Add variants to a product in Shopify
A variant is one form of a product a customer can buy: one size in one colour. This tutorial adds Size and Colour options to the Trail Crew Tee, which turns one listing into 6 variants, each with its own price and stock count.
Written · Shopify admin, desktop steps · 6 minutes read
The worked example
| Product | Trail Crew Tee |
| Option 1 | Size: Small, Medium, Large |
| Option 2 | Colour: Red, Blue |
| Variants made | 6 |
| Limit per product | 2,048 variants, 3 options |
| Price per variant | $28.00 |
Download the record: trail-crew-tee-variants.csv (309 bytes).
A variant list for the Trail Crew Tee: 6 variants, one per size and colour pair, each priced at $28.00 with its opening stock.
1Open the product
From your Shopify admin, go to Products and click Trail Crew Tee. The product page you built when you added the shirt is where variants are added.
2Start the first option
In the Variants section, click + Add options. This opens the option form where you name the option and list its values.
3Name the Size option and add its values
In the Option name field, enter Size. In the Option values section, enter Small, Medium, and Large. The option name and its values are shown to customers when they choose a variant.
4Add Colour as a second option
Click + Add another option, enter Colour as the option name, and enter Red and Blue as its values. A product can have up to 3 options, and each option can have its own set of values.
5Save and check the variant list
Click Done, then click Save. Shopify builds one variant for each combination of the values: 3 sizes times 2 colours is 6 variants, listed in the Variants section.
6Set a price and stock count for each variant
After you save the variants, open each variant and set its price and inventory. When a product has variants, the price, inventory, and shipping settings are set on each variant page, not on the main product page.
7Give each variant its own image where it helps
If the red and blue shirts look different, add the matching image to each variant from the product media list. Each variant can have one media item, and it must come from the product media list.
The arithmetic
The variant count is a straight multiplication of the option values:
| Count | Number |
|---|---|
| Size values | 3 |
| Colour values | 2 |
| Variants (3 x 2) | 6 |
| Variant limit per product | 2,048 |
| Options used of 3 allowed | 2 |
Three sizes times two colours is 6 variants. The product is well inside the Shopify limits of 2,048 variants and 3 options per product.
Held at the counter
Variant prices are set one by one. Adding options does not set prices for you. Each new variant needs its own price, and a variant left without a price cannot be sold at the price you expect. Open each variant after saving and set the price.
You cannot save an exact copy of a variant. Before you can save a new variant, at least one of its option values must be new. An exact duplicate of a variant that already exists will not save, so check the list before adding one by hand.
More than 100 variants needs a check of your theme and apps. Shopify allows up to 2,048 variants, but some themes, apps, and sales channels do not support more than 100. If you plan a large variant list, confirm your theme and apps support it first.
Sources
- Adding variants — Shopify's help pages: the add-variant steps, the 2,048 variant and 3 option limits, and that prices are set per variant.
- Adding and updating products — Shopify's help pages: adding options to an existing product instead of duplicating it.