SKU code

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DPHR-3M50
Generate an SKU

This generator builds SKU codes from a pattern: an optional prefix of your own, then one to four segments of a chosen length, joined by hyphens. Choose whether the segments use letters and digits, letters only or digits only, press the generate button and copy the result. Need a whole numbering scheme at once? The bulk card below produces a batch in one go.

Your last generated data 1
  • DPHR-3M50
Bulk SKU generator
  • 7K4G-QDNG
  • ZL2A-ZYB4
  • RFFY-T14L
  • 2B0L-UQX7
  • ZY5T-5RAE
  • AYKU-3HHC

What is an SKU?

A stock keeping unit is the number a shop gives its own products. It identifies exactly one sellable thing in exactly one business: the blue shirt in size M, not shirts in general. Where the product sits in a warehouse, which variant a customer ordered and what has to be reordered are all answered through the SKU.

SKU is not EAN, UPC or GTIN

This is the difference that matters, and it is the reason this page can say something the EAN and UPC pages cannot:

  • An EAN, UPC or GTIN is assigned by GS1. It is globally unique, it identifies the product for everybody, and you cannot invent one - a generated one is unlicensed.
  • An SKU is assigned by you. It only has to be unique inside your own shop or warehouse. No registry exists, no fee is due, nobody can tell you your SKU is wrong.

Which is why generating SKUs in bulk is a completely legitimate use of this page - unlike generated barcode numbers, codes made here are as real as any other SKU the moment you decide to use them. The only thing to watch is that they stay unique within your own system.

What makes a good SKU

  • Readable by a human under stress. Someone will read it off a shelf label at the end of a shift.
  • No ambiguous characters. The segments here leave out I and O, because next to 1 and 0 they cause mistyped codes.
  • A meaningful prefix, then opaque segments. A prefix such as a product family keeps lists sortable. Encoding price or supplier into the code, on the other hand, means reprinting labels when either changes.
  • One fixed shape. Same length, same separator, everywhere - that is what makes an SKU easy to validate on import.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between an SKU and an EAN?
An EAN is issued by GS1 and identifies the product for everybody. An SKU is assigned by the shop itself and only has to be unique inside that one business.
Can I invent my own SKUs?
Yes, and that is the normal way to do it. There is no registry and no fee, so a code becomes a real SKU the moment your own system uses it.
Is it legitimate to generate SKUs in bulk?
Yes. Unlike barcode numbers, an SKU is self assigned, so a generated batch is as real as any other numbering scheme. Just make sure the codes stay unique inside your own system.
How long should an SKU be?
Short enough to be read off a shelf label and typed without error, long enough to leave room for growth. A prefix plus one or two segments of four characters is a common shape.
Why do the generated codes leave out I and O?
Next to the digits 1 and 0 those two letters are the classic source of mistyped codes, so they are dropped from the character pool.