Import a PM checklist into MaintainX
MaintainX imports work orders from a CSV or Excel file through Settings. Our free checklists are CSVs with one row per PM task, so the fit is close: rename a few headers, convert hours to seconds, add a due date, upload, then set each work order to repeat. About 20 minutes for one asset type; the six free sets (22 tasks) go in one file.
Checked against the MaintainX help centre on 24 September 2026: Work Order Imports and Upload an Import File. Field names change; if your screen differs, trust the screen.
Before you start
- You need an Administrator role and the web app. The importer is not in the mobile app.
- Download a free CSV below, or all six.
- Have the exact asset names from your MaintainX account handy. The importer creates any asset it does not recognise, so a typo gives you a duplicate asset.
Column map
Our CSV columns, left to right: Asset Type (A), PM Title (B), Frequency (C), Trade (D), Est. Hours (E), Downtime Required (F), Procedure Steps (G), Parts / Consumables (H), Safety Requirements (I), Pass / Fail Criteria (J). The letters matter for the formulas below.
| Our column | MaintainX field | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| PM Title | Title (required) | Keep as is. If you have several of the same asset, add the asset tag: Weekly belt conveyor inspection, CV-101. |
| Asset Type | Asset Name | Replace with the exact asset name from your MaintainX account, one asset per row (copy the row for each conveyor). A name the importer does not recognise becomes a new asset, so check spelling. |
| Frequency | no field | The work order importer has no repeat setting. Map this column to a custom field (PM Frequency) so the interval travels with the work order, then set the recurrence in MaintainX after import (step 8). |
| Trade | Categories or Responsible Team | Use Categories if you tag work by trade (Mechanical, Electrical). Use Responsible Team if your teams are organised by trade; the name must match an existing team exactly or the importer creates a new one. |
| Est. Hours | Estimated Time | MaintainX wants whole seconds. Formula: =ROUND(E2*3600,0) (0.5 h = 1800). |
| Downtime Required | no field | Fold into the description (Downtime required: Yes) or map to a custom field. |
| Procedure Steps | Description | Paste as is. The limit is 4,096 characters; our longest task is about 700. For tickable steps and pass/fail scoring, rebuild the steps as a Procedure in MaintainX after import and attach it. |
| Parts / Consumables | Description | Append Parts: .... The work order importer does not link parts records. |
| Safety Requirements | Description | Put it first, above the steps, so it is the first thing the technician reads. |
| Pass / Fail Criteria | Description | Append Pass/fail: ..., or make it the last line of the Procedure. |
| add: Type | Type | PREVENTIVE in every row (the importer also accepts PM). |
| add: Status | Status | OPEN. |
| add: Priority | Priority | MEDIUM for weekly and monthly, LOW for quarterly and annual, or your own rule. Allowed: NONE, LOW, MEDIUM, HIGH. |
| add: Due Date | Due Date | YYYY-MM-DD. Stagger them (step 5). |
Step by step
- Download the CSV and open it in Excel or Google Sheets.
- Rename headers to the MaintainX names: PM Title to Title, Asset Type to Asset Name, Trade to Categories, Est. Hours to Estimated Time. Exact names match automatically; anything else you map by hand on the Match Column Headers screen, so this step saves clicks rather than being required.
- Build the description in a new column K, then copy and paste it as values:
="Safety: "&I2&CHAR(10)&CHAR(10)&G2&CHAR(10)&CHAR(10)&"Parts: "&H2&CHAR(10)&"Pass/fail: "&J2&CHAR(10)&"Downtime required: "&F2
CHAR(10) is a line break; Excel quotes the cell when it saves CSV, which is valid. If the upload rejects the description, replace CHAR(10) with a space. - Convert hours to seconds in column E:
=ROUND(E2*3600,0), paste as values, header Estimated Time. - Add four columns: Type = PREVENTIVE, Status = OPEN, Priority, Due Date. Stagger the due dates the way you would on a whiteboard: weeklies next Monday, monthlies in the first week of next month, quarterlies and annuals spread across the quarter so they do not all land in the same week.
- Replace Asset Type with your real asset names. One asset per row; duplicate the row for each unit.
- Save as CSV (UTF-8). In MaintainX on the web: Settings > General > Import Data > Work Orders (or the New Work Order menu > Import). Upload the file, check the column matches (Title, Asset Name, Description, Estimated Time, Categories, Type, Status, Priority, Due Date), map Frequency to a custom field or ignore it, clear any red rows in the summary, and import.
- Open each imported work order and set the recurrence to match the Frequency column: Weekly = every week, Monthly = every month, Quarterly = every 3 months, Semi-annual = every 6 months, Annual = every year. Hour-based tasks (the forklift 250-hour service) become a meter-based trigger on the asset's hour meter. For the six free sets that is 22 work orders, about 15 minutes.
What the importer will not do
- Set a repeat schedule. That is step 8, by hand or with Procedures and recurring work orders.
- Create tickable checklist steps. Steps arrive as description text; Procedures give you checkboxes and pass/fail scoring.
- Link parts records or attach files. Parts stay as text in the description.
- Import more than 10,000 rows per file. You will not get near it with checklists.
The free CSVs
Every set uses the same ten columns, so one mapping covers all of them. Direct download, no signup:
- Belt conveyor PM checklist (CSV), task list on the belt conveyor page
- MDR conveyor PM checklist (CSV), task list on the MDR conveyor page
- Dock leveler PM checklist (CSV), task list on the dock leveler page
- Dock door PM checklist (CSV), task list on the dock door page
- Electric forklift PM checklist (CSV), task list on the electric forklift page
- Electric pallet jack PM checklist (CSV), task list on the electric pallet jack page
Using Limble instead? Read the Limble import guide.
Loading a whole site, not one asset?
The Maintenance Planner Toolkit has all 11 asset classes (39 PM tasks) in one CSV with these same columns, plus an asset register template, a parts min/max calculator, a weekly KPI dashboard, a compliance calendar and a 90-day setup guide. Built by a working maintenance planner, not a software vendor.
See the full toolkit, $99