How old is your Singer?
Enter the serial number from your sewing machine to find the year Singer allotted it and the factory that built it — matched against Singer’s own allotment ledgers, with the source for every answer.
Three steps to your machine’s story
Most people can date and identify an old Singer in under five minutes.
Find the number
Look on the bed of the machine — front right on older machines, underneath on later ones. Ignore the number on the motor.
Look it up
We match your serial to the block Singer allotted in its ledger and show the year, factory and source.
Identify the model
Answer three questions about the bobbin, size and needle to see which model you own, then read its guide.
Where is the serial number on a Singer?
Singer stamped the number into the cast bed of the machine. Where exactly depends on the era.
- Two letters + six digits — for example
AK123456. Most machines from 1924 into the 1960s. - One letter + up to seven digits — for example
G1234567. Roughly 1900 to the mid-1920s. - Digits only — machines made before about 1900. If there are several numbers, use the longest.
The number on the motor is the motor’s own serial number. It won’t date the machine.
Every prefix tells you where it was made
Singer numbered machines in lettered series by factory. The letters weren’t issued in alphabetical order, so the prefix alone won’t give the year — but it will tell you the factory.
Elizabethport, New Jersey
Singer’s flagship US factory and the source of most American domestic machines. Prefixes in use 1900–1964.
Kilbowie (Clydebank), Scotland
Singer’s Scottish works, maker of the ‘K’ models such as the 66K, 201K and 222K. Prefixes in use 1900–1970.
St Johns, Quebec
Singer’s Canadian factory; home of the tan 221J Featherweight. Prefixes in use 1924–1961.
Anderson, South Carolina
Post-war US plant behind the 301A and the 400/500-series slant-needles. Prefixes in use 1951–1961.
Bridgeport, Connecticut
Recorded on Singer’s slide chart for the W series. Prefixes in use 1940–1960.
Bonnières-sur-Seine
French factory; ISMACS notes dating is approximate as no records are known to survive. Prefixes in use 1935–1968.
Wittenberge
German factory; the C series is linked to it only indirectly in the sources. Prefixes in use 1908.
A century of Singer models at a glance
Production years of the machines people most often inherit, restore and collect. Where sources disagree, we show both.
The Singers people ask about most
Specifications, identification tips, decal timelines and what to check before you buy — each fact linked to its source.
Singer 221 Featherweight
The 11-pound portable that is still popular with quilters. Made in the USA, Scotland (221K) and Canada (221J).
1935–1962Singer 201
Often called the best domestic machine Singer made. Full rotary hook, straight stitch.
1902–1956Singer 66 (Red Eye)
The full-size drop-in bobbin machine behind the famous ‘Red Eye’ decals.
c.1930–1956Singer 15-91
A full-size Class 15 with a gear-driven ‘potted’ motor on the back — no belt.
1951–1957Singer 301 / 301A
Singer’s first slant-shank machine: aluminium, 16 lb, and shares the Featherweight bobbin.
1891–1941Singer 27 & 127 (Sphinx)
Full-size vibrating-shuttle machines with the long ‘bullet’ bobbin — home of the Sphinx decals.
Not sure which model you have?
Singer rarely printed the model number on the machine. Three questions — the bobbin, the size and the needle — narrow it down in seconds.
Long shuttle (bullet)
Class 15 (in a bobbin case)
Class 66 drop-in
Class 221
Frequently asked questions
Where is the serial number on a Singer sewing machine?
On machines made before the 1950s it is stamped on top of the bed at the front right corner. Later machines have it on a raised pad under the bed, near the edge. Treadle and hand-crank machines can show up to eight digits; older electrics usually show two letters and six digits. The number on the motor is the motor’s own serial — it won’t date the machine.
How accurate is the date from a Singer serial number?
From 1900 the date is when Singer allotted the block of numbers, which was usually shortly before the machines were built. Some blocks were reserved months or years ahead and some machines sat in stock, so treat the year as a close guide rather than a birth certificate.
Does the serial number tell me the model?
Not on its own. Singer’s ledger recorded which model a block was meant for, but the lookup gives you the year and factory. Use the model identifier to narrow down the model from the bobbin, size and needle.
What do the letters at the start mean?
The prefix identifies the numbering series, and with it the factory and period. AA–AN were Elizabethport, New Jersey (1924–1964); the E-series were Kilbowie, Scotland; JA–JE St Johns, Canada; NA–NC Anderson, South Carolina. See the full Singer serial number chart.
My serial number has no letters. Is that normal?
Yes, for machines made before about 1900. They sometimes carry two or three numbers — date the machine by the longer, higher number.
Is this service free?
Yes. The lookup runs in your browser, and nothing you type is sent to us.
Have an old Singer? Start with the serial number.
It takes a few seconds, it’s free, and every answer links to its source.