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To add a product-specific value in WooCommerce, open the product in the classic WordPress editor, enable Custom Fields under Screen Options, enter a field name and value, then save the product. That stores metadata; it does not automatically display the value to shoppers. For an integrated field in product data, use a developer-built extension and add the required saving and storefront-output behavior.
Attributes or custom fields: which should you use?
Use product attributes for characteristics shared across products that shoppers may use to classify or filter a catalog, such as color, size, or material. Attributes are taxonomy-like. Use a custom field for a detail that belongs to an individual product, such as a unique specification or note.
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WooCommerce defines custom fields as additional product metadata that can be used by a theme or site to display extra information or provide product details not covered by default fields. See WooCommerce’s Custom Fields on Products documentation.
Add basic metadata in the classic product editor
These directions apply to the classic WordPress product edit screen. Screen Options and the available controls may differ in newer product forms.
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- In WordPress admin, go to Products and add a product or edit an existing one.
- At the upper right, open Screen Options and enable Custom Fields.
- Scroll down to the Custom Fields section.
- Select Add Custom Field, then enter the field name and its value.
- Save the new product or update the existing product.
The saved value is product metadata, not a new customer-facing input or an automatically visible product-page element. WooCommerce says storefront display requires editing theme files; the core instructions do not supply the display code. See the WooCommerce guide.
Display a custom field on the product page
Saving a field and displaying it are separate tasks. The basic Custom Fields panel records the value, but your theme or a developer must explicitly output it where customers should see it. If you need validation, custom placement, or other behavior as well as storefront display, a plugin or extension is usually the more integrated route.
Add an integrated field with a developer-built extension
WooCommerce’s developer tutorial demonstrates adding a field to product data for both simple and variable products. Its example adds a stock-information text field to the Inventory section using the woocommerce_product_options_inventory_product_data hook. Product data sections expose action hooks that extensions can use to place fields.
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The tutorial documents WordPress 6.2 and WooCommerce 7.6.0 as its example baseline; that is not a compatibility guarantee for every current release. Check implementation details against the versions installed on your store. Read WooCommerce’s tutorial for adding a custom field to simple and variable products.
Rendering a field is only one part of the implementation. The extension also needs to handle input validation or sanitization, save the value, and provide storefront output if customers should see it. The developer tutorial covers field placement and saving; do not assume a displayed admin control persists data by itself.
Use the newer product form documentation when applicable
The newer WooCommerce product form has its own extension guidance; do not assume its controls or workflow match the classic Screen Options route. WooCommerce documents PHP-based generic fields, including text, checkbox, pricing, and select fields, as well as custom-rendered fields. Choose the relevant approach in the Product form how-to guides, last updated June 4, 2025.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Choose the approach that fits the field
| Approach | Where the field appears | Who maintains it | Customer visibility | Best fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Classic Custom Fields panel | Generic product metadata panel | Store owner in core admin | Not automatic; theme output is required | A simple product-specific value |
| Developer-built product-data extension | Integrated product-data section | Developer maintaining the plugin or extension | Requires explicit output behavior | Structured entry or custom handling |
| Newer product form extension | Newer product form, using documented generic or custom-rendered fields | Developer maintaining the extension | Depends on implementation | Stores using the newer form and needing tailored fields |
| Product attribute | Shared catalog classification | Store owner managing catalog terms | Can support shopper filtering when configured for that use | Characteristics shared across products |
No single route is best for every store: choose according to whether the information is shared or product-specific, where staff should enter it, and whether shoppers must see or filter it.
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WooCommerce identifies REST API v3 as its currently recommended REST API version. Its product custom-field-names endpoint, GET /wp-json/wc/v3/products/custom-fields/names, retrieves custom-field names already recorded and supports filters including context, page, per-page, search, and ordering. It is not a general endpoint for creating fields through the admin workflow. See Product custom fields and REST API v3 documentation.
WooCommerce’s product API documentation represents metadata with a key and value, but that schema alone does not establish that every arbitrary metadata key is exposed or writable in all API contexts. The cited product documentation is for REST API v2: Products.
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