What columns should an equipment asset register have?

Item number, category, manufacturer, model, serial number, rating, condition at handover, location, the client's site tag, warranty, and a reference to the nameplate photo.

Why do serial numbers change when I open a CSV in Excel?

Excel treats them as numbers or dates, dropping leading zeros. Store them as text. Baton's .xlsx does this for every cell.

Asset register template for solar and HVAC: the columns that actually matter

19 Sep 2026 · 4 min read

Most asset registers are a spreadsheet someone started at the end of a job. They look complete until the day someone needs one line from them.

The columns

Item: a number that ties each line to its photo and its page in the pack.

Category, manufacturer and model: what the unit is.

Serial number: the one field a manufacturer guarantees is unique, and the one every warranty claim asks for.

Rating or capacity: kW, kVA or tonnage, as printed on the plate.

Condition at handover: new, damaged or minor issue, with a note. That settles arguments about when damage happened.

Location and site tag: where it sits, and the client's own ID for it (for example INV-01), which is what a maintenance team uses on a work order.

Warranty: start date and length, per unit.

Nameplate photo: a reference to the photo that proves the line.

Three mistakes that ruin a register

Letting Excel eat the serials. A serial like 0012345 loses its leading zeros, and 10-3 turns into a date, unless the cells are stored as text.

One line for a hundred panels. Two units of one make and model are still two units with two serials.

No evidence. A value with no photo behind it can't be checked without going back to site.

Get a register without building one

Baton's register has exactly these columns, with serials stored as text in Excel, a frozen header and filters. It can use your client's own column headings. Every line comes from a nameplate photo taken on site and is checked by a person.

The pricing page has a real sample pack you can download as PDF, Excel and CSV.

Quick answers

What columns should an equipment asset register have?: Item number, category, manufacturer, model, serial number, rating, condition at handover, location, the client's site tag, warranty, and a reference to the nameplate photo.
Why do serial numbers change when I open a CSV in Excel?: Excel treats them as numbers or dates, dropping leading zeros. Store them as text. Baton's .xlsx does this for every cell.