Free SKU generator: how to create SKU codes

Build consistent internal product codes from the details you already know, such as category, style, color and size, then check them for duplicates before anything goes on a label. This free SKU generator shows each product's code as you type, compares it with the other products and with a pasted list of codes you already use, and exports the report as CSV or text. The editable sample codes a fictional shop's teas, mugs and tote bags.

How to create SKU codes with the generator

1. Name the list and choose an optional prefix of up to six letters or digits, such as your shop's initials.
2. Pick a separator: hyphen, underscore, dot or none.
3. For each attribute (category, style, variant and size), choose how many characters it adds to the code, from 0 to 6. Choose 0 to leave an attribute out.
4. Add your products. Fill in the attributes that tell them apart. If a product already has a code you want to keep, enter it instead and the row is marked Entered.
5. Paste the SKUs already in use, one per line, from a spreadsheet column or a POS export. Review the checks, then print or download the report. You can code up to 150 products and check up to 1,000 existing SKUs at a time.

Each attribute becomes its first letters or digits, in uppercase, with spaces and punctuation removed, so "Loose leaf" with three characters becomes LOO. A value made only of digits, such as a size of 350, stays whole, so sizes 10 and 12 never both become 1.

How to make SKU codes that stay useful

A SKU code is your own reference for one product variant, so it should separate every item you count and reorder separately. Put the broad group first and the finest detail last: category, then style, then variant, then size. Codes sorted that way keep related products together in a spreadsheet.

Keep codes short. Three letters per attribute is enough for most small catalogs, and the shelf label maker accepts internal codes of up to 18 characters. Avoid meaning that will change, such as a supplier name or a price, because the code should outlive both. The SKU numbers guide covers schemes, packaging changes and reference lists in more depth.

A SKU is not a barcode number. Manufacturer barcodes carry a GTIN issued through GS1, which GS1 US explains. Keep that number in its own column. Printing your own code as a barcode does not turn it into a GTIN.

What the duplicate checker flags

Checks are warnings. They never stop you printing or downloading, because the report is often what you need to fix the list. Each product row shows its checks in this order:

• Same as product N: another product has the same code, ignoring capital letters. In the sample, a blue mug and a blush mug both become BLU. Use four letters for the variant, or enter a code for one of them.
• Matches an existing SKU: the code is already on the pasted list, with its line number.
• Looks like product N: the codes differ only in separators or in letters that are easy to misread. The check removes separators and reads O as 0 and I or L as 1.
• Over 18 characters: too long for the shelf label maker.
• Starts with 0: spreadsheets can drop a leading zero when they read the code as a number. Format that column as text before importing.

Below the table, the report lists codes repeated within the pasted existing list, with their line numbers, and a summary line with the number of products generated, entered and flagged.

Print or download the SKU list

Print / PDF prints the report with each product, its code, its source and its checks. The CSV has the columns Product, Category, Style, Variant and Size, followed by SKU, Source and Checks, ready to paste into a catalog spreadsheet. The text download repeats the pattern settings and the summary.

The draft stays in this browser tab when browser storage is available. Download a copy before closing the tab. Nothing is uploaded and no catalog is changed. When the codes are settled, use them in a stocktake, an ABC inventory analysis or product descriptions.

Frequently asked questions

Can I create SKU codes without an account?

Yes. The generator runs in your browser and needs no sign-up. Download the CSV or print the report to keep your codes.

Should a SKU include the product's size and color?

Include them when you stock each size or color separately, since each one needs its own code. Leave out details that do not change how you count or reorder the item.

What if two products get the same code?

The checker marks both rows. Give the attribute that differs more characters, add another attribute, or enter a code for one product by hand.