "2026-09-26" --- Troubleshooting # Find the freezer model plate on an upright, chest, column or drawer The freezer model number is printed on a rating plate or sticker. On an upright it is usually inside, along the top liner or the side trim; on a chest it is often on the outside, on the back or a side wall; on built-in columns and undercounter drawers it sits inside the cabinet, near a drawer or on the ceiling. By [FreezerRepair.center technical team](https://freezerrepair.center/authors/technical-team/) Published September 26, 2026 ## At a glance. Every freezer carries a small plate or sticker with its model and serial numbers, and makers put it in different places depending on whether the freezer is an upright, a chest, a built-in column or a drawer. Finding it takes a minute once you know where to look, and it saves a technician a second trip. Read the whole guide ### GE upright freezers On the top inner liner, toward the front From GE's FUF14, FUF17 and FUF21 manual. ### GE chest freezers On the back, at the top center From GE's FCM5 and FCM7 manual. ### Frigidaire chest freezers Left outside wall, above the access panel Frigidaire's own support article. ### What else the plate carries The electrical rating GE asks that the outlet's voltage match the rating plate. In this guide 1. Why the model number decides so much 2. Where the freezer model number is on each kind of freezer 3. Reading the plate once you have found it 4. When the plate is frosted, worn or missing 5. Step by step 6. Questions ## Why the model number decides so much Two freezers that look identical from the front can use different fans, heaters, gaskets and controls, and makers change parts partway through a model's life without changing its appearance. The model number, and sometimes the serial number as well, tells a technician which parts list and which service information apply. Without it, a repair can mean one visit to look and another to fit. It also opens the owner's manual, which answers most questions about settings, alarms and normal sounds, and it lets you check whether a freezer has been recalled. CPSC keeps a public list of recalls, and recall notices name the affected models. - Ordering a gasket, basket, shelf or lid part that actually fits. - Downloading the right owner's manual and wiring information. - Checking the recall list before a repair. - Booking a visit so the likely parts come on the first trip. Source: [CPSC — Recalls](https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls) — CPSC publishes a public list of product recalls ## Where the freezer model number is on each kind of freezer Start in the place that fits your type of freezer, then widen the search. Bring a flashlight: most plates are small, silver or white, and tucked where the light is poor. ### Upright freezers Open the door and look up and along the sides. GE places the numbers on the top inner liner of its uprights, toward the front. Frigidaire puts the model number of its uprights along the interior side trim, where it shows as soon as the door opens. If neither spot shows anything, lift out the top basket and check the side walls behind it. ### Chest freezers A chest is the type most likely to carry its plate outside. GE places it at the top center of the back of its chest freezers, which usually means sliding the freezer a little away from the wall. Frigidaire's chest freezers show the model number on the left outside wall, above the access panel near the floor. If the back and sides are bare, look under the rim of the lid as well. ### Built-in freezer columns and undercounter drawers Built-in models hide the plate inside the cabinet because the outside is covered by cabinetry or a panel. Sub-Zero puts the rating plate of its Designer freezer column behind a drawer, near the drawer guide on the side away from the hinge. On its Designer undercounter units the plate is on the ceiling inside the cabinet, near the left side, and on other undercounter models in the upper left area inside. Other makers of freezer drawers and panel-ready columns follow the same idea. Pull the top drawer all the way out and shine the flashlight along the side walls and the ceiling of the opening, then check behind the toe grille if the manual allows it to be unclipped without tools. Leave any grille held by screws alone. Close on a blank metal plate with no characters on the inner wall of an upright freezer. ## Reading the plate once you have found it The plate usually carries two long strings of letters and digits, marked model and serial, along with the voltage, the current draw and the refrigerant type. The model number describes the design; the serial number identifies your particular freezer and often encodes when it was built. Copy both exactly, including any letters after a slash or dash, because those suffixes often mark a color or a production change. The electrical figures matter too. According to GE, the outlet a freezer uses should carry a voltage rating matching the figure on that plate. The refrigerant line tells a technician which sealed-system procedures apply; many current freezers use isobutane, which is flammable and handled with specific precautions. Source: [GE Appliances — Upright no-frost freezers owner's manual, FUF14, FUF17 and FUF21 (49-60763)](https://images.salsify.com/image/upload/s--IW0JdO1p--/dabb50f3437587ea65b07876cf2ec0977cfc4c56.pdf) — Model and serial numbers on the top inner case liner toward the front; plug into an outlet whose voltage rating matches the rating plate; isobutane refrigerant ## When the plate is frosted, worn or missing Plates inside a freezer often end up under frost or ice. Do not chip at it with a knife or scraper, because the liner and the tubing