Google Shopping feed attributes, explained
One page per field of a product feed: what Google requires, the limits and accepted values, the mistakes merchants make, and the exact Merchant Center error each mistake becomes. 23 attributes, each read from its page in Google’s product data specification.
Identity and link
id — the product identifier Google keeps your history underRequired for each product.link — the product page URL Google crawls and shoppers land onRequired for each product.Title and description
title — 150 characters, the important words firstRequired for each product.description — required, up to 5,000 characters, consistent with your landing pageRequired for each product.Images
image_link — the main image, 500×500 from 31 January 2027Required for each product.additional_image_link — up to 10 more images, same rulesOptional for each product.Price and availability
price — amount plus currency, matching your page and checkoutRequired for each product.sale_price — the reduced price, only while the sale is onOptional for each product.availability — four words, spelt Google’s way, matching the pageRequired for each product.Product identifiers
brand — the maker’s name, 70 characters, no placeholdersRequired for all new products, except films, books and musical recording brands; recommended otherwise.gtin — the barcode number, in one of five formats, or nothingRecommended for all products with a GTIN assigned by the manufacturer; not needed for products without one.mpn — the manufacturer’s part number, never your SKURequired for all products without a manufacturer-assigned GTIN; optional for custom-made products.identifier_exists — how to say a product has no GTIN, brand or MPNOptional; submit false only for products without unique product identifiers.condition — new, refurbished or usedOptional for each new product; required for each used and refurbished product.Variants and apparel
item_group_id — the value that makes sizes and colours one productRequired for product variants in free listings and in Shopping ads for Brazil, France, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States; recommended otherwise.color — the colour name, up to three, as the page shows itRequired for all Apparel & Accessories products in free listings, and in Shopping ads for Brazil, France, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States, and for all products available in different colors; optional for all other products and countries.size — one value per variant, in the format the page usesRequired for Apparel & Accessories > Clothing and Shoes in free listings, and in Shopping ads for Brazil, France, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States, and for all products available in different sizes.gender — male, female or unisex, in EnglishRequired for all Apparel & Accessories products in free listings, and in Shopping ads for Brazil, France, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States, and for all gender-specific products; optional for all other products and countries.age_group — newborn to adult, with Google’s age bandsRequired for all Apparel & Accessories products in free listings, and in Shopping ads for Brazil, France, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States, and for all products with an assigned age group; optional for all other products and countries.Category, shipping and expiry
google_product_category — optional, exact, and better empty than wrongOptional for each product, with three exceptions where it is required.product_type — your own category path, for your own campaignsOptional for each product.shipping — the per-product override of your account’s shipping settingsRequired for Shopping ads and free listings in 30 countries when not covered by account-level shipping settings.expiration_date — why products vanish 30 days after the last refreshOptional for each product.How to use this reference
Start from the field Merchant Center complained about, or from the field your export is missing. Each page ends with the errors that field produces, and each error page says how to fix it in Shopify, in WooCommerce or in a file. The free feed check reads all of these attributes from your feed and reports the defects by name; the error library is the other way in.
Questions merchants ask
Which attributes are required in a Google Shopping feed?
For every product: id, title, description, link, image_link, availability and price. Brand is required for new products except movies, books and musical recording brands, condition for used and refurbished goods, item_group_id for variants in free listings and in Shopping ads in six countries, and, in the same scope, color, gender and age_group for apparel and size for clothing and shoes. Color is also required for products available in different colors, size for products available in different sizes, gender for gender-specific products and age_group for products with an assigned age group. GTIN is recommended where the manufacturer assigned one. Shipping costs are required in the 30 countries listed on Google’s shipping attribute page, from the account settings or the shipping attribute.
Where do these rules come from?
Each attribute’s page in Google Merchant Center Help, fetched on 20 September 2026 and cited at the bottom of every page here. Where Google’s page does not state a limit or a value, the page here does not either.
Do other channels use the same attributes?
Largely. Meta reads Google-format feeds and documents most of the same fields with a few differences (condition and brand required on every product, spaced availability values); Microsoft accepts Google attributes directly; OpenAI renames several. The guides cover each channel’s differences.
Sources
Product data specification, Brand [brand], GTIN [gtin], Item group ID [item_group_id], Shipping [shipping] — Google Merchant Center Help; Product data specifications for catalogs in Commerce Manager, Upload products to your catalog with a data feed in Commerce Manager — Meta Business Help Center; What Google feed file attributes can I use? — Microsoft Advertising; Products feed specification — OpenAI.