Free generator
SKU Generator for Shopify Stores
Enter a brand prefix, the product, and its option values. The generator builds a consistent SKU for every variant combination, ready to paste into Shopify.
12 SKUs — one per variant
FC-LINENC-SAND-S FC-LINENC-SAND-M FC-LINENC-SAND-L FC-LINENC-SAND-XL FC-LINENC-OLIV-S FC-LINENC-OLIV-M FC-LINENC-OLIV-L FC-LINENC-OLIV-XL FC-LINENC-NAVY-S FC-LINENC-NAVY-M FC-LINENC-NAVY-L FC-LINENC-NAVY-XL
Good SKUs are codes you can read at a glance in a picking list: brand, product, then options, most-stable part first. Avoid letters that read as digits (O, I), and never reuse a retired SKU — your sales history keeps pointing at it.
Runs in your browser. Nothing you enter is stored or sent.
What makes a good SKU
A SKU is your internal code — unlike a barcode, you invent it. Good ones read at a glance in a pick list: brand or line, product, then options, most-stable part first (FC-LINENC-SAND-M). Keep one scheme for the whole catalog; consistency is the entire value.
Rules that save you later
Avoid characters that break spreadsheets and scanners (spaces, slashes, leading zeros that Excel eats), skip letters that read as digits (O, I), and never encode facts that change, like price or supplier. Retired SKUs stay retired — reusing one corrupts your sales history.
Full walkthrough: What is a SKU, and how is it different from a barcode?.
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Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between a SKU and a barcode?
A SKU is your own internal code, invented by you, structured however helps your operation. A barcode (GTIN/UPC/EAN) is a globally unique number assigned through GS1 that identifies the product everywhere it's sold. Every variant should have its own SKU; barcodes only matter when you sell through channels that require them.
What format should my SKUs follow?
Short segments from stable to variable: brand or product line, product code, then options like color and size, separated by dashes. Keep it under ~20 characters, uppercase, letters and digits only. The test: can someone in a warehouse tell two variants apart from the SKU alone?
Should SKUs be sequential numbers or meaningful codes?
For small and mid-size catalogs, meaningful codes win — humans read them constantly in orders, pick lists and spreadsheets. Pure sequences avoid any risk of encoding stale facts and suit very large catalogs where software does all the reading. Whichever you pick, don't mix the two.
Does every Shopify variant need its own SKU?
Yes. Shopify tracks inventory per variant, so two variants sharing a SKU makes stock counts, reports and 3PL integrations ambiguous. Same product, different size or color — different SKU.