WooCommerce Variable Products in CSV: Parent and Variation Rows

How WooCommerce Models Variable Products

In WooCommerce, a variable product is a product that has purchasable variations — for example, a T-shirt sold in Small, Medium, and Large. The CSV representation uses two types of rows:

1. Parent row — represents the product container. Type is variable.
2. Variation rows — each represents one purchasable option combination. Type is variation.

Variations are linked to their parent via the parent's SKU or ID.

The Parent Row

The parent row defines product-level fields and declares which attributes the product uses.

Key columns for parent rows

| Column | Value | Notes | |---|---|---| | ID | (blank or existing ID) | Leave blank for new products | | Type | variable | Must be exactly variable | | SKU | SHIRT-BLUE | Unique parent SKU | | Name | Blue Cotton T-Shirt | Product name | | Published | 1 | 1=published, 0=draft | | Attribute 1 name | Size | The dimension name | | Attribute 1 value(s) | Small \| Medium \| Large | Pipe-separated list of all available values | | Attribute 1 visible | 1 | Show on product page | | Attribute 1 global | 1 | Use global (shared) attribute |

• Multiple attributes use sequentially numbered columns: Attribute 1 name, Attribute 2 name, etc.
• The parent row's Regular price can be left blank or set to the lowest variant price. The actual per-variation prices are in the variation rows.

Variation Rows

Each variation row represents one purchasable option combination and must link back to the parent.

Key columns for variation rows

| Column | Value | Notes | |---|---|---| | ID | (blank or existing variation ID) | Leave blank for new variations | | Type | variation | Must be exactly variation | | SKU | SHIRT-BLUE-SM | Unique per variation | | Name | Blue Cotton T-Shirt | Should match parent name | | Parent | id:123 or sku:SHIRT-BLUE | Links to parent by ID or SKU | | Regular price | 19.99 | Required for each variation | | Attribute 1 name | Size | Must match parent's attribute name | | Attribute 1 value(s) | Small | Single value for this specific variation | | Stock | 50 | Per-variation inventory count | | Weight | 0.3 | In the store's configured unit |

Linking variations to parents

The Parent column accepts two formats:

• By database ID: id:123 — use when you know the WooCommerce product ID.
• By SKU: sku:SHIRT-BLUE — more portable; use when importing new products where IDs are not yet assigned.

When creating new variable products from scratch, use sku:PARENT_SKU format. Import the parent row first (or include it in the same file above the variations).

Full Example: Variable T-Shirt

ID,Type,SKU,Name,Published,Regular price,Attribute 1 name,Attribute 1 value(s),Attribute 1 visible,Stock
,variable,SHIRT-BLUE,Blue Cotton T-Shirt,1,,Size,Small | Medium | Large,1,
,variation,SHIRT-BLUE-SM,Blue Cotton T-Shirt,1,19.99,Size,Small,,30
,variation,SHIRT-BLUE-MD,Blue Cotton T-Shirt,1,19.99,Size,Medium,,25
,variation,SHIRT-BLUE-LG,Blue Cotton T-Shirt,1,21.99,Size,Large,,15

Note: The Parent column is omitted here for brevity. In practice, the variation rows should include Parent: sku:SHIRT-BLUE.

Two-Dimensional Variations (Size AND Color)

To add a second attribute (Color), include Attribute 2 columns on the parent row and both attribute columns on each variation:

Parent:

Attribute 1 name: Size
Attribute 1 value(s): Small | Medium
Attribute 2 name: Color
Attribute 2 value(s): Blue | Red

Variation (Small, Blue):

Attribute 1 name: Size
Attribute 1 value(s): Small
Attribute 2 name: Color
Attribute 2 value(s): Blue

You need 4 variation rows for 2 sizes × 2 colors.

Common Mistakes

Mistake 1: Parent Type is simple instead of variable

Symptom: Variations are created but do not appear on the product page. The product shows as a simple product.

Fix: The parent row's Type column must be variable (lowercase). WooCommerce will not convert a simple product to variable on import without the correct type.

Mistake 2: Variation not linked to parent

Symptom: Variations are created as standalone simple products instead of being attached to the parent.

Fix: Ensure every variation row has a Parent column value in the format sku:PARENT_SKU or id:123. Missing or malformed parent references create orphaned variations.

Mistake 3: Attribute values not pipe-separated on parent row

Symptom: The product page shows only one option value in the dropdown, or the "Add to cart" button is missing.

Fix: On the parent row, list all possible attribute values separated by | (space-pipe-space): Small | Medium | Large. WooCommerce uses this list to populate the dropdown.

Mistake 4: Attribute name mismatch between parent and variation

Symptom: Import succeeds but variations don't match their attributes, or the wrong options appear.

Fix: The Attribute 1 name value must be identical on the parent row and every variation row. Size and Size (with a space) are treated as different attributes.

Mistake 5: Missing Regular price on variation rows

Symptom: Variations are created with no price, causing the product to show as not purchasable.

Fix: Regular price is required on every variation row. It cannot be inherited from the parent.

Mistake 6: Importing variations before their parent

Symptom: Variations are created as orphaned products because the parent ID/SKU doesn't exist yet.

Fix: Ensure the parent row appears before its variation rows in the CSV. WooCommerce processes rows top-to-bottom.

Update Behavior

When re-importing a variable product that already exists:

• Match by ID: The safest update method. WooCommerce updates the existing product if the ID matches.
• Match by SKU: WooCommerce can also match by SKU. Leave ID blank, provide the SKU.
• Adding new variations: Include existing variations in the import file along with new ones. Variations present in the admin but absent from the import file are not deleted, but this can vary by WooCommerce version and import plugin settings.

Always test updates on a staging store or with a backup before importing to production.