Does ERPNext track serial numbers in Assets

Does ERPNext track serial numbers in Assets

Hi @francis1

In ERPNext, when you mark an Item as an Asset (Is Fixed Asset = Yes), the system disables serial number tracking for that item. This is by design, and here’s why:


ERPNext Behavior (as of v13–v15+):

  • When Is Fixed Asset = Yes, the checkbox for Has Serial No is not available in the Item master.
  • ERPNext automatically handles serial-like tracking by creating one Asset record per quantity when an asset-type item is purchased — essentially giving each unit its own record, like a “serial number.”

And no Asset ledger is available like stock ledger for serialized inventory.

Why ERPNext disables serial number tracking for Assets:

  • Assets in ERPNext are already uniquely tracked in the Asset doctype.
  • When you purchase 3 laptops (qty = 3) marked as fixed assets, ERPNext creates 3 separate Asset records.
  • Each of these records has:
    • Its own unique Asset ID
    • Tracking history: depreciation, assignments, transfers, etc.

So instead of using the Serial No doctype, ERPNext treats each Asset record as the “serial instance” — making traditional serial number tracking redundant.

But what if we want to use our own serial number tracking