Stock keeping unit

{{Redirect|SKU|other uses|SKU (disambiguation)}}

{{short description|Inventory management identifier}}

{{Business logistics}}

In inventory management, a stock keeping unit (abbreviated as SKU, pronounced {{respell|es-kay-YOO}} or {{respell|SKEW}}{{Cite web |title=SKU {{!}} Pronunciation in English |url=https://dictionary.cambridge.org/pronunciation/english/sku |access-date=2024-04-28 |website=Cambridge Dictionary |archive-date=2016-01-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160113064953/http://dictionary.cambridge.org/pronunciation/english/sku |url-status=live }}) is the unit of measure in which the stocks of a material are managed. It is a distinct type of item for sale,{{Cite book |last=Sawaya |first=William J. |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/14114818 |title=Production and operations management |date=1986 |publisher=Harcourt Brace Jovanovich |others=William C. Giauque |isbn=0-15-571968-8 |location=San Diego |oclc=14114818 |access-date=2021-07-11 |archive-date=2021-07-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210711180811/https://www.worldcat.org/title/production-and-operations-management/oclc/14114818 |url-status=live }} purchase, or tracking in inventory,{{Cite encyclopedia |author=((The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica)) |url=https://www.britannica.com/technology/SKU |title=SKU |encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica |access-date=14 Dec 2021 |archive-date=14 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211214105229/https://www.britannica.com/technology/SKU |url-status=live }} such as a product or service, and all attributes associated with the item type that distinguish it from other item types (for a product, these attributes can include manufacturer, description, material, size, color, packaging, and warranty terms). When a business records the inventory of its stock, it counts the quantity it has of each unit, or SKU.

SKU can also refer to a unique identifier or code, sometimes represented via a barcode for scanning and tracking, which refers to the particular stock keeping unit. These identifiers are not regulated or standardized. When a company receives items from a vendor, it has a choice of maintaining the vendor's SKU or creating its own.{{Cite book |last=Roussos |first=George |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YMdguq8bAA4C&q=SKU&pg=PA74 |title=Networked RFID: Systems, Software and Services |publisher=Springer Science & Business Media |year=2008 |isbn=978-1-84800-153-4 |language=en}} This makes them distinct from Global Trade Item Number (GTIN), which are standard, global tracking units. The Universal Product Code (UPC), European Article Number (EAN), and Australian Product Number (APN) are special cases of GTINs.