Feed attribute
mpn
Manufacturer Part Number
The mpn attribute is the part number a manufacturer uses to identify a product in its own catalogue, and it serves as the fallback identifier when an item has no GTIN. Unlike a GTIN it is only unique within one manufacturer, so it is meaningless to a channel unless the brand attribute is supplied alongside it.
Specification
- Attribute
- mpn
- Data type
- Text
- Limit
- 70 characters
- Format
- Alphanumeric, as published by the manufacturer, including any hyphens or letters it contains. It is not your internal SKU unless your company is also the manufacturer. Submitting a retailer-invented code is a common and damaging mistake, because it prevents the channel matching the item to the same product elsewhere.
- Examples
-
GX-1140-BLK4056744
Support by channel
How each channel treats mpn.
| Channel | Requirement | Field name | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Shopping | Required in some cases | mpn | Required when the product has no GTIN. Must be paired with brand. |
| Meta | Optional | mpn | |
| Microsoft Advertising | Required in some cases | mpn | Accepted in place of gtin, together with brand. |
| Optional | mpn | ||
| OpenAI | Optional | mpn | Manufacturer part number, accepted as an alternative identifier to gtin. |
Frequently asked questions
Is the MPN the same as my Shopify SKU?
Only if you manufacture the product yourself. A SKU is a code you invent for your own stock control; an MPN is the code the manufacturer publishes. Submitting your internal SKU as the MPN stops the channel matching your item to the same product sold elsewhere.
What is the difference between GTIN and MPN?
A GTIN is globally unique and identifies the product no matter who sells it. An MPN is only unique within one manufacturer's catalogue, which is why it has to be submitted together with brand to mean anything.
Do I need both gtin and mpn?
Not usually. Where a GTIN exists it is the stronger identifier and is generally sufficient. MPN matters when there is no GTIN, and supplying both does no harm when you have accurate values for each.
Errors involving this attribute
Related attributes
- gtin The gtin attribute is the globally unique barcode number a manufacturer assigns to a product, covering UPC, EAN, JAN and ISBN formats. Channels use it to match an item against the same product sold elsewhere, and on Shopify it comes from the variant's barcode field, which is optional in the admin and therefore frequently empty.
- brand The brand attribute is the name of the brand a product belongs to, and it is what makes a manufacturer part number meaningful and a listing eligible for brand-based matching. On Shopify it maps most often from the vendor field, which is unreliable because merchants commonly use vendor to record a supplier or distributor rather than the consumer-facing brand.
- identifier_exists The identifier_exists attribute is an explicit declaration that a product has no manufacturer-assigned identifiers, set to no when a GTIN, MPN and brand genuinely do not exist for the item. It is a statement about the product, not a way to silence identifier warnings, and channels treat misuse as a data quality problem rather than a resolution.
Related concepts
Primary sources
Channel specifications change. These are the official documents this page is based on.