Best Refrigerator Temperature Setting for 1-5, 1-7 & 1-9 (2023)

The best and safest temperature for a refrigerator is 37°F. If your refrigerator has a dial, then the ideal setting is Cold to Colder on the dial.

Fridge Temperature Chart

What Is the Safe and Ideal Refrigerator Temperature?

Those refrigerator temperature dial settings will produce a temperature between 35°F and 38°F (or 1.7° to 3.3° Celsius). This temperature range will ensure your food stays cold without freezing, while also ensuring you stay healthy.

As you may be aware, some articles suggest that you can set your fridge to 42°F or 43°F (which is approximately 6°C), but this is misinformation.

The US Food and Drug Administration states definitively that all refrigerators should be set at 40° Fahrenheit (F) (or 4° Celsius) or colder.Anything above 40°F will allow dangerous food bacteria to multiply and spread more rapidly than most homeowners are aware of. And that puts you and your household at risk of serious illness.

But what if you, like many homeowners, have a refrigerator model that uses a dial scale or a digital scale instead of an exact temperature reading? Being unfamiliar with these dial numbers can certainly make using your fridge difficult. Thankfully, we have the answers for you below.

Foods in Danger: According to Whirlpool, meat, eggs, dairy products are most at risk for rapid growth of harmful bacteria – aka spoilage of the food.

Old food spoils more rapidly: This is probably obvious. The older the food is, the faster the spoilage will occur once it starts. If you don’t keep a lot of leftovers in your fridge, then it might be OK to put it on a lower setting, but still keep the dial setting where it will maintain a temperature of at least 40F or lower.

What is the Typically Recommended Temperature Setting for Refrigerators of 1-5, 1-7 and 1-9?

What do the numbers on the fridge dial mean? They are temperature settings. The higher the number, the colder the setting.

Depending on the brand and model, your fridge will have dial settings that go up to 5, 7, 9, or, in some cases, 10. The temperature dial controls how long the refrigerator’s compressor runs and how cold the interior space becomes.

See Also

What temperature should a refrigerator be?

While a dial setting of 1 will make the fridge too warm for long, proper food storage, the highest number on the dial, 5, 7, or 9 depending on your dial, will cool the refrigerator too much. Some food might freeze, especially food toward the back of the fridge, which tends to be the coldest area.

Here are some general temperature recommendations for you:

• For a fridge with five temperature settings: It is best to put the dial to 3 when your fridge is full or to 4 when it is half full or nearly empty.
• For a fridge with seven temperature settings: Put the dial on 4 when your fridge is full, or on 5 or 6 when it is half full or nearly empty.
• For a fridge with nine temperature settings: Put the dial on 5 when your fridge is full, or on 6 or 7 when it is half full or nearly empty.

What are the Coldest Settings for Refrigerators?

The coldest refrigerator settings are 5 on a dial of 1-5, 7 on a dial of 1-7 and 9 on a 1-9 dial. A few refrigerators have dials from 1-10, and 10 is the coldest refrigerator setting on those dials.

Recommended Temperature Setting for a Samsung Refrigerator (1-5, 1-7)

Traditional Samsung refrigerators typically have five temperature settings, but there are a few models with seven.

For your fridge with five settings, we recommend putting it to 3 for all four seasons of the year. On the other hand, refrigerators with seven settings should be set to 4.

Depending on how full your fridge is on average, you may benefit from raising the settings by one increment. (This is applicable to fridges with five settings and fridges with seven.)

CR’s Temp Setting Recommendation for Samsung Refrigerator (Samples)

Consumer Reports produces its recommendations in two ways.

First, researchers set the refrigerator to the manufacturer’s suggested setting, which is always right in the middle of the range. Note – The fridge is loaded with food and beverages to produce consistent results and the type of results homeowners will experience.

Secondly, the researchers wait at least 24 hours while monitoring the air temperature inside the refrigerator. If it is between 33F and 38F, then they follow the manufacturer’s guideline.

If it does not keep the refrigerator within the desired range, they test it at a higher setting. That’s why there are a couple of “4” settings for Samsung on units that have ranges from 1 to 5.

Recommended Temperature Settings for GE Refrigerators (1-5, 1-9)

For kitchen-only, GE refrigerators with five settings, we recommend that you keep the dial on the factory preset (i.e., 3) for effective cooling.

However, if your fridge model has dual temperature control, which allows it to function sufficiently in your garage, then:

• Set the temperature dial to 2 if you live in a colder climate (38°F and 54°F). This will prevent your food from freezing.
• Or, set the temperature dial to 4 if you live in a warmer climate to prevent the refrigerator from getting too warm inside.

Models with nine temperature settings should be set to 5, regardless of your climate. Of course, if 5 is not cold enough for your preference, set the dial to 6 or 7. We do not recommend a higher setting unless absolutely necessary, as several GE models are made to function properly between settings 5 and 7 in air temperature that reaches up to 110°F.

CR’s Suggested Temp Setting For GE Refrigerators

Every fridge model shown on our table above has five settings. Consumer Reports recommends setting your GE fridge on 3 for most GE fridges. The exceptions to this are GE’s GTE17 and GIE21 models. The GTE17 model must be set to 4 for effective cooling, and CR recommends having the GIE21 model set to “Colder.”

Recommended Temperature Settings on a LG Refrigerators (1-5, 1-7)

LG refrigerators vary in their temperature settings, depending on the model. Some refrigerators have dials with five settings and others with seven.

Refrigerators with five settings should be set to 3. Depending on which model you own, you will either need to move a dial or press a button labeled “Temperature Adjust.”

