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SKUs table in the admin

Inventory > SKUs

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Definition

A SKU is a template for a product type. It holds product-level information — name, code, category, attributes, description, base purchase price, bin location — and acts as the parent definition for any number of Stock Items that represent the actual physical units.
SKUs are templates. Define product information once on the SKU and every linked Stock Item inherits it. Stock Items can still override any inherited field individually — the SKU is a default, not a lock.
Example. Create a SKU BIK-S named Bike S with:
  • Category: Bicycles > City
  • Attributes: Brand: Trek, Frame size: S
  • Purchase price: €499
Now register 20 Stock Items linked to this SKU. Each one inherits all four properties. One of them comes from a different supplier at €520 — override the purchasePrice on just that item; the rest still read €499 from the SKU.
Special in TWICE: SKUs separate what something is (product) from which one (physical instance). This is what lets you manage a product catalog while keeping per-item lifecycle, condition, and profitability.

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Where do I use it?

SKUs are central to product management and appear throughout TWICE:
  • Product catalog management — define product templates that many Stock Items share
  • Listing creation — Listings reference SKUs to define what is fulfillable
  • Bulk operations — update pricing, description, or attributes once on the SKU and propagate to all linked items
  • Reporting and analytics — analyse performance by product type rather than per item
  • Inventory planning — track stock levels and demand patterns by SKU
  • AI suggestions — suggestSkuCode proposes a code from the SKU name

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SKU vs Stock Item

A Stock Item can also be unlinked (skuId: null) — useful for one-off items that do not fit a product template.

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Inherited fields

The following fields cascade from the SKU to every linked Stock Item: Override behaviour:
  • The Stock Item’s own value takes priority over the SKU’s value.
  • The API exposes *Origin fields so you always know whether a value was inherited or set on the item.
  • Clearing a value on the Stock Item (set to null) makes it re-inherit from the SKU.
  • Updating a SKU field instantly changes the effective value on every linked item that does not have its own override.
  • Buffer time uses a three-state model: null = inherit from SKU, 0 = explicit no buffer (overrides the SKU), > 0 = custom override. See Stock Item Fulfillment for details.
Changing a SKU’s purchasePrice does not rewrite historical ledger entries — those keep the price they were recorded with. Inheritance applies to current reads only.

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SKU code

code is the user-facing identifier for the SKU. Rules:
  • Required, minimum length 1.
  • Must be unique within the tenant.
  • Validate ahead of creation with POST /skus/validate-codes.
  • Auto-suggest a code from a name with POST /skus/suggest-code.
  • Editable after creation, but updates are checked against the same uniqueness rule.
Common patterns: BIK-S, SKI-ATOM-170, HELM-MD-RED. Choose something short, mnemonic, and stable.

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Key Properties

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Multi-listing per SKU

One SKU can power multiple Listings. The Listing layer adds rental terms, pricing tables, availability windows, channels — but the SKU underneath stays the same. This is how a single product can appear in different stores, packages, or pricing contexts without duplicating its identity.

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Relationships

Has many Stock Items via articles[].skuId. Each Stock Item inherits SKU properties but maintains its own tracking, ledger, and event history.
Listings reference SKUs as fulfillable stock sources. One SKU can power many Listings.
Belongs to a taxonomy category and has its own resource attributes. These cascade to linked Stock Items.

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Lifecycle

1

Creation

SKUs are created when defining new product types in your catalog.
From Inventory > SKUs, click Create SKU. Provide a name; the code can be auto-suggested. You can also create SKUs automatically while registering Stock Items by typing a new SKU name into the SKU picker.
Minimum: name and code. Recommended: taxonomyCategoryId, purchasePrice, description, and attributes — anything you want inherited by every Stock Item.
Yes. Use POST /skus (single) or POST /skus/many (bulk). Both are idempotent on code — duplicate codes are rejected up front by validateCodes.
2

Usage

Active SKUs act as templates across operations.
Inventory > SKUs, the SKU detail page (with embedded Stock Items), Stock Item registration, Listing configuration, and reporting.
Edit any field, link Stock Items by setting their skuId, attach tags, configure attributes, and manage taxonomy. SKU-level updates propagate immediately to linked Stock Items that have not overridden the field.
Not directly. Availability is determined by linked Stock Items. A SKU with no active Stock Items has zero ATS.
3

Modification

Use SKUs to make bulk changes.
Open the SKU detail and edit, or use PATCH /skus/:skuId. Changes propagate to linked Stock Items via inheritance.
Editable, but the new value must be unique within the tenant. Avoid changing codes that are printed on physical labels.
Yes. Updating attributes on the SKU updates the effective value on every linked Stock Item that has not overridden that attribute.
4

Deletion

SKUs can be deleted when discontinued.
From the SKUs table or DELETE /skus/:skuId. To delete many at once: POST /skus/delete with either { ids } or { deleteAllExcept }.
Their skuId becomes null (they become unlinked). Inherited values are lost on next read — set them directly on the items if you need to keep them.

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FAQs

Either works. Create SKUs first when planning a catalog. For ad-hoc inventory, the Stock Item registration flow will create or link a SKU on the fly.
No. skuId is single-valued. You can switch the link any time (recorded as a sku_changed event), but only one is active at a time.
Same shape, different scope. SKU attributes describe the product type (e.g. Brand: Trek). Stock Item attributes can add or override per-unit values (e.g. a specific item with Frame number: ABC123). On the API, item-level values win.
No — skuId is nullable. For one-off items, register a Stock Item without a SKU. You lose inheritance and cross-item rollups, but the item still has its own ledger, events, and lifecycle.
Yes — update each Stock Item’s skuId (single bulk update or scripted via the API). The SKU code on each item is rewritten to the new SKU; ledger and event history follow the item.

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Developer Reference

SKUs are exposed as skus in the API.

API: SKUs

Open the endpoint in the API reference.

Stock Items

Individual physical units that link to a SKU

Inventory Tracking

Serialized vs pooled — set on Stock Items, not on SKUs

Stock Codes

Codes on Stock Items vs SKU code