Shopify Barcode Labels from CSV: A Simple Workflow for Small Sellers

When Shopify sellers need physical barcode labels

• Labeling products before they go on shelves or into storage bins
• Matching physical stock with Shopify SKUs during inventory counts
• Preparing packing station labels so staff can quickly identify items
• Creating labels for pop-up stores or temporary offline sales points
• Printing warehouse bin or location labels that correspond to Shopify inventory locations
• Reprinting labels when old ones are damaged or worn

Understanding Shopify's SKU and Barcode fields

In Shopify, every product variant has two identifier fields: SKU and Barcode. The SKU field is intended for your internal stock code — a value you define for your own operations. The Barcode field is typically where a GTIN or EAN-13/UPC value goes if your products have official retail barcodes. For internal labels and packing workflows, the SKU is usually the better choice because it is something you control and can make unique and meaningful for your team.

Step 1: Export your Shopify product data

In your Shopify admin, go to Products. Click Export, select "All products" or the products you want to label, and choose "CSV for Excel, Numbers, or other spreadsheet applications". Shopify generates a CSV file with all product and variant data. Open it to check which columns you need before uploading to BarcodeMaker.

Step 2: Identify the columns to use

• Barcode column in BarcodeMaker: use the "Variant Barcode" column if your products have registered barcodes, or "Variant SKU" for internal workflow labels
• Product name: use "Title" for the main product name, or combine "Title" and "Option1 Value" for variant-specific labels
• SKU: "Variant SKU" for the BarcodeMaker SKU field
• Price: "Variant Price" for optional price display

Step 3: Clean the CSV if needed

Shopify product exports include many columns you do not need for label generation (Handle, Published, Body HTML, etc.). You can delete unused columns to simplify the upload, but it is not required — BarcodeMaker lets you choose which columns to use from a dropdown, so extra columns do not cause problems. What does matter: make sure the barcode or SKU column has values for every product variant you want to label. Variants without an SKU or Barcode value will be skipped.

Step 4: Upload and generate in BarcodeMaker

Go to barcodemaker.xyz, upload the Shopify CSV, and map the columns. Select "Variant SKU" or "Variant Barcode" as the barcode value, "Title" as the product name, and "Variant Price" optionally. Click Generate PDF. BarcodeMaker produces an A4 PDF with 24 labels per page, one barcode per product variant.

Why Code 128 works for Shopify internal labels

Code 128 supports alphanumeric characters, which is ideal for Shopify SKUs that typically mix letters and numbers (e.g. SHIRT-BLU-M, 1042-RED, CANDLE-LAVENDER-200G). Code 128 works reliably with most USB and wireless handheld scanners used in retail and packing environments. For official retail packaging barcodes that appear on consumer products sold in physical stores, GS1/EAN/UPC registration rules still apply separately.

Step 5: Print safely

Print one test page at 100% scale first. Scan a few labels with your actual scanner to confirm the values match the Shopify SKU or Barcode field. Check that the labels align with your label sheet perforations. Only after confirming alignment and scan accuracy should you print the full batch.

Dealing with product variants

Shopify exports one row per variant, not one row per product. This is usually exactly what you want for labeling — if you have a T-shirt in 3 sizes and 4 colors, you get 12 rows, one for each variant. Each gets its own barcode label. If you only want one label per product (not per variant), you will need to filter the CSV to keep only the rows you need before uploading.

Create Shopify barcode labels from CSV