Download BigCommerce Product Import Template (CSV) - Free
Download a free BigCommerce product import CSV template with example data. Includes a column-by-column guide to help you bulk import products into BigCommerce.
| Product ID | Product Name | Price | Visible |
|---|---|---|---|
| BC-001 | Stainless Bottle | 32.00 | true |
| BC-002 | Espresso Cup Set | 48.00 | true |
| BC-003 | Wool Throw | 95.00 | true |
| BC-004 | Glass Tumbler | 18.00 | true |
Download BigCommerce Product Import Template (CSV)
Looking for a BigCommerce product CSV template that works with BigCommerce's built-in product importer? The format is tricky - BigCommerce uses a unique system with Product and Variant row types, a special options syntax, and semicolon-separated categories that aren't obvious from the documentation.
We've built a free BigCommerce product import CSV template based on the exact format BigCommerce expects. It includes 3 example products with real data - including multi-variant products, custom fields, SEO fields, and images - so you can see exactly how every column should be filled in.
Download it, replace the examples with your own products, and import directly into your BigCommerce store.
What's in the BigCommerce CSV template?
The BigCommerce product import template includes all 50 columns BigCommerce expects, pre-filled with 3 example products:
- A multi-variant product (Organic Cotton T-Shirt) with Size and Colour options, four Variant rows demonstrating the
Type=X|Name=Y|Value=Zpipe-concat format BC actually uses, and three Image rows - A product with a sale price (Bluetooth Speaker) with colour variants, the featured flag set, full SEO fields, and per-variant image links
- A product with scent variants (Soy Candle) showing how variant Options work for a single-option product
Delete the example rows, replace them with your own products, and import directly into BigCommerce.
BigCommerce CSV column guide: every field explained
Here's what every column in the BigCommerce product import CSV template does and how to fill it in correctly. BigCommerce's official CSV format documentation is available at Importing and Exporting Products in the BigCommerce Knowledge Base.
Row type & product identity
| Column | Required? | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Item | Yes | The row type - Product for the main product row, Variant for each SKU combination, and Image for each product image. |
| ID | Auto (export) | BigCommerce's internal product/variant ID. Leave blank on import; BigCommerce assigns IDs automatically. |
| Name | Yes (Product rows) | The product title displayed on your store. Set it on Product rows. Leave blank on Variant and Image rows - BigCommerce links them to the most recent Product row above by row order. |
| Type | Yes (Product rows) | The product type on the Product row - physical for shippable items or digital for downloads. Leave blank on Variant and Image rows. |
| SKU | Recommended | A unique stock-keeping identifier. Set it on the Product row and on each Variant row. Image rows can leave it blank - BC links images by row order, not by SKU. |
Options & variants
BigCommerce's variant format is the most counter-intuitive part of the CSV. The Product row's Options column stays blank - BC builds the option set by scanning the Variant rows below it. Each Variant row carries the full Type=X|Name=Y|Value=Z triple for every one of its options, with the triples concatenated and no separator between them:
| Row type | Options format | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Product | Blank | (empty) |
| Variant | Type=X|Name=Y|Value=ZType=X|Name=Y|Value=Z | Type=Dropdown|Name=Size|Value=MType=Dropdown|Name=Colour|Value=Black |
The pipe character (|) separates the three fields within one option. Multiple options on the same variant are simply concatenated - the next Type= token marks where the next option begins.
Valid Type values (BigCommerce will reject anything else with "type does not match supported types"):
Dropdown- safe default for any text values, renders as a dropdownRectangle- tile buttons for short tokens like S, M, LRadioButtons- vertical list of text choicesSwatch- colour swatches; needs a hex code or swatch image per valueProductList/ProductListWithImages- the option value is another product
Watch out: older BigCommerce documentation describes a Product-row syntax like [D]Size=S,M,L and a Variant-row syntax like [S]Size=M[S]Colour=Black. Both formats are rejected by the current importer. Always use the Type=X|Name=Y|Value=Z pipe format on the Variant row and leave the Product row Options blank.
Variant rows then list the chosen combination as plain Label=Value pairs separated by commas, with no prefix and no semicolons. If a value itself contains a comma, semicolon, or equals sign, escape it with a backslash (e.g. Colour=Red\,Blue).
