Equipment register
List equipment names, categories, quantity owned and day/week rates. See current quantity on hire and current quantity available, calculated from rows marked On Hire.
Free Excel template
Free Equipment Hire Spreadsheet Template
A practical starting point for independent UK tool and light-plant hire businesses. Keep equipment, customers and hires organised in one straightforward workbook.
Starting with a small hire fleet? Use this equipment rental spreadsheet to record what you own, what is out on hire and when it is due back.
One workbook, the everyday basics
What’s included
A simple equipment hire inventory template for keeping your records together, without building your own sheet from scratch.
Customer records
Keep customer IDs, names, business names, contact details and notes in one simple list, ready to reference when recording a hire.
Hire records
Record the customer, equipment, quantity, out/due/returned dates and booking status. The basic hire-value estimate uses quantity, inclusive hire days and the daily rate.
Simple dashboard
See equipment totals, units on hire, available stock, open hires, overdue hires and estimated hire value. A Start Here tab explains how the workbook fits together.
How to use it
Download a copy, open it in Excel and start with the Start Here tab.
- Add your equipment and customers. Replace the example input rows with your own IDs, stock quantities, rates and customer details. Keep the formula cells in place.
- Record each hire. Use the matching customer and equipment IDs, quantity and dates. Set the status to Booked, then On Hire when collected.
- Keep returns up to date. Once the whole hire is back, record its returned date and mark it Returned. Check the Equipment and Dashboard tabs for the updated current totals.
- Check before confirming. Review date overlaps and quantities manually. Save regular backup copies and keep customer contact details secure.
The hire-value figure is a basic daily-rate estimate only. Weekly pricing, discounts, VAT and delivery need separate manual calculations; it is not an invoice.
Also running hires on paper? Download our free equipment hire agreement template.
When a spreadsheet starts becoming limiting
A spreadsheet can be a useful starter while you can comfortably check each booking yourself. This template deliberately keeps things simple:
- It does not prevent double bookings or calculate true future-date availability.
- It does not provide a proper partial-return or damaged-return workflow, or store damaged-return photos.
- It has no staff permissions or secure shared cloud workspace built in.
- It does not automate invoices or generate invoice PDFs.
If those checks become harder as your hire activity grows, dedicated software is a natural next step.
Keep the workflow together
Outgrown spreadsheets?
DepotEase is simple hire software for independent UK tool and light-plant businesses. Keep equipment availability, customers and hires together, from booking and hand-out through partial or damaged returns, return photos and invoices/PDFs.
Give staff access to day-to-day hire work, with billing and subscription controls kept Owner-only.
£49/month · One depot · Up to 3 users
Start Free Trial14-day free trial · No card required. £49/month if you choose to subscribe.
Equipment hire spreadsheet FAQs
Is the equipment hire spreadsheet really free?
Yes. Download the workbook directly, with no email address, account or DepotEase subscription required. The optional DepotEase trial is separate from the free template.
Does it work in Excel?
It is a standard .xlsx workbook with no macros, designed for Microsoft Excel. Open it in Excel and allow its formulas to calculate. Other spreadsheet applications may display formatting or formulas differently.
Can I use it as a tool hire spreadsheet?
Yes. It suits a simple quantity-based tool register, such as breakers, mixers and compactors, with customer and hire records alongside it. Replace the example rows with your own equipment and customers.
Can I use it for plant hire?
Yes, for a basic light-plant hire inventory and booking record. It is not a maintenance, inspection or compliance system, and it does not manage complex plant operations.
Does it prevent double bookings?
No. It estimates availability now from hires marked On Hire; it does not calculate true future-date availability or block conflicting bookings. Check dates and quantities yourself before confirming each hire.
When should I move from a spreadsheet to hire software?
When checking overlapping bookings, tracking partial or damaged returns, sharing staff access or producing invoices becomes difficult to manage manually. DepotEase brings those day-to-day hire tasks into one system.
Start with the free spreadsheet
No account needed. Download it and make it your own.