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