Date Your Featherweight — Tool Preview
Singer Featherweight Schoolhouse
Date Your Featherweight
Every Singer Featherweight carries a serial number that tells you when and where it was born. Enter yours below and we'll find the year it was made, the factory that built it, and the model you own.
Enter your serial number
Two letters and a string of digits — found on the underside of the machine bed (e.g. AF863951).
Spaces and dashes are fine — we'll tidy it up. Can't find the number? See where to look →
Where is the serial number?
Tip the machine gently back and look at the underside of the bed. The serial is stamped into the metal — two capital letters followed by six or seven digits. On the very earliest machines (the 1933–1935 AD series) it may sit under the removable bottom tray instead. It is not the model number ("221" or "AK") on the front pillar.
Browse the full serial-number charts
The complete batch records, exactly as Singer commissioned them. The interactive tool above reads from these same tables.
Common questions
How do I find my Singer Featherweight's serial number?
Tip the machine back and look on the underside of the bed for a stamped code of two capital letters followed by six or seven digits (for example, AF863951). On the earliest 1933–1935 machines it may be under the removable bottom tray. The "221" or "222K" on the front of the machine is the model, not the serial.
What year was my Featherweight made?
Enter your serial number in the tool above. The two-letter prefix and the digits place your machine in a specific batch that Singer commissioned on a known date — which gives you the manufacture year. Featherweights were made from 1933 (US) through the late 1960s (Scotland).
Does the serial number tell me where my machine was made?
Yes. The prefix reveals the factory: A-series (AD–AM) was made in Elizabethport, New Jersey; E-series (EE onward) in Kilbowie, Scotland; J-series tan machines in St. Jean, Québec, Canada. The tool shows the factory automatically.
Is the date exact?
It's an excellent approximation. The date shown is when Singer assigned that batch of serial numbers to the factory — your specific machine was typically assembled within the following weeks. For dating a vintage Featherweight, the year is reliable.
How do I tell a 221 from a 222K?
The 222K has a removable "free arm" — slide off the bed extension and you can sew around cuffs and sleeves. The 221 has a fixed flat bed. The 222K was made only in Scotland (1953–1961). Full 221-vs-222 comparison →