---
key: add-serial-numbered-stock
title: Add serial-numbered stock
audience: staff
section: inventory
routes: ["/inventory/serialized"]
permissions: ["inventory.serialized.create"]
features: ["inventory.serialized"]
since: 0.0.1
updated: 0.0.1
status: published
summary: Record one physical unit of a serialized item, such as a furnace or a compressor, with its serial number, tag and location, and retire it when it is gone.
keywords: [serial number, serialized, asset tag, unit, furnace serial, individual item, track by serial, retire stock]
related: [add-a-product-or-part, add-a-storage-location, move-stock-between-locations, track-a-service-asset]
---

In the sidebar, open **Inventory**, then **Serial-Numbered Stock**. The page address is `/inventory/serialized`. The page heading reads **Inventory Assets**.

## Before you start

- The item has to exist first with **Item type** set to **Serialized** (or **Bookable unit**). See [[add-a-product-or-part]]. The **Inventory item** list offers every active item, but Nova refuses to save a unit against a plain quantity item.
- This page is for stock you sell or install. Equipment already installed at a customer's home is a service asset instead; see [[track-a-service-asset]].
- Your role needs permission to create serialized stock. Otherwise **Add asset** is missing.

## Steps

1. Press **Add asset**. A drawer opens.
2. Under **Inventory item**, search and pick the serialized item this unit belongs to. It is the only required field.
3. Under **Linked inventory unit**, pick the matching bookable unit only if you set one up for the schedule ([[add-a-bookable-unit]]); otherwise leave it empty.
4. Under **Location**, pick where the unit is right now, or leave **None**. The location has to be in the same branch as the item.
5. Leave **Status** on **Active**, or choose **Out of service** if it is not ready to go out. **Retired** is greyed out; use the **Retire** action instead.
6. Type the **Serial number** from the unit, and an **Asset tag** if you label stock with your own tags.
7. Under **Bookable**, tick **Available for booking** if this unit can be reserved on the schedule, for example a rental. For a **Bookable unit** item you must tick it.
8. Leave **Operational management** off for stock you will sell or install. Turn it on only for equipment your own company keeps and maintains; Nova then also creates a matching asset under **Equipment & Fleet**.
9. Add **Notes**, then press **Create asset**. The drawer closes and Nova shows "Inventory asset created."

## What you see

- The list shows **Item**, **Asset tag**, **Serial**, **Status**, **Inventory unit**, **Location**, **Bookable** and **Updated**. Search with **Search assets**; **Filters** narrows by item, location, status and whether it is bookable.
- Press a row to edit it, or use its menu: **Edit** and **Retire**. A retired unit shows **Return to service** instead.
- **Columns** lets you add **Notes** and other fields to the table.

## If something looks different

- The list reads "No inventory assets found.": nothing has been added yet.
- Saving fails with "Assets can only be created for serialized or bookable_unit inventory items": the item you picked is a plain **Quantity** item. Change its **Item type** or pick another item.
- Saving fails with "bookable_unit assets must be bookable": tick **Available for booking**.
- **Operational management** is greyed out with a note about operational asset access: your role cannot create operational assets, so leave it off. It is also locked on when the linked unit is already managed that way.
- **Retire** asks you to confirm. The unit keeps its full history and stops being bookable. Nova refuses to retire a unit with **Operational management** on while it is still linked to its equipment record.
- Adding a unit does not change the item's stock count. If you also track the count, record a **Receipt** for it ([[record-a-stock-movement]]); moving the unit with a transfer is refused with "Insufficient stock for requested transaction" until the source location shows stock.

[[route:/inventory/serialized|Open Serial-numbered stock]]