Valuing a machine with its tooling and accessories
- Topic
- Equipment valuations
- Reading time
- 3 minutes
- Last reviewed
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Tell the valuer exactly which tooling and accessories you propose to include with a machine. Otherwise the reported value may concern a different package from the one you later advertise.
The same accessory can matter in different ways. It may support the machine's intended use, have a separate buyer group or remain necessary for equipment the business is keeping. Establish the proposed scope before asking whether the package would realise more together or separately.
Make an inclusion schedule
| Reference | Item | Relationship to machine | Proposed treatment | Evidence or question |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Your reference | Description and identifying detail | Known match, shared use or uncertain | Included, separate, retained or hold | Compatibility evidence, ownership or missing information |
List the actual items. Avoid vague entries such as all tooling when staff have not checked what is in the cabinet. Mark shared accessories and retained items explicitly.
The valuation asset list provides the wider structure. The sale inclusion schedule takes the agreed result into the catalogue and handover record. They should refer to the same version of the package.
Ask two questions if there are two credible options
If you are considering a complete package and separate lots, ask whether the valuer can advise on those scenarios and what assumptions each would require. Do not obtain one figure and then divide it arbitrarily between the machine and accessories.
A package can be coherent without every item having a separate price. Conversely, an accessory with another use may need its own consideration. The assessment depends on the actual asset, evidence and intended sale.
Test the grouping before it becomes a promise
Write down how each option would affect the buyer and your remaining operation:
- What can the buyer reasonably assess or use as a package?
- Which accessories still support machinery being retained?
- What compatibility has been documented, and what needs specialist confirmation?
- Would separate buyers create additional collection dependencies?
- What remains if the main machine sells but the accessories do not?
The job-lot comparison considers the commercial grouping decision. For a linked system or production line, use the whole-line valuation guide rather than treating it as a simple collection of independent accessories.
Keep later changes traceable
If the business removes an accessory from the package after the valuation, ask whether that affects the opinion before using the original total. Update the included-item schedule and the sale description together.
Do not describe an uncertain accessory as compatible merely because it was stored nearby. Give the manufacturer or competent specialist the identification details and preserve the answer with the record.
When asking UK Auction Group for an opinion, include the schedule and identify any genuine alternative grouping you want considered. Clear scope is more useful than a photograph of a crowded cabinet accompanied by everything included, probably.
Explore the valuations guides.
Professional reference: RICS.
Sources
This guide gives general information. Equipment-specific, legal, tax and safety decisions may need a qualified adviser or competent specialist. The guides do not promise sale prices, fees or results.