Serial number lookup
Squier serial number lookup
Decode a Squier serial to find the production year and the country it was built in. Squier shares Fender's numbering conventions but uses its own set of factory prefixes.
How Squier numbering works
Squier instruments have been built under contract in Japan, Korea, China, Indonesia and India, frequently with the same model in production at more than one plant in the same year. The prefix on the serial tells you which factory, and it is a far more reliable guide to origin than the model name.
The most collectable Squiers are the earliest ones. The JV and SQ instruments built at Fujigen in 1982–1984 were made to a standard that embarrassed the American production of the period, and they are the only Squiers that command serious money. They are also, unsurprisingly, the most faked.
For everything since, the format is straightforward: a factory prefix followed by the two-digit year. A modern Squier is usually easier to date accurately than a vintage Fender, because nobody was trying to be clever with the numbering.
Key facts
- JV and SQ
- Japan, 1982–1984. The original Squiers, built at Fujigen.
- CN and VN
- Korea, 1990s. Cort and Sung-Eum respectively.
- NC
- China, 1990s. Easily transposed with the Korean CN.
- ICS, IC and IS
- Indonesia, followed by the two-digit year.
- CY
- China, followed by the two-digit year.
What goes wrong
- Transposing CN and NC. One is Korean and one is Chinese, and both are common.
- Assuming the series name dates the instrument. Affinity, Bullet and Classic Vibe models have all run for many years across several plants.
- Paying a JV premium on the strength of a serial alone. The neck stamp, pot codes and routing all need to agree.
Formats this lookup reads
Every format below has been sourced, documented and covered by tests before shipping. Formats we cannot verify are deliberately absent.
| Format | Period | Confidence | Reviewed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese JV and SQ serial (1982–1984) | 1982–1984 | high | 29 July 2026 |
| Korean letter-prefix serial (1990s) | 1990–2000 | medium | 29 July 2026 |
| Chinese NC-prefix serial (1990s) | 1990–2000 | medium | 29 July 2026 |
| Asian serial with explicit year | 1993–2030 | medium | 29 July 2026 |