Free workbook · for makers naming their products
SKU Generator Lite
SKU Generator Lite is a free SKU generator spreadsheet that keeps your product codes in one place, because a SKU scheme falls apart when every code is made up on the spot. Name three attribute families, such as product, scent and size, give each value a short code once, and every product row builds its SKU from those codes, numbered automatically. A Check column flags a SKU that repeats another row and says how to fix it. It opens on a worked example from a fictional candle shop, so you can see it working before you type over it with your own catalog.
Take it with you — free, no signup
Direct download. No email, no account — just the file.
What it does
- Sets your SKU format on one tab: an optional shop prefix, a dash or dot between the parts (or none), upper or lower case, and how many digits the number at the end gets.
- Keeps a dictionary of up to 20 values for each of three attribute families, each with its short code, and counts how many products use each value.
- Builds the SKU for up to 25 products from the values you pick in dropdowns, and numbers products that share the same codes 01, 02 and so on. Type a number yourself when you need a particular one.
- Checks every row: a family with no value picked, a value that is not in the dictionary, or a SKU that repeats another row, naming that other row's number from the # column.
- Opens pre-filled with a fictional candle shop: 25 example products across 30 coded values, including one repeat left in on purpose so you can see the check catch it.
Related reading
Own it, don't rent it
Want every combination coded and checked for you?
The lite builds and numbers SKUs one row at a time and flags a repeat. The full SKU Generator adds a fourth, optional attribute family and expands one listing into every size and scent combination for you. It warns when two values get the same code, when a code holds a character a barcode can't, or when a SKU runs past the length you set. It keeps a register of SKUs you have stopped using and holds back from labels and export any row that reissues one, and lays your SKUs out on 30-up label sheets, with a barcode on each SKU short enough to carry one. It also has upload columns for your shop and a decoder that reads any SKU back part by part. It comes in Excel and Google Sheets in one download, with a Start Here guide, a label printing guide and a planning worksheet.
A one-time purchase you keep: no app, no subscription, and nothing that can shut down.
A spreadsheet you keep, not an inventory system. The example shop, Hearthlight Candle Co., and every code in it are fictional. Free to use and share as-is; please don't resell it.