Refrigerators
The Smeg FAB50: the Smeg retro fridge sized for a family, with two doors and an ice maker
The Smeg FAB50 is the largest of Smeg's retro fridges, with 18.5 cubic feet behind two doors, a freezer on top and an automatic ice maker. But the looks are only half of what you're buying, so here's what's underneath the paint too.
Most people picture a Smeg fridge as the single-door FAB28, and that's a fridge for a small kitchen or a second kitchen. Then the FAB32 adds a real freezer, but at 11.7 cubic feet it still holds a lot less than a family fridge. So the Smeg FAB50 is the one Smeg built for a whole household, with two doors, a freezer on top, an ice maker and 18.5 cubic feet in all.
The Smeg FAB50 still looks like a Smeg, with the rounded 1950s shape and chrome handles. And it's made in Italy, by Smeg itself.
You want the Smeg retro look in the only fridge in the house, with ice on hand, and your kitchen has a water line and room for a fridge 32 inches wide.
You need the space of a full-size French-door fridge, or a fridge that any local repair firm will work on. The Smeg FAB50 holds 18.5 cubic feet, and some Smeg owners have struggled to find a technician.
Two full years from Smeg USA, parts, labor and in-home service, then parts only for the sealed cooling system from the third through the fifth year.
Amazon, in white.
What the Smeg FAB50 does
The Smeg FAB50 holds 18.5 cubic feet in all, with 14.1 cubic feet of fridge below and a 4.4 cubic foot freezer above. And the whole fridge is no-frost, so ice doesn't build up in the freezer and you never defrost it by hand.
The Smeg FAB50's ice maker sits inside the freezer and makes about 4 pounds of ice a day, Smeg says. Then the ice maker runs from your water supply, through an outside water filter that Smeg includes.
The Smeg FAB50 cools the fridge and the freezer separately, with an evaporator for each and a fan that spreads the cold air. And it runs on an inverter compressor, which Smeg says cuts noise and vibration, while Smeg rates the fridge at 41 decibels.
Inside the Smeg FAB50 there are two adjustable glass shelves, a crisper drawer for fruit and vegetables, and LED lights in the fridge and the freezer. Then the fridge door has three adjustable shelves and a bottle shelf. And there's a low-temperature deli drawer, which Smeg says suits meat or fish that you're thawing slowly.
What the Smeg FAB50 doesn't do
The Smeg FAB50 is Smeg's largest retro fridge, but 18.5 cubic feet is modest beside a full-size French-door fridge. For comparison, the Café four-door fridge we list holds 27.8 cubic feet. So the FAB50 is family-sized for a retro fridge, not for a fridge in general.
The Smeg FAB50's ice maker needs a water line behind the fridge, at a pressure between 21 and 121 psi. So if there's no water line where the fridge will stand, plan for a plumber before delivery day.
The Smeg FAB50's doors hinge on one side, and the hinge can't be switched after the fridge is built. So Smeg makes a left-hinge and a right-hinge version, and Amazon's page lets you pick the side. Check which way the fridge doors need to open in your kitchen before you buy.
The Smeg FAB50's size is the next thing to check. The fridge stands 75.6 inches tall and 31.7 inches deep without the handle, and with both doors open it needs 46 5/8 inches of width. And Smeg asks for 1 15/16 inches of space above it under a wall cabinet.
The Smeg FAB50 also needs a room that stays between 50 and 109 °F, because that's the range Smeg rates it for. So a garage that gets colder than 50 °F in winter isn't the place for it.
What owners say about the Smeg FAB50
On Amazon, the Smeg FAB50 scores 5.0 out of 5 from 3 ratings, shared across its colors (October 2026). That's too few ratings to be a record either way. And the two reviews from verified buyers praise the fridge and the delivery.
"The Smeg refrigerator is adorable and I hope to enjoy for many years. It is perfectly quiet and look amazing."
Amazon customer, verified purchase, June 2026, in pastel blue
"Item arrived in excellent condition. Delivery was exceptional."
Amazon customer, verified purchase, April 2025, in white
But the complaint about Smeg fridges is repairs, and our Scorecard records it. Owners who need a repair are sent to the dealer first, then to one outside repair firm. And one Smeg owner phoned ten local repair companies, and every one refused, because they won't work on a European closed-system fridge.
The repair complaint reaches the Smeg FAB50 too. In March 2026, a FAB50 owner told the Better Business Bureau that their certified repair company had given up on the fridge and couldn't get a reply from Smeg. And Smeg scores 1.3 out of 5 from 243 reviews on Trustpilot, across every Smeg product.
The Smeg FAB50's colors, and where to buy each color
We link the Smeg FAB50 in white, sold on Amazon. So the seller on the Amazon listing handles the delivery and the returns, and the warranty is Smeg USA's.
Pastel blue was on Amazon too, but it was out of stock when we checked on 6 October 2026, so we've left it out for now. And Smeg makes the FAB50 in cream, pastel green, red and black as well, which are sold on Smeg's own US store rather than through us.
Who makes the Smeg FAB50
Smeg is an Italian appliance maker based in Guastalla, near Reggio Emilia, and Vittorio Bertazzoni founded it in 1948. And Smeg created its FAB range of retro fridges in 1997, and the two-door FAB50 is the largest in that range.
Smeg USA's warranty on the FAB50 is two full years, parts, labor and in-home service. Then from the third through the fifth year, it covers parts only for the sealed cooling system, so the labor on that repair is yours.
There's no recall on record for the Smeg FAB50 at the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (checked September 2026). And Smeg's only recall on record there, in August 2024, was on a different line, the FAB38U built-in fridge, whose doors could come off.
The Smeg FAB50 beside the other retro fridges
The Smeg FAB32 is the FAB50's smaller sister, 24 inches wide with a freezer below and 11.7 cubic feet in all. So for a smaller household, the Smeg FAB32 article sets out what the FAB32 does and doesn't do.
Smeg isn't the only maker of a retro fridge, though. The retro fridge guide sets out every retro fridge we list by color, with who makes each fridge.
Before you buy the Smeg FAB50
- Water: check that there's a water line where the fridge will stand, because the FAB50's ice maker needs a water supply.
- Hinge: order the hinge side your kitchen needs, because the FAB50's doors can't be switched later.
- Space: measure the width, the height and the room for the doors to open, because the FAB50 needs 46 5/8 inches of width with both doors open.
- Delivery: look the fridge over for dents before the delivery crew leaves, and let it stand upright for two hours before you switch it on, as Smeg asks.
- Repairs: check that a repair firm near you will work on a Smeg fridge.
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