Appliance Blue Book

1. Where the starting price comes from

Each appliance type has an average new price for a mid-range unit. Your brand moves that figure up or down by a fixed multiplier — that is the only thing brand does in this model. It does not change the lifespan and it does not change the depreciation rate.

A brand that is not on this list is treated as mid-range, multiplier ×1.00. The tiers reflect typical retail positioning, not build quality or reliability, and they are the same across every appliance type.

2. How age is applied

Three depreciation curves, assigned by appliance type. Appliances with long service lives and slow-moving technology lose value slowly; ones that are cheap to replace and get redesigned often lose it quickly. The rate compounds annually.

Holds value well

9%a year

Oven / Range, Freezer, Range Hood

Average

12%a year

Refrigerator, Washer, Dryer, Wine Cooler, Trash Compactor

Loses value fast

16%a year

Dishwasher, Microwave, Garbage Disposal, Ice Maker

3. How condition is applied

Condition is the one input the model cannot check, and it is the one that moves the answer most at the bottom end. A single fixed factor is applied to the age-adjusted figure.

Rating a broken appliance “good” because it looks tidy is the most common way to get an answer that flatters the machine. If it needs a repair to work at all, it is in poor condition — that is what the rating is for.

4. How the recommendation is decided

The verdict is not a judgement call. Two figures are checked — how much of the expected lifespan has been used, and how much of the original value is left — and whichever crosses a threshold first sets the answer.

Either condition triggers the verdict on its own, which is why a five-year-old appliance rated poor can come back borderline. That is deliberate: a machine in poor condition is worth less than its age alone suggests, and the recommendation should say so.

Average new price is for a mid-range unit before the brand multiplier is applied. Remaining-value figures assume excellent condition, so they are the ceiling — anything less multiplies down from there.

Both rules ignore two things you should not. First, the cost of the diagnosis itself — most technicians charge a call-out fee that is often waived if you go ahead with the work, so ask before booking. Second, what the failure actually was: a sealed-system or compressor fault on a cold appliance, or a tub bearing on a washer, is a different conversation from a $30 thermal fuse, even at the same age.

These ages assume excellent condition, where lifespan is the only thing driving the verdict. Rate the appliance honestly in the tool above and the tipping point moves earlier.