Pricing
| Column | Format | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Number | The selling price (e.g. 29.99). No currency symbol - BigCommerce uses your store's currency. |
| Cost Price | Number | Your cost for profit tracking. Not shown to customers. |
| Retail Price | Number | The MSRP/RRP. Shown as a comparison price if your theme supports it. |
| Sale Price | Number | A reduced price. When set, BigCommerce shows this as the current price with the regular price crossed out. |
Inventory
| Column | Values | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Inventory Tracking | none, product, or variant | Set on the Product row only. none disables tracking; product tracks one stock number for the whole product; variant tracks stock per Variant row (use this whenever you have variants). |
| Current Stock | Number | Starting stock. When Inventory Tracking is variant, set this on each Variant row instead of the Product row. |
| Low Stock | Number | Threshold that triggers a low-stock notification. Set wherever Current Stock is set. |
Content & categorisation
| Column | Format | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Description | HTML | The full product description. Supports HTML tags for formatting. |
| Categories | Numeric IDs separated by ; | BigCommerce's product export uses numeric category IDs separated by semicolons (e.g. 352;485). Find each category's ID under Products > Categories in your BC admin. Leave blank to import unassigned and categorise later. Set on the Product row only. |
| Brand ID | Numeric ID | The numeric ID of the brand from Products > Brands in your BC admin. Leave blank if you don't have one set up. |
| Custom Fields | Name=Value pairs | Storefront-visible name/value pairs (e.g. Material=Cotton;Origin=USA). The exact format is documented in the BigCommerce Knowledge Base. Leave blank if you don't have any. |
| Channels | Number | The sales channel ID. 1 is the default storefront on single-storefront stores. Leave blank to use the store default if you're unsure. |
Shipping & dimensions
| Column | Format | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | Number | Product weight in your store's weight unit. Used for shipping rate calculations. |
| Width / Height / Depth | Numbers | Product dimensions. Used for dimensional weight shipping calculations. |
| Free Shipping | TRUE / FALSE | Whether this product qualifies for free shipping. BigCommerce's v2 product importer uses uppercase TRUE/FALSE for all boolean columns and will reject Y/N, true/false, or 1/0. |
| Fixed Shipping Cost | Number | A fixed shipping cost override. Set to 0.00 for default shipping. |
SEO & visibility
| Column | What it does |
|---|---|
| Page Title | The SEO title shown in search results. Falls back to the product Name if blank. |
| Product URL | The URL slug for the product page (e.g. /organic-cotton-crew-t-shirt/). |
| Meta Description | The meta description shown in search results. |
| Search Keywords | Additional keywords to help customers find the product via on-site search. |
| Is Visible | TRUE or FALSE on the Product row controls whether the product is visible on the storefront. Leave blank on Variant rows so they inherit from the product (setting FALSE on a variant can hide that SKU). |
| Is Featured | TRUE or FALSE. Marks the product as featured for homepage or collection displays. |
Images & media
| Column | Format | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Image URL (Import) | URL | Full URL to a product image. Set this on Image rows (Item=Image) and BigCommerce downloads each image during import. Note: BC's exports use the separate Internal Image URL (Export) column - on import you write to Image URL (Import). |
| Image Description | Text | Alt text for the image. Important for SEO and accessibility. Set on Image rows. |
| Image is Thumbnail | TRUE / FALSE | Whether this image is the main thumbnail for the product. Set TRUE on exactly one Image row per product. |
| Image Sort Order | Number | The display order of images. 0 is first. |
| Variant Image URL | URL | The image shown when a specific variant is selected. Set on the Variant row. The URL must match one of the Image rows you've already emitted for the product, otherwise BigCommerce won't be able to link it. |
Other fields
| Column | What it does |
|---|---|
| Product Condition | New, Refurbished, or Used. Shown to customers if enabled. |
| Show Product Condition | TRUE or FALSE. Whether to display the condition on the product page. |
| Warranty | Text describing the product warranty. |
| Tax Class | Numeric tax class ID, or the exact name of a tax class set up in your BC tax settings. Required - BigCommerce rejects the row if this is blank. BigCommerce's own export uses 0 (the default tax class ID), which works universally; Default Tax Class as a name is also accepted. |
| UPC/EAN | The Universal Product Code or European Article Number barcode. |
| Manufacturer Part Number | The manufacturer's part number for product identification. |
| Sort Order | A number controlling the product's display order in category pages (0 = default). |
How to import products into BigCommerce using a CSV file
Once you've filled in the template, follow these steps to import your products into BigCommerce:
- Log in to your BigCommerce control panel.
- Go to Products in the left sidebar.
