Instant SKU Generator

SKU is an acronym that stands for "stock keeping unit."

Essentially, an SKU is a label for a single product—a 'unit' of identification to keep track of an item's stock.

Many sellers and warehouse managers pronounce "SKU" as [skyo͞o] (or "skew").

If addressing a particular item to a designer, note that skew is an actual word regarding the position of an object!

In any case, pronouncing the acronym "S-K-U" outright can be used as well.

SKUs are used to track items and manage products and inventory in many situations.

Some of the common uses for SKUs include restocking, purchase orders, inventory tracking, product identification, and analytics.

Check out our top 5 ways SKUs are used for business to learn more!

SKUs and their format will vary from business to business. SKUs are usually customized to make the software or fulfillment system the company is using more efficient.Some SKUs contain a barcode, model number, variation attributes, warehouse picking locations, etc.
Most of the item information is abbreviated or condensed into 2-4 letters or numbers. Then, a Special Character (Separator) separates each part of the item information, making it easier to identify and read.

A breakdown of an SKU's format and what each part means.

Check out the "how to write an SKU" question below for examples and a quick walkthrough of SKU formats.

Creating your SKU format will be personalized to your business needs.
Sellers will typically combine item information into a code that they and their team can read.
- First, consider any important item data you may need while processing an order, restocking, or customer support. Info such as a model number, UPC, or reference to a warehouse picking location can be very beneficial to have on hand at a glance.
- Because an SKU is a unique identifier for each item you sell, you will also need to use information, including the color, size, and so forth.
Then, abbreviate each of these item details (if possible) and separate each attribute with a special character.
For example, an acceptable SKU for a Blue Wilson Baseball Glove might be:
WLSN-BGLV/BLU
‍Let's break down this SKU. The above SKUcode:

- abbreviates the brand (Wilson → WLSN),
- then product name (Baseball Glove → BGLV),
- and ends with the attribute, color (Blue → BLU).

Note that custom separators are used to make the SKU readable. Different businesses will use different separators, such as # $ ; . \—for example: WLSN:BGLV|BLU
Make sure whichever format you choose, it can be repeated and applied to all your other items in a similar format. This will keep you consistent and prevent any confusion later on.

A product SKU and a UPC are two different ways of identifying a product.An SKU is a code that represents a specific variation of a product, such as the color or size. Merchants will assign SKUs for their own inventory and item tracking.However, a UPC is not an SKU. UPCs are used to identify products by their bar code, such as when someone scans their item at the grocery store or other retailers. A UPC can be used in the United States and Canada.A UPC (Universal Product Code) and EAN (European Article Number) are two different types of barcodes used for products. A UPC-A barcode is a 12 digit code that can be easily identified with the following pattern:

1234-5678-9012-3456

eCommerce businesses, brick-and-mortar stores, and warehouse suppliers all use SKUs in a variety of situations to identify products.

Each SKU should be unique to an item; SKUs are not reused once the item is sold out of stock.