Refrigerators with seven settings should be set to 4 or 5, depending on your outside climate. Homeowners in warmer climates are recommended to keep their fridge temperature settings on 5, while homeowners in colder climates are recommended to keep the temperature settings on 4.

CR’s Suggested Temp Setting For Some Typical LG Refrigerators

Every fridge model shown on the table above has five settings. According to CR, it is recommended that you keep above LG models set to 3 for optimal cooling.

What is the Suggested Temperature Setting on a Whirlpool Fridge (1-5, 1-7)?

Whirlpool refrigerators vary in their temperature settings, depending on the model. Some refrigerators have dials with five settings and others with seven.

For fridges with five settings, we recommend setting the dial to 3 for daily, average refrigerator use. If this temperature is not cold enough for your preference, make sure you check your fridge’s air vents before adjusting the temperature dial. If the vents are blocked, this will prevent the fridge from cooling properly.

For refrigerators with seven settings, we recommend putting the dial to 3 if the fridge is in a cooler area around the house or garage. If located in a warmer, more humid area, set the dial to 4.

The 24 Hour Rule: Whirlpool, like most fridge manufacturers, recommends allowing 24 hours between adjustments to give adequate time for the temperature of your food and beverages to change to your desired temperature.

Whirlpool also suggests giving a newly installed or plugged in refrigerator 24 hours to cool off to your desired temperature too.

CR’s Suggested Temp Setting For Whirlpool Refrigerators

Every fridge model shown on our table above has five settings. CR has varying recommendations for Whirlpool’s refrigerators.

What is the Recommended Temperature Setting on a Haier Fridge (1-7)?

Haier compact refrigerators usually have seven temperature settings. The company recommends putting your fridge temperature dial to 4. If you want to make your fridge warmer or colder, wait 24 hours after setting your fridge to 4.

For more on adjustment testing, see the last section below, titled “Test the Numbers.”

What is the Recommended Temperature Setting on a Hisense Fridge (1-7)?

Most Hisense’s traditional refrigerators have seven settings—they are not made to have five or nine. We recommend you set your fridge to 4, especially when you first turn the fridge on. Setting it to 4 will provide enough cool air to keep the food cold without freezing it. Any higher than 4, depending on your climate, may cause freezing in specific areas inside your fridge, such as at the back of the bottom shelf.

What is the Recommended Temperature Setting on a Maytag Fridge (1-5)?

Maytag fridges typically have five temperature settings. For these fridges, we recommend keeping them on the factory preset value (3).

CR’s Suggested Temp Setting For Maytag Refrigerators

While our general suggestion for most Maytag models is to keep them on the preset value, CR suggests different values for most Maytag’s top freezer models. According to CR’s recommendations, your top freezer fridge should be set to 4 or, depending on the model, “Center.” As for side-by-side fridges, CR recommends setting the dial to 3.

What is the Recommended Temperature Setting on a Frigidaire Fridge (1-5, 1-7)?

Frigidaire refrigerators vary in temperature settings, having five settings or seven.

For fridges with five settings, we recommend moving the dial to 3. For fridges with seven settings, we recommend moving the dial to 3 or 4 for even cooling throughout the appliance.

Note: It is common for fridges to have inconsistent temperature readings depending on the location inside them. This is due to where the cooling vents are placed and where they may be absent. However, the Frigidaire model is known for maintaining consistent temperature and airflow due to its smart sensing technology.

CR’s Suggested Temp Setting For Frigidaire Refrigerators

While Consumer Reports generally has reliable information, our analysts have checked every model using information supplied by the manufacturer. Frigidaire recommends setting all of its fridge models to the middle setting, as shown in these images from the Frigidaire Quick Start Guide for models with a Dial and Owner’s Manual for models with a Digital temp setting.

Compare Notes: Consumer Reports also has a general page on the best temperature setting for a refrigerator. Its data is consistent with the information on this page.

What is the Recommended Temperature Setting on a Kenmore Fridge (1-7)?

Kenmore’s fridges specifically have seven temperature settings and are not made to have five or nine. Keep your Kenmore model set to 4 for optimal operation in either the kitchen or the garage. If you choose to adjust the setting at any point, such as if your food is freezing due to your colder climate (below 39°F), Kenmore’s Use and Care Guide urges homeowners to only move the dial one number at a time, waiting 24 hours between each adjustment.

For more on adjustment testing, see the last section below, titled “Test the Numbers.”

What is the Recommended Temperature Setting on a Galanz Fridge (1-5, 1-7)?

Galanz models have five or seven settings, depending on the model. Models with five settings should be set to 3, while models with seven settings should be set to 4.

Test the Numbers for the Ideal Refrigerator Temperature

If you are worried about your food freezing on the cold end of the dial or spoiling too fast on a lower setting, here’s what you can do.

A safe way to test recommended refrigerator temperature settings is by moving the dial to the settings listed above on this page, then checking on your food 12 to 24 hours afterward.

If the food is not cold enough for your preference or if it is too cold, move the dial one number to the right (clockwise for colder) or left (counterclockwise for less cold), depending on how cold you want your fridge. Wait another 12 to 24 hours to assess your adjustments and repeat this process as necessary.

Use a Thermometer

If you want to know your fridge’s exact temperature, you can purchase and use a refrigerator thermometer. For an accurate reading, place the thermometer in a glass of water, then stick the glass—with the thermometer inside—in the fridge.
This way, as the climate changes inside the fridge (due to the door opening or the compressor taking a break) or outside the fridge (weather fluctuations), the thermometer’s reading will stay consistent with the temperature of the items inside your fridge. Keep the thermometer in the refrigerator for 12 to 24 hours, then adjust the fridge’s temperature as needed.