- Click Import at the top of the page.
- Select Upload a file and choose your completed CSV file.
- Map the columns if BigCommerce doesn't recognise them automatically.
- Review the preview to check product count and any warnings.
- Click Import and wait for the process to finish.
- Review your products in the Products list to verify everything imported correctly.
Tips for a successful BigCommerce product CSV import
- Item type matters: Every row must be
Product,Variant, orImage. A typo here aborts the import. - Leave the Product row Options blank: BigCommerce infers the option set from the Variant rows below it. Despite what older docs say, the importer ignores Product-row option declarations like
[D]Size=S,M,Lor[dropdown]Size=S,M,L. - Variant Options use Type=X|Name=Y|Value=Z triples: Each option is three pipe-separated fields, and multiple options on one variant are concatenated with no separator (e.g.
Type=Dropdown|Name=Size|Value=MType=Dropdown|Name=Colour|Value=Black). The current importer rejects any other variant option syntax with "Variant Option name is missed" or "type does not match supported types". - Booleans are uppercase TRUE/FALSE: Every boolean column (Is Visible, Is Featured, Free Shipping, Show Product Condition, Image is Thumbnail) wants
TRUEorFALSEin caps.Y/N,true/false, and1/0all fail validation. - Inventory Tracking is one of
none,product,variant: Set this on the Product row only. Usevariantwhenever you have variant rows so per-SKU stock is honoured. - Tax Class is required: Leave a non-blank value on every Product row. BC's own export uses
0(the default tax class ID); blank gets rejected. - Categories are numeric IDs: BC stores categories as numeric IDs, separated by
;for multiple. Find them under Products > Categories in BC admin. Leave blank to import unassigned. - Don't set inheritable fields on Variant or Image rows: Pricing, weight, dimensions, categories, tax class, visibility, etc. live on the Product row and are inherited. Repeating them on Variant or Image rows with placeholder zeros overrides the product values with garbage.
- Row order matters: Keep each product as a contiguous block - Product row first, then its Variant rows, then its Image rows - before the next product begins.
- UTF-8 encoding: Save your CSV as UTF-8 (without a BOM) to avoid character issues with accents and special characters.
- Set Is Visible to FALSE first: Import with visibility off, review your products, then make them visible once you're satisfied.
- Upload via Edge or Firefox if the browser sniffs the MIME type: Some browsers report the file as Excel when Excel is set as the default app for
.csv, which trips BigCommerce's "Uploaded file must be of type 'csv'" check. Edge tends to be the most forgiving.
Automate CSV generation with the BigCommerce agent skill
Using AI tools to generate product data? Download our free BigCommerce Product CSV Agent Skill. It teaches AI tools the Product/Variant/Image row model, the option-set declaration on the Product row, Y/N boolean format, and every column constraint.
Skip the spreadsheet - use Product Upload instead
CSV imports work, but they're tedious and error-prone, especially with BigCommerce's strict options syntax. Every time you want to add a product, you're fighting with spreadsheet formatting instead of running your business.
Product Upload lets you import products directly from any supplier website into BigCommerce - no CSV files needed. Visit a product page, click import, and Product Upload pulls in the title, description, images, variants, and pricing automatically.
It's faster than spreadsheets, more accurate than manual entry, and you can customise every detail with AI-powered tools before publishing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I download a BigCommerce product CSV template?
You can download a free BigCommerce product CSV import template from this page. It includes all 50 columns BigCommerce expects, pre-filled with 3 example products and variants so you can see exactly how to format your data.
What format does BigCommerce use for product CSV imports?
BigCommerce uses a CSV format with columns like Item, Name, Type, SKU, Options, Price, Categories, Description, Custom Fields, and more. Our free template has the exact format ready to use.
How do I import a CSV file into BigCommerce?
In your BigCommerce control panel, go to Products, click Import, upload your CSV file, map the columns if needed, and click Import. BigCommerce will create all products and variants from the file.
How do BigCommerce CSV variants work?
BigCommerce uses separate rows with Item set to 'Variant'. The Product row's Options column stays blank - BC infers the option set from the variant rows. Each Variant row carries the full option data as Type=X|Name=Y|Value=Z triples concatenated together, e.g. Type=Dropdown|Name=Size|Value=MType=Dropdown|Name=Colour|Value=Black.
Is the BigCommerce CSV import template free to download?
Yes. Our BigCommerce product import CSV template is completely free to download and use. No signup or credit card required.