Who Makes Kenmore Refrigerators? How to Find the Real Manufacturer
Kenmore has never built its own refrigerators. Kenmore fridges are made under contract by major appliance companies, mostly Whirlpool, LG and Frigidaire (Electrolux), and the three digits before the dot in your model number usually tell you which one built yours. A model starting with 106 is typically a Whirlpool, 795 is typically an LG, and 253 is typically a Frigidaire.
That small detail decides a lot. The company behind your fridge designed its shelves, its ice maker and its water filter housing, so it also decides which replacement parts and filters will fit.
A Store Brand With Several Factories Behind It
Kenmore started as a Sears house brand. Sears never ran refrigerator plants of its own. Instead, it asked established manufacturers to build fridges to its specs and then put the Kenmore badge on the door.
Over the decades, the list of suppliers changed. A Kenmore from the 1990s and a Kenmore from the 2010s can come from entirely different companies, even if they look similar on the showroom floor.
Who Owns the Kenmore Name Today?
Sears Holdings filed for bankruptcy in October 2018, and Transformco bought its remaining assets, including the Kenmore brand, in early 2019. The brand still works the same way it always has: Kenmore refrigerators are designed and built by outside manufacturers.
The Three Main Builders
Most Kenmore refrigerators in American kitchens came from one of these three companies:
- Whirlpool: the longest-running supplier. Whirlpool built Kenmore appliances for most of the brand’s history, including a huge number of side-by-side and top-freezer fridges, before the partnership wound down in the late 2010s.
- LG: the builder behind many Kenmore and Kenmore Elite French door and side-by-side models from the 2000s onward.
- Frigidaire (Electrolux): a regular supplier of Kenmore top-freezer, side-by-side and some French door models.
If you’ve ever opened a Kenmore and thought the crisper drawers or filter cover looked just like a Whirlpool or LG, you weren’t imagining it. You were looking at that company’s design with a different name on the front.
Other Companies That Built Some Kenmore Models
Samsung, GE and a few other manufacturers also made some Kenmore appliances over the years, including a number of Kenmore Elite refrigerators. These are less common, and their prefixes are less consistent, so treat any maker outside the big three as something to confirm with your full model number rather than assume.
How to Read Your Kenmore Model Number
Your full model number is the most reliable clue to who built your fridge. It takes a minute to find, and it’s worth photographing so you have it whenever you need parts.
Where the Model Label Hides
On most Kenmore refrigerators, the rating label is inside the fresh food compartment. Work through these spots with a flashlight:
- Look along the inside ceiling, near the front.
- Check the upper left and right side walls.
- Look low on the side walls, beside or behind the crisper drawers.
- On some models, check the door frame or behind the kick plate at the bottom front.
A Kenmore model number has three digits, a dot, then a longer string of digits, for example 106.xxxxxxxx or 795.xxxxxxxx. Copy every character, not just the first few.
What the Prefix Usually Means
The three digits before the dot are a manufacturer code. These are the ones you’ll see most often:
- 106: usually Whirlpool
- 795: usually LG
- 253: usually Frigidaire or Electrolux
Sears never published an official prefix chart, and appliance technicians learned these codes from years of repairs. That makes the prefix a very strong clue, though not a guarantee, especially on older or unusual models.
When Your Prefix Isn’t on the List
If your prefix isn’t 106, 795 or 253, don’t guess. Pull out your current water filter and read the part number printed on it, since that often points straight to the original maker. You can also look up the full model number in your owner’s manual or on Kenmore’s support site, which lists the parts designed for it.
Why the Manufacturer Matters for Your Water Filter
The filter housing in your fridge was engineered by whoever built it. A Whirlpool-built Kenmore and an LG-built Kenmore take cartridges with different shapes, lengths and locking styles, and neither will fit the other’s housing.
The Prefix Narrows It Down, the Full Number Confirms It
Knowing the maker gets you to the right filter family, but each manufacturer has used several filter designs over the years. Two Whirlpool-built Kenmores can use completely different cartridges: one might slide into a housing in the upper corner, another might twist into the base grille.
That’s why the safest way to order is to match one of two numbers: the full refrigerator model number or the part number printed on your old cartridge. Our guide on how to find the right refrigerator water filter walks through both methods.
Choosing Between OEM and Compatible Filters
Once you know your filter, you have a choice. A genuine OEM filter is made by or for the original manufacturer. A certified compatible filter is built to fit the same housing and is WQA approved and tested to meet the same industry standards, usually at a lower price. Our article on OEM vs compatible refrigerator water filters explains how to compare them.
If tracking down your maker reminded you that the filter is overdue, browse our Kenmore refrigerator water filters. You’ll find genuine OEM and certified compatible options for less than the big-name retailers charge, and every order ships free.
What Else the Real Manufacturer Tells You
Knowing who built your fridge helps with more than filters. It tells you whose parts catalog, service procedures and common quirks apply to your model.
Kenmore Elite and Kenmore Pro Are Tiers, Not Makers
Kenmore Elite is the premium line and Kenmore Pro is the professional-style line. Neither name points to a single factory. LG built many Elite fridges, but other companies built Elite models too, so read the prefix on an Elite or Pro the same way you would on a standard Kenmore.
Repairs Follow the Original Design
A Kenmore shares most of its internal parts with the manufacturer’s own models from the same era. When a Whirlpool-built Kenmore has an ice maker or defrost problem, a technician will diagnose it like a Whirlpool. Give a repair tech your full model number up front and they can pull the right service information before they arrive.
Warranty and Support Questions
For warranty coverage, start with your purchase paperwork, then contact Kenmore’s support team with your model and serial numbers ready. Coverage is looked up by those numbers, not by the brand name on the door.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Kenmore and Whirlpool the same company?
No. They’re separate brands. Whirlpool built a large share of Kenmore refrigerators for many years, which is why so many Kenmores with a 106 prefix share parts with Whirlpool models.
Does LG make all Kenmore Elite refrigerators?
No. LG built a large number of them, especially models with a 795 prefix, but some Elite refrigerators came from other manufacturers. The model prefix is the quickest way to tell.
Is Frigidaire the same as Kenmore?
No. Frigidaire is a separate brand owned by Electrolux. It has built Kenmore refrigerators under contract, and those usually start with 253.
Can two Kenmore fridges with the same prefix use different filters?
Yes, often. A prefix tells you the maker, not the specific filter. Match the full model number or the old cartridge’s part number before you buy.
Match Your Kenmore With the Right Filter
Now that you know who built your fridge, the right filter is easy to pin down. Enter your old filter’s part number in our Cross Reference Filter Tool, or send us your Kenmore model number and our team will tell you exactly which cartridge fits. Shipping is free on every order.
