Samsung Refrigerator Water Filter Guide (2026): HAF-CIN vs HAF-QIN vs HAF-CU1

Quick Answer: A Samsung refrigerator takes one of three genuine filters, and the code on your old cartridge tells you which: the HAF-CIN (part DA29-00020B, long with a round end), the HAF-QIN (part DA97-17376B, long with a squarish end) or the HAF-CU1 (part DA29-00003G, short and wide). They are not interchangeable. All three are NSF-certified for lead, cysts and chlorine taste, rated for 300 to 316 gallons, and cost about $50 each at Samsung.com (HAF-QIN listed at $49.99 in October 2026). If you buy aftermarket to save money, only buy a cartridge whose exact model code shows up in NSF’s online listings.

Almost everyone who searches for a Samsung refrigerator water filter is standing at an open fridge with a used cartridge in one hand. That is the problem this guide solves. Samsung’s own support page boils every current model down to three filter codes, but the part numbers printed on the boxes (DA29-00020B, DA97-17376B, DA29-00003G, plus older numbers they replace) make it look like ten. Below we decode each one using NSF’s certification listings, which we checked on October 29, 2026, rather than the box art.

The second thing worth knowing is what the genuine filter does not do. NSF lists no PFAS and no chloramine claim for any of them, which matters more in 2026 than it did a few years ago. We rank Samsung’s cartridge against other brands in our best refrigerator water filter guide; this page is the Samsung-only decoder, in the same format as our GE water filter guide.

Samsung refrigerator water filters compared at a glance

A fourth Samsung code, the external HAF-EX, exists but Samsung Canada describes it as used in only a few specific models, mostly sold outside the US. If your fridge has no filter housing inside the fresh-food compartment, check the manual before ordering one.

Samsung fridge filters by the numbers

• 300 to 316 gallons: the rated capacity NSF lists for the genuine cartridges, 300 gallons at 0.5 gallons per minute for the HAF-CIN/EXP and 316 gallons at 0.4 gallons per minute for the HAF-QIN/EXP. Spread over Samsung’s six-month interval, that is about 1.6 to 1.7 gallons a day of dispenser water and ice.
• The door light is a six-month timer, per Samsung’s US support page. It does not count gallons, so a heavy user can run past the rated capacity while the light still shows green.
• 21 contaminant claims under NSF/ANSI 53 for the genuine HAF-CIN/EXP and HAF-QIN/EXP in NSF’s listing (lead, cysts, mercury, asbestos, benzene and a list of pesticides and solvents), plus 16 emerging compounds under NSF/ANSI 401, including microplastics, ibuprofen and bisphenol A.
• Only 2 of 18 counterfeit fridge filters removed lead for the full six-month life in testing published by the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM) in 2018, and 7 of 8 counterfeits failed to remove 90% of cysts. When clean water sat in 46 counterfeits for three 24-hour periods, 10 compounds came out above allowable levels.
• $49.99 per genuine cartridge on Samsung.com for the HAF-QIN (checked October 29, 2026); Samsung’s filter subscription takes $15 off each filter. Two filters a year is about $100 at list price or about $70 on subscription.

1. Samsung HAF-QIN/EXP (DA97-17376B) — the squarish-end cartridge

A filter you change twice a year is easy to forget until the light comes on, so having the next one arrive fast helps — Amazon Prime ships replacement cartridges free in two days, and you can try it free for 30 days.

The HAF-QIN is the easiest Samsung cartridge to identify: look at the end that goes into the fridge. If it is squared off rather than round, this is your filter. NSF’s listing gives it a slightly larger rated capacity than the HAF-CIN (316 versus 300 gallons) at a slightly lower flow rate (0.4 versus 0.5 gallons per minute), which is a rounding difference in daily use, not a reason to prefer one fridge over another. The useful number is the six-month cap: Samsung’s indicator light counts time, not water, so a family that fills bottles from the door every day should change it a little early. That is also the honest case for a two-pack or a subscription, since the $15 subscription discount brings the genuine cartridge close to $35.

2. Samsung HAF-CIN/EXP (DA29-00020B) — the round-end cartridge

The HAF-CIN is the round-ended cousin of the HAF-QIN and the filter behind Samsung’s slot in our best refrigerator water filter rankings. It fits a huge installed base of Samsung French-door and side-by-side models. Because it looks like the HAF-QIN from the side, it is easy to order the wrong one; the end shape is the tell. Samsung’s own instructions are the same for both: open the cover, turn the old filter counterclockwise to unlock it, pull it straight out, remove the cap from the new one, push it in and turn it clockwise until it locks.

3. Samsung HAF-CU1 (DA29-00003G) — older side-by-side models

If your filter hangs down from the ceiling of the fridge rather than sliding in sideways, you almost certainly have a HAF-CU1. Samsung’s US support page gives it its own steps: turn off the water supply, twist the old filter left to unlock it, pull it down, push the new one up with the notch aligned to the arrow on the housing, twist right, then run several gallons through the dispenser to clear air and carbon fines. For lead, cysts and chlorine taste it carries the same core NSF certifications as the two newer cartridges.

