SKU naming convention examples for sizes and colours
Worked examples of readable SKU patterns for products that come in several colours and sizes, using category, style, colour and size parts.
Once a product comes in more than one colour or size, each combination needs its own identity if you want to track it cleanly. A naming convention is simply a fixed pattern for building that identity. Below are some illustrative patterns. All the codes are made up as examples; choose your own to suit your catalogue.
The basic pattern
The most useful pattern for a small clothing or accessories store is:
CATEGORY - STYLE - COLOUR - SIZE
Each part is short, written in capitals and joined with dashes. For example:
- TOP-LINEN-OLV-M: a linen top, olive, medium
- TOP-LINEN-OLV-L: the same top in large
- TOP-LINEN-SND-M: the same top in sand, medium
Notice how the codes sort together in a sheet: all linen tops sit next to each other, grouped by colour, then by size.
Example for a bag with no sizes
When size does not apply, leave that part out rather than inventing one:
- BAG-TOTE-CNV-BLK: canvas tote, black
- BAG-TOTE-CNV-TAN: canvas tote, tan
Example for a product sold by weight or volume
For things sold in different amounts, put the amount where size would go:
- OIL-ROSE-100: rosemary hair oil, 100 ml
- OIL-ROSE-200: the same in 200 ml
- CND-LAV-180: lavender candle, 180 g
Example for sets
Mark sets so they cannot be confused with single items:
- SET-DIYA-3: set of three diyas
- HMP-DIWALI-A: festive hamper, version A
Choosing colour codes
Pick three letters per colour and keep a short legend:
- BLK black
- OLV olive
- SND sand
- RST rust
Add a new code only when a new colour actually appears. Always reuse the same code for the same colour across products, so a search for OLV finds every olive item.
Match your store's size labels
On a Varchas store the sizes you can set per colourway are S, M, L and XL, so using exactly these as the last part of your code keeps your sheet and store in step. See setting up product variants properly. Remember that the store does not generate codes for you, so these live in your own spreadsheet.
Rules that keep patterns clean
- Same order every time, with no exceptions.
- Capitals and numbers only, with dashes to separate parts.
- No spaces, no special symbols.
- One code per exact combination.
- Never reuse a retired code for a new product.
Be careful with look-alike characters, which cause packing errors; mistakes to avoid when creating SKU codes goes into that.
Test the pattern
Write codes for five of your real products and read them aloud to someone who packs for you. If they can tell what the item is, the pattern works. If they ask what half the letters mean, shorten and simplify. For the bigger picture of setting up codes in the first place, read how to set up SKU codes for a small store.