Manage inventory item variants and warehouse stock

Use Item variants when one inventory item has multiple sellable or scannable SKUs, barcodes, units, or pack sizes. A variant identifies a stock form; creating it does not add inventory or create a stock movement.

Create a variant

1. Open Inventory > Item variants (SKU).
2. Select the parent inventory item.
3. Under Add variant, enter the required SKU and Variant name.
4. Optionally enter a barcode and unit, then set Pack size to a positive value. Pack size is stored to three decimal places; an invalid or non-positive value is normalized to 1 by the service.
5. Select Create variant.

SKUs are converted to uppercase and must be unique within the tenant. A barcode is optional and is searchable metadata; the database indexes it but does not enforce barcode uniqueness. Use a deliberate unique barcode policy in store operations to avoid ambiguous scans.

Add and verify stock

Variant creation stores identity and packaging metadata only. Open Stock & replenishment to select the warehouse, parent item, and active variant when recording warehouse stock. Warehouse stock and its ledger distinguish the variant selection from the parent item's unassigned stock.

Do not assume that a pack size automatically multiplies an existing quantity. Record the correct warehouse movement using the unit represented by the selected variant, then verify the warehouse balance and ledger entry.

Edit or archive a variant

Select Edit to change the SKU, name, barcode, unit, or pack size. Changing these fields does not rewrite historical stock movements.

Select Archive only after checking active workflows that use the SKU or barcode. Archiving removes the variant from active inventory selection while preserving its historical record and existing ledger references. It does not delete the parent inventory item, remove historical stock records, or transfer the variant's balance to another variant.

Troubleshoot variants

• If creation fails with a duplicate SKU error, search other items for that tenant-wide SKU before choosing a new value.
• If the variant is missing from a warehouse selector, confirm it is active and belongs to the selected parent inventory item.
• If a barcode scan resolves unexpectedly, check for reused barcode values because barcode uniqueness is not enforced.
• If quantity did not change after creating or editing a variant, use the warehouse stock workflow; metadata changes intentionally do not post inventory movements.