4. Waterdrop NSF-listed Samsung replacements — the aftermarket you can verify

The aftermarket question on a Samsung is simpler than on a GE, because Samsung cartridges have no RFID chip for the fridge to check. What you are buying is certification and fit. Waterdrop is the cleanest answer we found because its Samsung replacements appear by model code in NSF’s own database, not just on the box, and they cover lead and cysts, the two claims that matter most for drinking water. The trade-off is real, though: the genuine HAF-CIN lists 21 NSF 53 claims against 6 for the WDP-DA2900020B and 3 for the WDP-DA97-17376B. If you only want better-tasting water with lead covered, that gap rarely matters; if you chose a fridge filter for pesticide or solvent reduction, buy genuine. Either way, check the exact code (some Waterdrop listings on retail sites are certified only to NSF 42 and 372), and see our Waterdrop water filter review for the rest of the brand’s line.

How to tell which Samsung filter you have in 60 seconds

1. Open the filter cover inside the fresh-food compartment. Samsung puts it in the upper right corner or down by the crisper drawers depending on the model.
2. Read the code on the old cartridge. HAF-CIN, HAF-QIN or HAF-CU1 (or the DA part numbers in the table above) is printed on the label.
3. No label left? Look at the shape. Long and round at the end is a HAF-CIN; long and squarish is a HAF-QIN; short, wide and pushing up from the ceiling is a HAF-CU1.
4. Still unsure? Read the refrigerator’s model number from the sticker inside the fresh-food compartment and enter it in Samsung’s water filter finder before you order.

How to replace and reset a Samsung refrigerator water filter

• Turn off the water supply if your model’s manual asks for it (Samsung’s US steps do for every type).
• HAF-CIN and HAF-QIN: turn counterclockwise to unlock, pull straight out, remove the new filter’s cap, push in and turn clockwise until the LOCK symbol lines up.
• HAF-CU1: twist left and pull down; push the new one up with the notch on the arrow, then twist right.
• Flush it. Samsung Canada says to run water for about 7 minutes (10 to 12 large glasses) after a new cartridge, and about 2 to 3 more gallons if the water tastes odd.
• Reset the light. On most models, hold the Filter Reset button for three seconds (it may be labeled Alarm, Water Filter or Ice/Water). Family Hub: Apps, Fridge Manager, Fridge Settings, Water Filter, Reset. Models with arrow buttons: More Options, then Filter Reset.

If the dispenser slows to a trickle after a change, the cartridge usually is not fully locked or there is air in the line; dispense another gallon or two before assuming the filter is faulty. Our filter cartridge replacement guide covers replacement intervals for every other filter in the house.

What a Samsung fridge filter does not do

Samsung’s cartridges are good at what they are certified for, and NSF’s listings are specific about the limits. None of the genuine Samsung cartridges carries a PFOA/PFOS claim and none claims chloramine reduction. Chloramine matters because a growing number of US utilities disinfect with it instead of chlorine, and a fridge cartridge certified for chlorine taste is not certified for chloramine; see our best water filter for chloramine guide if your water report lists it. For PFAS, EPA’s 2024 drinking water rule set limits of 4 parts per trillion for PFOA and PFOS, and a fridge filter without a PFAS certification is not the right tool; our best water filter for PFAS guide covers certified options.

A fridge cartridge also only treats the water that comes out of the door. If you want filtered water for cooking and the coffee maker too, an under-sink system makes the fridge filter a second line of defense rather than the only one; start with our best under sink water filter picks.

Genuine or aftermarket: the honest math

The table makes the decision fairly mechanical. Over five years (10 cartridges), an NSF-listed aftermarket filter saves roughly $400 against genuine filters at list price, or about $250 against the subscription, and you give up a long list of pesticide and solvent claims plus Samsung’s warranty cover for leak damage. That is a reasonable trade on city water where taste and lead are the concerns. It is a bad trade if you bought the fridge filter as your only treatment on a private well. The one option we would not take is the unlisted clone: AHAM’s counterfeit testing is the reason, and NSF’s listings are free to check. Our NSF certifications explained guide shows how to look a cartridge up.

The bottom line

The right Samsung refrigerator water filter is the one whose code came out of your fridge: HAF-QIN for a squarish end, HAF-CIN for a round end, HAF-CU1 for the short cartridge that pushes up from the ceiling. All three are certified for lead, cysts and chlorine taste, rated for about 300 gallons, and cost about $50 each, or about $35 on Samsung’s subscription. If you want to spend less, buy an aftermarket cartridge only when its exact model code appears in NSF’s listings, and change any of them on the calendar, because Samsung’s light counts months, not gallons. For other brands, see our Whirlpool water filter and GE water filter guides.