Question 1

What is a SKU code?

Accepted Answer

A SKU (Stock Keeping Unit) is an alphanumeric code that uniquely identifies a product in your inventory. Unlike barcodes (EAN/UPC), SKUs are internal codes that you define yourself. They typically encode product attributes like category, brand, color, and size for easy identification.

Question 2

Why are consistent SKU codes important?

Accepted Answer

Consistent SKUs improve inventory accuracy, make warehouse operations faster, reduce picking errors, and enable better reporting. When your team can read a SKU and instantly understand the product it represents, operations become significantly more efficient.

Question 3

What are SKU best practices?

Accepted Answer

Keep SKUs short (8-12 characters), use only uppercase letters and numbers, avoid special characters except dashes or underscores as separators, start with a category or brand prefix, and never reuse SKUs for different products.

Question 4

What is the difference between SKU and barcode?

Accepted Answer

Barcodes (EAN, UPC, GTIN) are globally unique identifiers managed by GS1 and used across the entire supply chain. SKUs are internal codes created by individual businesses for their own inventory management.

Question 5

How many characters should a SKU have?

Accepted Answer

Most experts recommend 8-12 characters. Shorter SKUs are easier to read and type, while longer SKUs can encode more information. Each segment should be 2-3 characters to keep the total length manageable.

Question 6

How should I handle product variants in SKUs?

Accepted Answer

Each unique variant (e.g., red T-shirt in size M) should have its own SKU. Use dedicated segments for variant attributes like color codes (RD, BL, BK) and size codes (S, M, L, XL).

Question 7

Can I use the same SKU across multiple sales channels?

Accepted Answer

Yes, and you should. Using a single SKU system across your website, marketplaces, and physical stores ensures consistent inventory tracking.

Question 8

What is the difference between SKU and product ID?

Accepted Answer

A product ID is typically a system-generated number with no inherent meaning. A SKU is a human-readable code designed to convey product information at a glance — such as category, brand, and variant.

Question 9

How do I create SKUs for a new product line?

Accepted Answer

Start by defining your SKU structure: choose a prefix for the product line, assign category codes, and decide on variant encoding. Use a generator to set up your pattern, then expand all variants.

Question 10

Should I include the year or season in my SKUs?

Accepted Answer

For seasonal products like fashion collections, including a year or season code helps with inventory rotation and clearance planning. For evergreen products, it is usually unnecessary.

Code	Bereik	Beheerd Door	Voorbeeld
SKU	Intern	Jouw bedrijf	FA-TSH-NKE-RD-M
EAN / UPC	Wereldwijd	GS1	5901234123457
MPN	Fabrikant	Fabrikant	NK-DRI-FIT-001
ASIN	Amazon	Amazon	B08N5WRWNW

Gratis SKU Generator

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Generated SKUs

De Complete Gids voor SKU-codes

Wat is een SKU?

Anatomie van een Goede SKU

SKU Best Practices

Houd het kort (8-12 tekens)

Gebruik alleen hoofdletters en cijfers

Begin met een categorie- of afdelingsprefix

Hergebruik nooit SKU’s

Vermijd het beginnen met nul

Wees consistent over alle kanalen

SKU vs. Andere Productidentificatiecodes

FAQsVeelgestelde Vragen

SKU-beheer op schaal?