Asset Tag Barcode Generator

Number and label your laptops, tools, furniture and equipment. Make a numbered run of asset tags with your company name, and print them on small label sheets.

Give one label its own text with bars: X00ABC1234 | Blue mug 12 oz | New is barcode, line above, line below.

Your sheet

In the print window choose Actual size or Scale 100%, and turn off headers and footers. Print one page on plain paper and hold it over a sheet to check the line-up.

Colours

Dark bars on a light background scan best. Most scanners use red light, so red, orange and yellow bars read as blank.

How to set up asset tags

  1. Pick a numbering format. A short prefix for the kind of asset and a fixed number of digits, like IT-00001 for computers and TL-00001 for tools. Fixed-length numbers sort properly in spreadsheets.
  2. List the tags in the box (or make the sequence in the bulk generator and send it here).
  3. Add your company name as the line above. "Property of…" also discourages theft.
  4. Print on small label sheets such as Avery 5195 (60 per sheet) or 5167 (80 per sheet), or on a thermal printer.
  5. Record each tag in your asset register or spreadsheet: tag number, item, serial number, location, owner and purchase date.

Choosing labels that last

Paper labels are fine for furniture and office equipment kept indoors. For laptops, tools and anything handled daily, use polyester or laminated labels. For outdoor equipment or vehicles, use labels rated for outdoor use, or metal tags. Put the tag somewhere flat and visible but out of the way of wear, such as the underside of a laptop.

Code 128 or Code 39?

Many asset management systems were built around Code 39, and still default to it. If yours does, switch the type to Code 39; it can't use lower-case letters, so keep your tags in capitals. Otherwise Code 128 fits more onto a small tag.

Asset tracking without special software

A spreadsheet and a USB barcode scanner make a working asset register for a small business. Scan a tag and the scanner types the number into the cell, so audits take minutes instead of hours.

Pallet racking in a distribution warehouse
Pallet racking in a distribution warehouse.

Questions

  • Code 128 for new systems. Use Code 39 if your asset software expects it.

  • Common sizes are ½" × 1¾" (Avery 5167) and ⅔" × 1¾" (Avery 5195). Use bigger labels if tags are scanned from a distance.

  • Use a short prefix plus a fixed number of digits, like IT-00001. Never reuse a number, even after the asset is gone.