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Free preventive maintenance schedule (Excel template)

A ready-to-use annual PM plan in Excel — list every asset and task, set how often it is due, tick the months, and track the last-done and next-due dates so nothing gets forgotten. Bold, frozen header, sensible columns and a few sample rows to copy. Download it free, no sign-up, and use it today. When the spreadsheet outgrows you, the same idea runs automatically in Fast Maintenance.

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Preventive Maintenance Schedule — Excel (.xlsx)

Free, ungated direct download · works in Excel, Google Sheets & LibreOffice · ~8 KB

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What this template is for

Every plant has a nagging list of jobs that should happen on time — grease that bearing, change that filter, load-test the DG set, calibrate that gauge. When those live only in someone's head or a diary, they slip, and a slipped service becomes a breakdown that stops the line. A preventive maintenance schedule fixes that: it turns “we should service that machine sometime” into a dated plan with an owner, so wear items are handled before they fail.

This template is the simplest honest version of that plan. One row per asset-and-task, a frequency, a person responsible, a twelve-month tick grid, and last-done / next-due dates so overdue work is obvious at a glance. It suits a single line, a small workshop, or a facilities team that wants a clean, printable annual PM plan without buying anything.

A quick word on choosing frequency, because it is where most schedules go wrong. Two things drive how often a task is due: the manufacturer's recommendation in the machine manual, and your own experience of how hard the asset is worked. A compressor running two shifts needs its filter and oil checked more often than one running an hour a day, even though both are “the same” machine. Start from the manual, then tighten or relax each task after a few months once you can see, from the Last Done and Remarks columns, whether you were servicing too early or leaving it too late. That feedback loop — plan, do, check, adjust — is the whole point of writing the schedule down instead of trusting memory.

The columns, explained

Column	What goes in it
Asset / Machine	The equipment name — e.g. CNC Turning Centre, Hydraulic Press 100T, Air Compressor 20HP.
Asset Code	Your short tag or number for the asset (CNC-01, PR-02). Handy for QR labels later.
Task / Checkpoint	One maintenance task — lubricate slideways, change hydraulic filter, check belt tension. Keep one task per row.
Frequency (D/W/M/Q/HY/Y)	How often the task is due: D=Daily, W=Weekly, M=Monthly, Q=Quarterly, HY=Half-Yearly, Y=Yearly.
Responsible	Who does it — operator, technician, maintenance engineer, or an external/OEM agency.
Jan … Dec (12 columns)	The plan grid. Tick each month the task is planned; a monthly task gets all twelve, a quarterly task gets four.
Last Done	The date the task was last completed — your proof of a working PM programme for ISO/IATF audits.
Next Due	The date it is due next, set from the frequency. Anything past today is overdue.
Remarks	Spares used, readings, observations, or a note that a job was skipped and why.

The file opens with the header row frozen and a handful of clearly-marked SAMPLE rows (CNC, press, compressor, DG set, crane). Delete the samples once you have copied the pattern.

How to use it — in six steps

Download and open

Open the file in Excel, Google Sheets or LibreOffice Calc. The header stays visible while you scroll because it is frozen.

List your assets and tasks

One row per asset-and-task. Enter the machine, its code, and a single clear task. Add as many rows per machine as it has tasks.

Set frequency and owner

Pick a frequency from the key and name who is responsible. This is what decides how many months you tick.

Tick the plan grid

In the Jan–Dec columns, mark every month the task is planned. Monthly = all twelve; quarterly = four; yearly = one.

Record last-done and next-due

When a job is finished, date the Last Done cell and set Next Due from the frequency. Note spares or readings in Remarks.

Review weekly

Each week, read the current month's column and the Next Due dates to see what is due or overdue, and assign it before it slips.

Plain-word glossary

A few terms you will meet around preventive maintenance, in everyday language:

Preventive maintenance (PM)

Planned upkeep on a schedule — by calendar or running hours — to service or replace parts before they fail, instead of waiting for a breakdown.

CMMS

Computerised Maintenance Management System: software that keeps assets, PM schedules, breakdowns and spares in one place, so the plan runs itself instead of living in a spreadsheet.

MTTR

Mean Time To Repair — the average time to fix a machine after it fails. Lower is better; it shows how quickly you recover.

MTBF

Mean Time Between Failures — the average running time between breakdowns. Higher is better; it shows how reliable the machine is.

A spreadsheet cannot work out MTTR or MTBF for you, and it will not remind anyone that a PM is due. That is exactly the gap a CMMS closes.

Want this to run automatically instead of a spreadsheet?

Fast Maintenance keeps the same idea — assets, tasks, frequencies, due dates — and adds what a spreadsheet cannot: WhatsApp, email and SMS reminders before a PM falls overdue, mobile QR job cards so a technician scans a machine to see and log its work, a spare bill of materials against each asset, and MTTR/MTBF and downtime calculated for you. It runs cloud or on-premise, is quoted in rupees to your real asset and user count, and is implemented on-site with your team. See the pricing approach or read how to build a preventive maintenance schedule.

Questions about the template

Is this template really free?

Yes — a direct, ungated download with no email address or sign-up. Download the Excel file, open it in Excel, Google Sheets or LibreOffice Calc, and start filling in your assets and tasks. Adapt the columns to your plant as you like.

What columns are included?

Asset / Machine, Asset Code, Task / Checkpoint, Frequency (D/W/M/Q/HY/Y), Responsible, a Jan-to-Dec plan grid of twelve tick columns, Last Done, Next Due and Remarks. The header row is bold, bordered and frozen, and a few clearly-marked sample rows show how to fill it in.

What is preventive maintenance, and why schedule it?

Preventive maintenance (PM) is planned upkeep done on a schedule — by calendar or by running hours — to service or replace parts before they fail. A schedule turns “we should service that sometime” into a dated plan with an owner, so wear items are changed before they stop the line.

What do CMMS, MTTR and MTBF mean?

A CMMS is software that keeps assets, PM schedules, breakdowns and spares in one place instead of a spreadsheet. MTTR (Mean Time To Repair) is the average time to fix a machine after it fails — lower is better. MTBF (Mean Time Between Failures) is the average running time between breakdowns — higher is better. A CMMS calculates these automatically; a spreadsheet cannot.

When should I move from a spreadsheet to software?

A spreadsheet is a fine start for one line or a few machines. You have outgrown it when several people edit it, when nobody gets reminded that a PM is due, when history and spares live in different files, and when you want MTTR/MTBF and downtime calculated for you. At that point a CMMS like Fast Maintenance keeps the same idea and adds reminders, mobile QR job cards, spare control and automatic KPIs.

Keep reading

From spreadsheet to a schedule that reminds you

A 30-minute demo on your own assets and PM schedules, then an itemised quote scoped to your plant within 48 hours.

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