The Whirlpool WRT311FZDW is a budget 33-inch, standard-depth, top-freezer fridge. There's an optional in-freezer ice maker, available for purchase separately. It uses a conventional fixed-speed compressor and a single evaporator in the freezer for cooling. The refrigerator has three removable frameless shelves installed in any of five positions and three half-width door bins installed in any of 12 positions. There are two crisper drawers at the bottom to hold produce. The freezer is very basic, with a single full-width wire shelf and two full-width door bins.
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Our Verdict
The Whirlpool WRT311FZDW is a decent choice for everyday use. Its simple interior design leads to very good storage capacity in the fridge and freezer. It gives you flexible options for positioning the fridge shelves and door bins to accommodate tall or large items like bottles or gallon milk jugs in various locations. The temperature uniformity is great, though the fridge door bins are warmer than the rest of the compartment, and the fixed-speed compressor with mechanical thermostat leads to large temperature swings in the freezer as it cycles. Produce preservation is worse than other budget single evaporator fridges since the crisper drawers don't seal well, causing leafy greens to wilt, celery to go soft, and other vegetables to dry out and shrivel up quite quickly.
Good temperature uniformity in the fridge and freezer.
Good fridge capacity.
Flexible fridge shelf and door bin placement options, lots of clearance for tall items.
Poorly sealing crisper drawers mean mediocre produce preservation.
Large swings in temperature in the freezer as the compressor cycles.
The Whirlpool WRT311FZDW delivers mediocre produce preservation performance. The produce drawers have large gaps and don't seal well, so they don't retain moisture as well as other fridges. Produce dries out quickly, leading to wilted lettuce and soft celery. The unit's single evaporator creates low humidity in the fridge compartment, so produce stored outside of the drawers will fare even worse.
Poorly sealing crisper drawers mean mediocre produce preservation.
The Whirlpool WRT311FZDW offers good refrigerator capacity. This is due to its basic design, which is without thick shelves or many pull-out drawers, leaving lots of room for storage. There are flexible placement options for the fridge shelves and door bins, allowing you to store wide items like pizza boxes, tall items like gallon milk jugs, or large items like family-sized lasagna trays in multiple locations in the fridge.
Good fridge capacity.
Flexible fridge shelf and door bin placement options, lots of clearance for tall items.
The Whirlpool WRT311FZDW delivers very good freezer capacity. Since the freezer layout is so simple, you can use almost all the interior volume for storage, especially if you don't install the optional ice maker. You can fit tall and wide items, like ice cream tubs, large pizza boxes, family-sized lasagna trays, or a couple of boxes of chicken pieces.
Very good freezer capacity.
The Whirlpool WRT311FZDW offers good temperature uniformity. There's very little difference in temperatures between shelves in the fridge and in various locations in the freezer. However, the door bins are a few degrees warmer than the fridge shelves, so you shouldn't place especially temperature-sensitive items like butter here. The fixed-speed compressor and insensitive mechanical thermostat also create large swings in temperature in the freezer as the compressor cycles. It's not enough to thaw frozen food, but it might affect certain frozen items like popsicles or ice cream.
Good temperature uniformity in the fridge and freezer.
Large swings in temperature in the freezer as the compressor cycles.
The Whirlpool WRT311FZDW delivers good ice-making performance. Its ice production rate is adequate for small family gatherings, and its ice tray capacity is great, storing enough ice for larger events. The ice maker has a more reliable ejector design and is constructed mostly of metal. It's optional and can be self-installed.
Great ice tray capacity.
More reliable ejector-style ice maker design.
Performance Usages
Changelog
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Updated Jan 19, 2026:
We've updated the text in this review to reflect new tests added with version 1.1 of our test bench.
- Updated Jan 19, 2026: Version 1.1 of our refrigerator test bench provides new information regarding authorized service provider coverage for different manufacturers, the availability of replacement parts, and operating noise. For a more detailed breakdown of the changes made, see our full changelog.
- Updated Oct 08, 2025: Review published.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The variants of the Whirlpool WRT311FZD all have the same design and differ only in the surface finish and color. We tested the White model; here's the product label.
| Model | Surface Finish / Color |
|---|---|
| WRT311FZDW | White |
| WRT311FZDZ | Fingerprint Resistant Stainless Steel |
| WRT311FZDB | Black |
| WRT311FZDT | Biscuit |
| WRT311FZDM | Stainless Steel |
If you come across another variant, please let us know in the comments, and we'll update our review.
Popular Refrigerator Comparisons
The Whirlpool WRT311FZDW is a budget 33-inch top-freezer refrigerator. It offers impressive capacity, but that's really all there is to say in terms of standout features. Its closest competitor, in terms of sizing, pricing, and general feature set, is the GE GTS22KGNRWW, which outperforms it in a few key ways. The GE does a better job of minimizing temperature swings inside its freezer, the result of a more accurate mechanical thermostat, and can retain more moisture in its crisper drawers, keeping produce from drying out and wilting, and it does a better job of preserving a stable set of temperatures along its door bins. Beyond that, the GE's optional ice maker can produce more ice in the span of a day.
Test Results
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