Use QR codes unless you specifically need bulk RFID reading, keep the identifier flat and meaningless so it survives moves and renames, print on stock matched to the environment, and place labels consistently where they can be scanned without moving the item.
Tagging is the cheapest part of asset tracking and the part most often done in a way that has to be redone. The decisions below are hard to reverse once several hundred labels are applied, so they are worth ten minutes now.
Choosing a tag type
Read withQR codeAny phone cameraBarcodePhone or scannerRFIDDedicated readerLine of sightQR codeRequiredBarcodeRequiredRFIDNot requiredBulk readingQR codeOne at a timeBarcodeOne at a timeRFIDMany at onceCost per tagQR codePenniesBarcodePenniesRFIDSignificantly moreHardware neededQR codeNoneBarcodeNone or a scannerRFIDReaders, per siteBest forQR codeEquipment people look upBarcodeHigh-volume counter workRFIDDense stock, frequent full counts
| QR code | Barcode | RFID | |
|---|---|---|---|
Read with | Any phone camera | Phone or scanner | Dedicated reader |
Line of sight | Required | Required | Not required |
Bulk reading | One at a time | One at a time | Many at once |
Cost per tag | Pennies | Pennies | Significantly more |
Hardware needed | None | None or a scanner | Readers, per site |
Best for | Equipment people look up | High-volume counter work | Dense stock, frequent full counts |
For most organisations QR wins on one fact: every person already carries a reader. That matters more than read speed, because the binding constraint on register accuracy is whether an ordinary person will bother, not how fast a scan completes.
RFID is decisively right in a narrow band — high item density, frequent full counts, items awkward to handle individually. If that is you, choose it and accept the hardware. If it is not, the tags and readers buy you little.
Stackroom reads QR codes and barcodes with a phone camera. It does not support RFID readers — if you need bulk RFID counting, say so early in any evaluation rather than discovering it late.
What to put on the label
Less than you think. A label is a pointer to a record, not a substitute for one.
- The code itself — the scannable part, sized so it still reads when scuffed.
- A short human-readable reference — so someone can read it aloud over a phone when the code will not scan.
- Your organisation name — deters casual walk-off and helps returns.
- Nothing else. Model names change, owners change, locations change. Anything printed on a label is a fact frozen at printing time, and it will be wrong before the label wears out.
Numbering: the decision people regret
The common mistake is encoding meaning into the identifier — a prefix for the site, a segment for the category, a block for the year. It reads well on day one and breaks the first time an item moves site or a category is renamed, at which point the code is actively misleading.
Use a flat, meaningless sequence and let the system hold the attributes. Categories, locations and departments are fields that can change; an identifier should never have to.
If you are migrating from a system with meaningful codes, import them as a secondary reference rather than as the identifier. You keep the searchability without inheriting the constraint.
Where to put it
- Somewhere visible without moving or opening the item — a label under a battery gets scanned once.
- Away from wear surfaces, grips and anywhere a hand or a strap sits.
- Away from heat sources and the areas that get cleaned with solvent.
- Consistently across items of the same type. Predictable placement is what makes scanning fast enough to become a habit.
Choosing the substrate
- Environment
Office, indoor ITLabelStandard address labels are genuinely fine - Environment
Workshop, warehouseLabelPolyester or vinyl, permanent adhesive - Environment
Stores, workshop, loading bayLabelPolyester or vinyl, permanent adhesive - Environment
Textured or curvedLabelFlexible vinyl, or a tie-on tag - Environment
Very small itemsLabelA tie-on tag or a flight case label rather than the item itself
| Environment | Label |
|---|---|
Office, indoor IT | Standard address labels are genuinely fine |
Workshop, warehouse | Polyester or vinyl, permanent adhesive |
Stores, workshop, loading bay | Polyester or vinyl, permanent adhesive |
Textured or curved | Flexible vinyl, or a tie-on tag |
Very small items | A tie-on tag or a flight case label rather than the item itself |
Plan for labels coming off
They will. What matters is that it is cheap to recover: reprint the label and scan it against the existing record, and the asset keeps its whole history. A system that makes relabelling painful will accumulate untagged equipment, which is how registers quietly stop being complete.
Print a small surplus at the start and keep a sheet where equipment is issued. A replacement applied in the moment is worth far more than one that waits for a reprint run.
Frequently asked questions
Should asset tags contain meaningful codes?
No. Encoding a site or category into the identifier breaks the first time the item moves or the category is renamed, leaving a code that actively misleads. Use a flat sequence and let the attributes live in fields that can change.
QR codes or barcodes for asset tags?
QR for most equipment, because every phone reads them and they survive partial damage through error correction. Barcodes make sense if you already have scanners deployed for other reasons.
What should be printed on an asset label?
The scannable code, a short human-readable reference for reading aloud, and your organisation name. Nothing else — anything printed is a fact frozen at printing time and will be wrong before the label wears out.
How many asset labels should I print at once?
A small surplus beyond what you need, kept where equipment is issued. A replacement applied in the moment is worth far more than one waiting for a reprint run, because the item goes back out untagged in the meantime.