Serial Number Stickers

How sequential numbered tags are set up

Give us a starting number and a quantity, and we print every tag in order. Add a prefix to separate sites, departments or asset types. For larger programs, a multi-segment scheme works well: facility code, department code, then the sequential asset number.

If the numbers already exist in your system, send a CSV or Excel file with one value per tag and we print exactly that list. Sequential numbering, prefix-controlled ranges and variable data from a spreadsheet are all free, and there is no setup fee.

Serial number labels with a barcode or QR code

Most serial number labels carry the number twice: once as text a person can read, and once as a code a scanner can read. We print the human-readable number together with the barcode at no extra cost.

Code 128 is the usual choice for asset serials because it is compact and handles letters as well as numbers. We also print Code 39, UPC, EAN, ITF, GS1, QR, Data Matrix, PDF417, Aztec and MaxiCode. A QR code can hold the serial or a link to the item's record, so anyone with a phone can scan it. On small parts, Data Matrix reads through scratching where a 1D barcode fails.

Custom serial number stickers in the online designer

You can build your own custom serial number stickers in the tag designer. Choose a layout, set colors, add your logo, then pick barcode or QR and enter your starting number. The designer shows a proof of your tag, and the proof travels with your order.

Have a spreadsheet of serials or URLs, one row per tag? Upload it in the designer and it travels with your order. If you would rather not build it yourself, we design your tag for free and you pay only for production.

Choosing a tier for serial number tags

All three tiers carry a barcode, QR code or serial number. The difference is how long the number survives and which surfaces the tag can hold.

• Strong: 2-mil polyester with thermal-transfer print in one color on a silver or white background. For smooth indoor surfaces like office IT and lab equipment. Rated 2 years outdoors.
• Stronger: 5-mil vinyl with full-color print under a 3-mil clear overlaminate. For smooth surfaces indoors or out, rated 2 to 5 years outdoors.
• Strongest: 12-mil plastic, a 3.5-mil permanent adhesive and a 6-mil overlaminate. Bonds to textured and powdercoated surfaces, rated 5+ years outdoors, and supports variable data and micro-QR codes.
• Not sure which one? The spec builder asks four questions about environment, surface, format and size, and gives you the tier and the price. Or order samples of all three and test them on your own surface.

Number stickers that stay readable

Plain printed numbers fail in predictable ways. The print fades in sunlight, the digits scratch off, or the label peels from a textured surface. Our Hall of Shame collects real examples, including a construction fleet whose thin polyester labels were half unreadable by month six after sun and hydraulic-fluid splash.

Overlaminate is the fix for fading and scratching. On Stronger and Strongest tiers, the number is printed underneath a clear protective layer that keeps it from being scraped off. On the Strong tier, the thermal-transfer print is fused into the polyester rather than sitting on top of it.

Where serial number labels get used

The same numbering tools serve very different programs. A few of the most common:

• Fixed-asset inventory, where each number matches a line in the asset register
• Tool and equipment tracking, usually with a Code 128 barcode or a QR code linked to the tracking platform
• Returnable containers and pallets, tracked in and out of a warehouse
• Medical devices, with UDI-compliant Data Matrix ECC200 encoded from your GTIN or UDI structure
• HVAC service stickers with the technician's name, the date and the refrigerant charge printed as variable data

Serial number stickers for security and chain of custody

When the number itself is the proof, use tamper-evident construction. Our numbered security seals carry a unique sequential number in human-readable text and a Code 128 barcode, and a number is never duplicated. VOID-residue versions leave a pattern on the surface when peeled, and destructible versions break apart, so the number cannot be moved to another item.

Numbered seals are standard for chain of custody, evidence transport and pharmaceutical batch sealing. A QR code can sit next to the serial and link to your internal chain-of-custody record.