A preventive maintenance schedule template is a table with one row per task: the asset, the task, how often it is done, how long it takes and who does it. This guide shows the columns that matter, a filled-in example, and how to avoid the usual problems with a spreadsheet version.
If you would rather not start from a blank sheet, the free preventive maintenance schedule generator builds the whole 12-month schedule for your equipment and gives you the Excel file.
The columns a preventive maintenance schedule template needs
- Asset ID and name: one row refers to one machine. Use the tag used on the plant.
- Location or department: so tasks can be grouped for a technician’s round.
- Task: one action with a checkable result.
- Frequency or trigger: daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, half-yearly, annual, or a running-hours trigger.
- Estimated minutes: per task per machine.
- Skill or owner: mechanical, electrical, instrument, operator.
- Parts needed: filter, oil, belt, so stores can prepare.
- Last done and next due: the two dates that drive the whole sheet.
- Done by and remarks: the record.
An example, filled in
These rows come from the task library of our generator. One task from each of six common pieces of equipment:
| Asset | Task | How often | Minutes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air compressor (screw) | Check oil level, discharge pressure and temperature | Daily | 5 |
| Centrifugal pump | Measure vibration and record trend | Monthly | 15 |
| Air handling unit (AHU) | Check filter differential pressure; clean pre-filters | Weekly | 15 |
| Diesel generator (DG) set | Test automatic mains failure (AMF) panel and change-over operation | Quarterly | 90 |
| Boiler (small/medium package) | Test low-water cut-off and alarms | Weekly | 20 |
| Belt conveyor | Check head and tail pulley lagging and bearings; check gearbox oil level | Monthly | 45 |
How to use the template
- Enter every asset once, with its tag.
- For each asset, add its tasks and intervals from the maker’s manual and your own experience.
- Fill in the last-done date, and let next-due be last-done plus the interval.
- Add up estimated minutes by month to see the workload, and move tasks to even it out.
- Filter by this week’s due date to produce the technician’s list.
- After each task, record the date and the person.
Where a spreadsheet template starts to fail
It works well for a few dozen assets. Trouble starts when several people edit the same file, when tasks must reach technicians on the floor, when someone has to prove a task was done, or when a task depends on running hours that nobody updates. At that point maintenance software is the next step; see CMMS vs spreadsheets and the preventive maintenance software page.
Templates by industry
Each industry has its own critical assets. Start from the row that matches yours:
| Industry | What the schedule focuses on | Go to |
|---|---|---|
| Automotive components | Presses, CNC machines, robots and paint-shop utilities, where a line stoppage stops the customer’s line too. | Maintenance software · Preventive maintenance schedule for automotive components |
| Chemicals | Reactors, pumps, heat exchangers and relief valves, where inspection ties into process safety. | Maintenance software · Preventive maintenance schedule for chemicals |
| Electronics | Cleanroom air handling, SMT lines and power quality for sensitive equipment. | Maintenance software · Preventive maintenance schedule for electronics |
| FMCG | High-speed filling and packing lines, where many small stoppages add up. | Maintenance software · Preventive maintenance schedule for fmcg |
| Food processing | Hygiene-critical equipment, boilers and refrigeration, with records for food-safety audits. | Maintenance software · Preventive maintenance schedule for food processing |
| Dairy | Pasteurisers, ammonia refrigeration and cleaning-in-place systems, with calibration at critical control points. | Maintenance software · Preventive maintenance schedule for dairy |
| Packaging and printing | Printing, converting and packing machines and the compressed air they depend on. | Maintenance software · Preventive maintenance schedule for packaging and printing |
| Paper and pulp | Paper machine drives, dryers, boilers and the effluent plant. | Maintenance software · Preventive maintenance schedule for paper and pulp |
| Pharmaceutical | Validated equipment, calibration and cleanroom air handling, with audit-ready records. | Maintenance software · Preventive maintenance schedule for pharmaceutical |
| API and bulk drugs | Reactors, centrifuges and dryers, planned around production campaigns. | Maintenance software · Preventive maintenance schedule for api and bulk drugs |
| Plastics and polymers | Injection moulding machines, chillers, hydraulics and moulds. | Maintenance software · Preventive maintenance schedule for plastics and polymers |
| Tyre and rubber | Mixers, extruders and curing presses, with moulds and bladders tracked as consumables. | Maintenance software · Preventive maintenance schedule for tyre and rubber |
| Power plants | Boilers, turbines and auxiliaries, with statutory inspections. | Maintenance software · Preventive maintenance schedule for power plants |
| Renewable energy | Inverters, trackers and turbines across remote sites. | Maintenance software · Preventive maintenance schedule for renewable energy |
| Textile | Hundreds of similar looms and frames, plus compressors, humidification and boilers. | Maintenance software · Preventive maintenance schedule for textile |
| Steel and metals | Cranes, furnaces, mill stands and hydraulics working in heat and load. | Maintenance software · Preventive maintenance schedule for steel and metals |
| Cement | Kiln, mills and fans, and a shutdown list built from real data. | Maintenance software · Preventive maintenance schedule for cement |
| Mining | Fleet services by engine hours, crushers and conveyors in remote sites. | Maintenance software · Preventive maintenance schedule for mining |
| Oil and gas | Rotating equipment, inspection of pressure equipment and safety-critical tests. | Maintenance software · Preventive maintenance schedule for oil and gas |
| Sugar and distilleries | Season rounds, the off-season overhaul, boilers and cogeneration. | Maintenance software · Preventive maintenance schedule for sugar and distilleries |
For the method behind the schedule, read our guide to the preventive maintenance schedule.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a free preventive maintenance schedule template?
Yes. Our preventive maintenance schedule generator produces a 12-month schedule for the equipment you pick and lets you download it as an Excel file, free.
Should a template be per machine or per department?
Keep one row per task per machine, and add a department column so you can group and filter. That way the same sheet works for both views.
How do I show the workload by month?
Add a month column for the due date and sum the estimated minutes by month. A pivot table does this in a few clicks.
Can I use the same template for every industry?
The structure is the same. The assets and tasks differ, so start from tasks that suit your equipment, not a generic list.
