Product types

Providing detailed information about your products helps customers to find what they’re shopping for and keeps your products organized.

Each of your products can have only one product category and one product type. Product types aren’t required, but they're useful as a way to create a custom category.

Product category and product types

Product categories and product types are used to label and categorize your products. However, product category and product type aren't the same thing.

A product category is the predefined category of a product. You don't need to apply a product category, but it can help you to manage your products better within Shopify.

The category is used to:

• determine the rate at which the product is taxed. Your products might be subject to special rates or exemptions. When a product is categorized correctly, the most accurate tax rate will be collected at checkout.
• make it easier to sell products in other channels that require a standardized product type, such as Facebook or Google.

Note

To view a list of product categories and subcategories, you can refer to Shopify's Standard Product Taxonomy.

An example of a product category is Home & Garden > Linens & Bedding > Bedding > Bed Sheets.

A product type, previously referred to as custom product type, is a way to define a custom category. The product type lets you use product categories other than the ones that are available in Shopify's standard product categories.

An example of a product type is Colorful linens.

Note

The product type can be referenced with the product-type attribute in a CSV or API. This was previously custom-product-type.

Add a product type

You can add a unique product type for each product. A product type is a way to create a custom category if you need something in addition to Shopify's standard categories. It's recommended to use Shopify's standard product categories as they're more powerful and are recognized throughout your admin. If your product doesn't align with a standard category, then create a product type within the product type field.

Steps:

Desktop

1. From your Shopify admin, go to Products.

2. Click a product.

3. In Product organization section, enter your details into the Product type.

4. Click Save.

iPhone

1. From the Shopify app, go to Products > All products.
2. Tap a product to edit it, or search for one.
3. Tap More details > Product organization.
4. In the Product organization section, if you already have a product type, then tap Product type.
5. Tap Back.
6. Tap Save.

Android

1. From the Shopify app, go to Products > All products.
2. Tap a product to edit it, or search for one.
3. Tap More details > Organization.
4. In the Product organization section, if you already have a product type, then tap Product type.
5. Tap the back arrow.
6. Tap the ✓ to save your product.

Bulk edit product types

You can edit your product's product category and custom product type in bulk, rather than one at a time.

Steps:

1. From your Shopify admin, go to Products.

2. Select the products that you want to modify by doing one of the following:

   • To only edit specific products, check the check box next to each product.
   • To only edit the variants of just one product, select only that product.
   • To select all list items on a page, check the check box at the top of the product list.
   • To select all products on your store, check the check box at the top of the product list, and then click Select all 50+ items from your store.

3. Click Bulk edit.

4. If you don't have the Product type column in your view, then click Columns and then select Product type.

5. Add the Product type for each product. If you are adding a new product type, then click + Add to add the product type to your store.

6. Click Save.

Managing product types using a CSV file

You can import and edit product types in the CSV file.

You can download and view a sample product CSV file to use as a template.

Learn more about using a CSV file to manage your products types.