An asset tag is a label stuck on a piece of company equipment that carries a unique ID, such as AJ-0042, often with a QR code or barcode holding the same ID. The ID links the physical item to its record in your asset register, so anyone can tell what a laptop is and whose it is in a couple of seconds.
For a small team, asset tags are cheap: a sheet of labels, a printer you already own and an afternoon. This guide covers what to put on a tag, how to tag laptops so the labels survive, how to print them, and how they connect to whatever you track equipment in. If you want to skip ahead, our free asset tag generator makes a printable sheet of numbered QR tags in your browser.
What is an asset tag?
An asset tag is an identifying label fixed to a company-owned item, carrying a number that's unique within your organisation. Its job is to answer "which one is this?" without reading a serial number off the bottom of a laptop. The tag number is the key that joins the object to its row in your register or tracking software.
It's different from a serial number. The manufacturer sets the serial, it's long, and it's often printed somewhere awkward. You choose the asset tag, keep it short, and put it where people can see it. You need both: the serial for warranty claims and insurance, the tag for everyday "who has this?" questions.
Tags also make equipment harder to lose quietly. In a Ponemon Institute study of 329 US organisations, 2.3% of laptops issued to staff went missing each year, and 7.1% over a laptop's working life (Ponemon Institute and Intel, 2010). A visible tag won't stop that on its own, but it makes an audit a matter of scanning and ticking rather than guessing.
What should you put on an asset tag?
Put a unique tag number on every asset tag, and optionally your company name and a QR code that holds the same number. Leave off anything that changes or identifies a person, such as the assignee, price or purchase date. Those belong in your records, where you can update them without reprinting a label.
A good tag number is:
- Short. AJ-0042 is easy to read aloud and type into search. A 16-character code isn't.
- Prefixed. Two or three letters for your company or site (AJ-, LON-, NYC-) stop your tags clashing with a supplier's or a previous owner's.
- Zero-padded to a fixed width. AJ-0042 rather than AJ-42, so tags sort properly in a spreadsheet. Four digits covers 9,999 items.
- Never reused. When a laptop is retired, its number retires with it. Reusing numbers is how old records end up attached to new kit.
Don't encode meaning into the number (AJ-LAP-0042 for laptops, say). Categories change, and the tag shouldn't have to.
QR code or barcode?
For a small team, a QR code is usually the better choice, because the camera on most modern phones reads it without a separate scanner. A 1D barcode needs a handheld scanner or an app. QR codes also cope with wear: Denso Wave, the company that created the format, lists error correction levels that let a code restore about 15% (level M) or 25% (level Q) of its data if part of it is smudged or scratched (Denso Wave, QR Code error correction). Whichever you use, print the number as text too, so a person can still read it when nobody has a phone handy.
How should you tag laptops?
Put laptop asset tags on the underside of the base, in a flat spot away from vents, rubber feet and the manufacturer's regulatory label, and use a durable material such as laminated polyester rather than plain paper. Laptops get carried, slid across desks and shoved into bags, so the label needs to survive more wear than a monitor's does.
Some practical points for laptop asset tags:
- Underside, not the lid. The lid is more visible, but it's where stickers peel and where people add their own. The underside is flat and stays out of the way.
- Don't cover the serial or the regulatory sticker. You'll need the serial for warranty claims, and some repair shops check the regulatory label.
- Same spot on every laptop. A consistent position makes audits faster, because you know where to look.
- Tamper-evident labels for higher-risk kit. These leave a "VOID" pattern behind if someone peels them off, which shows a tag has been removed. They're worth considering for laptops that leave the office, less so for keyboards.
- Clear tape over paper labels. If you're printing on standard paper sheets, a strip of clear packing tape adds a lot of life.
Unreturned laptops are a common way equipment disappears. In Capterra's 2022 offboarding survey, 71% of HR professionals who had offboarded someone in the past year said at least one leaver didn't return company equipment, at an average cost of $1,963 per departing employee (Capterra via Business Wire, 2023). A tag number on the laptop and against the person's name makes the return conversation much simpler. Our offboarding checklist covers the rest.
How do you print asset tags?
You can print asset tags on standard sticky label sheets with any office printer, or on a dedicated label printer that prints one tag at a time from a roll. Sheets are the cheapest way to tag your existing equipment in one go. A label printer suits teams that add a few items a month and want tougher labels.
| Label sheets | Label printer | |
|---|---|---|
| Kit needed | Any laser or inkjet printer | Brother P-touch, DYMO LabelWriter or similar |
| Best for | Tagging everything at once | Tagging new items as they arrive |
| Durability | Paper, unless you buy polyester sheets | Often laminated or synthetic tape |
| Wasted labels | Leftovers on a part-used sheet | One label at a time |
Common sheet sizes for asset tags:
- Avery 5160 (US Letter): 30 per sheet, 1 x 2⅝ in. Room for a QR code, the tag number and your company name.
- Avery L7160 (A4): 21 per sheet, 63.5 x 38.1 mm. Bigger, easier to scan from a distance.
- Avery L7651 (A4): 65 per sheet, 38.1 x 21.2 mm. Small, good for phones, chargers and peripherals.
Before you load the labels, print a test page on plain paper and hold it against a sheet up to the light. Set the print scale to 100% (not "fit to page") and margins to none, or the grid drifts by the bottom rows. Our asset tag generator lays tags out for all three sheets and has an outline option for that test page.
Should you buy custom asset tags or print your own?
Print your own asset tags if you have under a few hundred items and mostly office kit, and buy custom pre-printed tags if you need metal or heavy-duty labels, or very large runs. Custom tags from a label supplier come numbered in sequence, often in anodised aluminium or tamper-evident polyester, and can carry a logo.
The trade-off is lead time and flexibility. Pre-printed tags arrive in a batch, so you need to plan the number range up front, and you can't run off one more on a Tuesday afternoon. For a small office, home-printed sheets are usually enough for laptops, monitors and docks. Generic, blank-number tags (just "Property of" text) are the weakest option, because they say who owns something without saying which item it is.
How do asset tags link to a tracking system?
An asset tag links to a tracking system through the tag number: you type it, or scan the QR code, and look it up in your register to find the item's record. The tag itself holds no information beyond the ID. Everything else (who has it, when you bought it, warranty dates) lives in the record.
If you track equipment in a spreadsheet, add a Tag column next to the item name and fill in the number when you stick the label on. Our equipment tracker template already has one, and the asset register template guide explains the other columns worth keeping. During an equipment audit, you walk round with the list, find each tag and mark it as seen.
Tracking software can do more with the same tag. In AssetJay, each asset has an optional asset tag field. Tags are unique within your account, the add form suggests the next number in your sequence (after NW-0042 it offers NW-0043), and search finds an asset by its exact tag. AssetJay also prints its own QR labels on Avery 5160 sheets, where scanning the code opens that asset's page and your tag prints under the code. If you're importing from a spreadsheet, a column called Tag, Asset tag or Asset ID maps to the tag automatically.
The takeaway
An asset tag is a short, unique number on a label, ideally with a QR code holding the same number. Keep it free of personal data, put it in the same spot on every item, and record it against the item wherever you track equipment. You can print a sheet today with the asset tag generator and a pack of standard labels.
Free: Asset Tag Generator
Make a printable sheet of numbered asset tags with QR codes, sized for Avery 5160, L7160 or L7651 labels. No signup needed.
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