Where to find your fridge water filter reference

Before ordering a replacement cartridge, it helps to know exactly where manufacturers print the reference you need, since it is rarely in just one place.

The four usual locations

Location	What you will see
On the old cartridge itself	A code printed or moulded directly into the plastic housing
On a sticker inside the fridge compartment, near the filter door	Sometimes the filter type, sometimes the fridge's own model number
On the fridge's rating plate	Usually on the side wall or ceiling of the fresh food compartment, or behind the salad drawer, giving the full model number rather than the filter code directly
In the user manual	Listed under consumables, spare parts, or water filter replacement

Step by step

Open the fresh food compartment and look for a small door or cover, usually top right or top left, marked with a water drop icon or the word filter.
If you find a cartridge, pull it out following the release method for your brand, either a quarter turn or a press catch, and read the code on it.
If there is no visible filter door inside the fridge, check the base grille at the front bottom, since several brands fit the cartridge there instead.
If neither location has a cartridge, check behind or underneath the fridge for an external filter fitted on the water supply pipe.
If you still cannot find a filter or a code, look for the fridge's rating plate and use the model number with the tool on our homepage.

What if the code has worn off?

On an old cartridge, printed text can fade or rub off after months in a damp compartment. If that has happened, use the fridge's own rating plate model number instead, since that is the more durable identifier, and search it with the tool on our homepage rather than guessing from the cartridge's shape alone.

Prepare the fridge before you read any label

Set aside 10 to 15 minutes, because most mistakes happen when the cartridge is read in poor light or while water is still dripping. Put a towel on the floor and keep a shallow bowl nearby. If the filter is inside the fresh food compartment, remove the upper shelf or the nearest door bin so that you have at least 20 cm of hand space in front of the housing.

Use a phone camera before you remove anything. Take one wide photo showing where the filter sits, then one close photo of every label you can see. A useful close photo is usually taken from 10 to 20 cm away, with the flash off if the plastic is glossy. If the code is moulded into black or white plastic, shine a torch across the surface at a low angle rather than straight at it. Raised lettering is often easier to read from a shadow than from direct light.

Have a torch, phone camera, dry cloth, towel, bowl, and pencil ready before you start.
Wash and dry your hands, because wet fingers can remove loose ink from an old label.
Photograph the cartridge before turning it, so you can refit it in the same orientation if needed.
Write down every code exactly as printed, including spaces, slashes, and letters before the numbers.
If the fridge has a water dispenser, run it for 5 seconds after refitting the old cartridge to check that it has locked back in place.

How to separate useful codes from surrounding text

A filter reference is usually short enough to fit on one line of the cartridge label. It may sit beside words such as model, type, cartridge, replacement, service, or filter. The fridge model number is usually longer and is found on the appliance label, not normally on the filter body. When both are available, record both. The filter code helps you identify the cartridge directly, while the fridge model number helps confirm the correct family of filters.

Do not rely on colour, cap shape, or overall length alone. Many cartridges look similar when seen from the front, but the locking lugs, seal position, and inlet spacing can differ by only a few millimetres. If two possible references differ by one character, treat them as different until checked. A zero and the letter O, or the number 1 and the letter I, are common sources of error.

Item to measure or record	Typical order of magnitude	Why it helps
Cartridge body length	About 10 cm to 30 cm	It helps distinguish a compact internal cartridge from a longer external inline unit.
Body diameter	About 4 cm to 8 cm	It gives a rough check when a photo has no scale.
External tube size	Often near 6 mm or 1/4 inch outside diameter	It helps describe an inline installation when the cartridge label is unreadable.
Label photo distance	About 10 cm to 20 cm	It keeps small print sharp enough to zoom later.
Time with water supply off	Usually under 10 minutes for inspection	It reduces drips while avoiding a long interruption to the appliance.

Frequent mistakes and how to recover

If the cartridge has been removed and the code is still unreadable, do not throw it away. Dry it, turn it under a torch, and check the cap, collar, and rear end as well as the main label. Some moulded markings are not in the same place as the paper label. If there is limescale or condensation, wipe only with a damp cloth and then a dry cloth. Do not scrape the surface with a knife, because shallow moulded characters can be damaged.

If the wrong number was copied, compare your note with the photo rather than with memory. Read the code aloud character by character. For example, say zero, not O, if the character is a number. If a search gives too many results, add the fridge model number. If it gives no result, remove spaces and punctuation once, then try again with the original spacing. Keep both versions in your notes.

If the old cartridge will not refit after inspection, stop before forcing it. Check that the seals are still seated and that no protective cap, broken tab, or loose label edge is blocking the housing. A quarter turn cartridge normally needs gentle pressure and a firm stop, not excessive force. A push fit cartridge should sit square before it clicks. After refitting, check for drips for 2 minutes with the door open and again after 30 minutes.

If you are unsure whether the fridge uses an internal cartridge or an external inline filter, look for a plastic water tube at the back of the appliance. An inline filter is often a separate cylinder fixed to the wall, floor, or rear service space. The label on that cylinder is the filter label. The label on the fridge remains useful, but it may not identify the external cartridge by itself.

Special cases that need extra checking

Some built in fridges hide the appliance label behind drawers or trim panels. Remove drawers slowly and keep their runners aligned. Allow 5 minutes for this step, because cracked drawer lugs are more costly than the time saved by pulling hard. If the label is behind a lower drawer, use the phone camera in video mode and move it slowly along the side wall, then pause the video on the clearest frame.

For rented homes, shared offices, and recently moved appliances, do not assume the fitted cartridge is the original type. A previous user may have fitted an alternative external filter on the supply line. Record the appliance model, the installed cartridge code, and the position of the filter. If these disagree, use the physical installation details as well as the model number, and check the result carefully before ordering.

If you need more general help after recording the codes, use the FAQ for common questions about fridge water filters and replacement checks.