Start with the purchasable variant
“Medium” means little by itself. It could describe chest width, body circumference, a manufacturer convention, or nothing a shopper can compare at home. Publish the measurements from the exact product or variant you sell. Do not borrow a generic chart from a similar item and do not turn a supplier’s vague “true to size” note into a promise.
Shopify lets merchants create size or color as product options; each combination can be a variant. The option name and values appear to customers, so use one stable size system and make the product page explain it. Shopify’s variant guide also documents connecting available category metafields to variant options. That can help keep reusable option values consistent, but it does not replace a product-specific measurement table.
The minimum record
| Field | What to publish | What to avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Size value | The exact selectable value: XS, S, M, L or 28, 30, 32. | A chart that lists sizes shoppers cannot select. |
| Measurement | Name the point measured: garment chest width, inseam, waist, or foot length. | “Regular fit” without a measurement. |
| Unit | Use cm, in, or both. State whether a width is laid flat. | Numbers with no unit. |
| How to measure | A short instruction tied to that measurement. | A body-measurement instruction presented as a garment measurement. |
| Fit note | A limited, sourced note such as “garment chest width, laid flat.” | “Runs large” unless you have a defined, current basis for it. |
Shopify’s product-description guidance specifically calls out dimensions and fit details for clothing. Put the shopper-facing explanation where it can be read before a size is chosen; use structured fields where they fit your catalog. A size chart image can be useful, but the underlying text and values still need to be accurate and easy to update.
Build the table from a source record
Use a supplier specification, a technical pack, your own measured sample, or another dated internal record. Write down which one you used. If the record says only “cotton shirt, standard fit,” you have material and a marketing phrase, not enough evidence for chest width or sizing advice.
This made-up example shows the level of detail to collect. It is not a customer product, supplier record, or fit recommendation.
| Illustrative product | Selectable size | Garment chest width | Instruction and note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fictional Harbor Tee | S | 50 cm, laid flat | Measure straight across 2 cm below the armhole. No fit claim recorded. |
| Fictional Harbor Tee | M | 53 cm, laid flat | Measure at the same point. No fit claim recorded. |
| Fictional Harbor Tee | L | 56 cm, laid flat | Measure at the same point. No fit claim recorded. |
The numbers are deliberately labeled fictional. In a real chart, confirm that each row maps to a sellable variant and that the instructions use the same method across sizes. If you also publish body measurements, label them as body measurements and explain how they relate to the garment. Do not quietly mix the two.
Download the worksheetGet the size and fit source record (CSV). It separates a variant’s value, product measurement, unit, measurement method, source record, and review status.
Keep size, inventory, and copy separate
A variant option tells a shopper what they can select. Inventory tells Shopify what can be sold. A description explains the product. Those fields should agree, but they do different jobs. Do not add an unavailable size to a chart just because a supplier offers it, and do not claim an option fits a body type when the source record only gives a garment measurement.
For category-specific data, Shopify says category metafields can be product attributes and can connect to variant options. Choose a category first, then use the available fields that match the record. For a shirt, a size field can help organize data; it does not prove a particular chest measurement or fit outcome.
Review the whole suggestion set in Cuebase
In Cuebase, open Catalog Readiness and select a scanned product. Choose Generate improvements to create pending suggestions. The page shows the complete suggested set: description, SEO fields, product type, a Shopify category candidate when one is found, and any proposed custom attributes.
Read every suggested value against your size source record before doing anything in Shopify. Review the displayed suggestions as one set. If one value is unsupported, use Discard, correct the source product data, then generate a new complete set. When the whole set is accurate, choose Apply all to Shopify. Nothing is written until that action, and the action applies the reviewed set rather than promising a fit result.
Publish, then recheck
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Open the live product page
Check that each selectable size matches the chart and that the unit is visible.
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Test the instructions
Ask someone without the source sheet to identify what and where to measure. Rewrite if they cannot.
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Record changes
When a supplier changes a pattern or measurement method, update the source record and chart together.
Clear size information helps a shopper decide whether the product fits their constraints. It does not guarantee fewer returns or any AI result. For the wider product-field checklist, read Shopify product data for AI and choose the first 10 products to improve. Then start your free catalog scan.