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Free SKU
Code Generator

Build structured, professional SKU codes for your products. Define your format, generate one at a time or in bulk from CSV. No signup. No watermark.

Quick start with a preset

SKU Structure

1
chars
2
chars
3
chars
4
chars

"chars" = max characters from each value. Set to 0 to keep the full word.

Format Options

0 = no number, 3 = 001, 4 = 0001, etc.

Your SKU

NUT-PRO-1KG-CHOC-001

Change the values above to see your SKU update live.

Good SKU Habits

  • Keep it short — under 16 characters is ideal
  • No spaces or special characters — they break barcode scanners
  • Avoid letters that look like numbers: O vs 0, I vs 1
  • Don't embed prices — they change
  • Don't embed stock locations — products move
  • Use a consistent format across all products
  • Stick to your scheme even when you grow

SKUs are easy. Managing 1,000+ of them isn't.

Fulnex tracks every SKU across every store, every bin, every order — with real-time stock, picking workflows, and automatic barcode label printing. Made for South African e-commerce.

What makes a SKU worth having

A SKU exists so a human can identify a product without looking it up, and so a system can match it without ambiguity. Most store SKUs fail at both because they were invented one product at a time with no rule behind them.

Structure beats memorability

A good SKU encodes attributes in a fixed order — category, then product, then variant — so that sorting a list groups related items automatically and a person reading a picking slip can tell a medium from a large without opening the product page. TSHIRT-BLK-M reads instantly. Anything ending in a bare sequential number does not.

Never encode anything that changes

Price, supplier and stock location all change. A SKU should not, because it is referenced in orders, invoices and shipping records that are already in the past. Once a SKU has appeared on a customer's invoice, changing it breaks the link between that record and the product.

Avoid the characters that cause trouble later

Spaces break CSV imports. Slashes break URLs. The letter O and the digit 0 are indistinguishable in warehouse handwriting and on a faded label, as are I and 1. Pick one convention, exclude the ambiguous characters entirely, and apply it to every product from the start — retrofitting SKUs across a live catalogue is far more painful than choosing well early.

Common questions

What is a SKU?

A Stock Keeping Unit — a unique code identifying one specific product variant, including its size and colour. Two variants of the same product need two SKUs.

How long should a SKU be?

Long enough to be structured, short enough to read aloud and type. Eight to sixteen characters in segments separated by hyphens suits most catalogues.

Can I change a SKU later?

You can, but avoid it. SKUs appear on past orders, invoices and shipping records, and changing one breaks the link between those records and the product.

Next, from the Fulnex warehouse guides