behind it are close by. Wipe it with a cloth dipped in warm water and let it dry for a moment before photographing it, or wait until the next defrost if it is buried in a chest. If the plate has faded, peeled or been painted over, look for the same numbers elsewhere: the owner's manual, a registration card, the delivery paperwork, a sticker on the original carton or the store's order history. A technician can often identify the model from its parts, but a visit that starts with that step takes longer. - Photograph the plate straight on, with the flash off if it is shiny. - Take a second photo of the whole freezer so the type is obvious. - Save both where you keep the manual, and send them when booking. - Never pry a plate off or peel a sticker to read it better. ## Where to stop Stop if reaching the plate would mean sliding a heavy chest across a cushioned floor, tilting a full upright or pulling a built-in column or undercounter unit out of its opening. Those moves damage floors, cords and cabinetry and can hurt your back. Empty a chest before moving it a few inches, and for a built-in model, send a photo of the inside and let the technician find the plate on arrival. Written by [FreezerRepair.center technical team](https://freezerrepair.center/authors/technical-team/). Freezer technicians who write from what they measure at the cabinet, the evaporator and the compressor, checked against each maker's manuals. Sources: [GE Appliances — Upright no-frost freezers owner's manual, FUF14, FUF17 and FUF21 (49-60763)](https://images.salsify.com/image/upload/s--IW0JdO1p--/dabb50f3437587ea65b07876cf2ec0977cfc4c56.pdf) · [GE Appliances — Chest freezers owner's manual, FCM5 and FCM7 (49-1000422)](https://images.salsify.com/image/upload/s--fcj52nDz--/2f9b9398f77cb3c2bac69146f5f5a31a76feecd4.pdf) · [Frigidaire — Where can I find my model and serial number?](https://owner.frigidaire.com/support-articles/article/1858491-where-can-i-find-my-model-and-serial-number-) · [Sub-Zero — Serial tag locations](https://www.subzero-wolf.com/assistance/answers/sub-zero/common/sub-zero-serial-tag-locations) · [CPSC — Recalls](https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls) ## Step by step. Four steps, in the order worth doing them. 01 ### Identify the type Decide whether you have an upright, a chest, a built-in column or an undercounter freezer or drawer. 02 ### Check the usual spot Look inside an upright along the top liner and side trim, and outside a chest on the back or left side. 03 ### Widen the search Lift out baskets or drawers, look under a chest's lid rim and check the ceiling of a drawer cabinet. 04 ### Clear and photograph Wipe away frost with a warm cloth, then photograph the plate straight on and write down both numbers. For the heart of your home. ## Questions owners ask. ### Is the number on the receipt the same as the one on the plate? Usually, but stores sometimes print a shortened version or their own item code. The plate is the one to trust, since it matches the parts and service information. ### The plate lists two model numbers. Which one do I give? Give both. Some freezers are sold under a retailer's brand with a manufacturer's model beside it, and either can be the key to the right parts. ### Can the serial number show how old the freezer is? Often yes, since many makers code the year and month into it, but each maker uses its own scheme. The manufacturer's support line or website can decode it from the full serial. ## The problems behind it. Each has a page of its own: what it usually means and the causes in the order worth checking. [All 17 problems](https://freezerrepair.center/problems/) Problem ### Freezer Error Code 7 causes, cheapest first Food at risk now ### Standalone Freezer Not Freezing 6 causes, cheapest first Problem ### Freezer Light Out 4 causes, cheapest first ## When it needs a technician. The repairs on the right are where this guide ends when the checks do not settle it. ### Freezer diagnostic visit A visit that starts with the food and the room the freezer stands in, then works through the seal, the airflow, the defrost and the compressor until one part is named. ### Freezer door and lid gasket replacement Fitting a new magnetic seal on an upright or column door, a chest lid or a freezer drawer, and aligning it so the cabinet closes airtight again. ### Freezer hinge, lid and latch repair Fixing a sagging door hinge, a chest lid that will not stay up or slams shut, a broken lock or latch, or drawer rails bent under the weight of frozen food. ## More in troubleshooting. The checks an owner can make on a freezer without taking a risk, from reading its temperature and testing the door seal to restarting it after an outage, and the point where it is time to stop and book. [The whole section](https://freezerrepair.center/guides/troubleshooting/) Freezer checks an owner can safely make ### Freezer checks before booking a visit: ten minutes, no tools An overnight thermometer reading, the outlet and breaker, a dial on Off or a demo mode, a flashlight around the seal and the gaps around the cabinet, in the order that finds the most. Freezer checks an owner can safely make ### How to reset a freezer after a power cut and see it recover Keeping it shut through the outage, the delayed restart that is normal, tripped outlets, alarms that flash after the power fails and the four hours an upright needs to cool down. Guides ### All 18 guides Six sections, by what you are trying to find out. --- **[Read on the site: Find the freezer model plate on an upright, chest, column or drawer](https://freezerrepair.center/guides/find-the-freezer-model-plate/)** **[Book a visit with FreezerRepair.center](https://freezerrepair.center/schedule/)**