Shopify Size Charts: How to Show Them Only Where They Belong (A Community Guide)

Hey there, fellow store owners! Let's talk about something super common that often trips people up: those pesky size charts. We all know they're crucial for apparel and accessories, helping customers find the right fit and cutting down on returns. But what happens when you don't want a size chart on every single product? Say, you sell t-shirts and tracksuits, but only the tracksuits need a detailed size guide. Displaying a chart for a product where it's irrelevant can look messy and even confuse your customers.

This exact dilemma popped up in the Shopify community recently, and it's a perfect example of how a little theme savvy can go a long way. Our friend elijahr1989 was using the Reformation theme and found their size chart showing up on all products, even their t-shirts, when they only wanted it for their tracksuits. Sound familiar?

The Initial Diagnosis: App or Theme?

When you're trying to control what shows up on your product pages, the first thing to figure out is how that content is being added. As Moeed, one of our sharp community experts, wisely pointed out, if your size chart comes from a Shopify app, there's a good chance the app itself has settings to specify which products or collections it appears on. It's always worth checking those app settings first – sometimes the fix is as simple as flipping a switch!

However, elijahr1989 clarified that they had created their size chart themselves using Shopify pages, meaning it was integrated directly into their theme, not via an app. This immediately told Moeed (and now tells us!) that this was a job for theme customization. And don't worry if 'theme customization' sounds intimidating; it's often more straightforward than you think, especially with modern Shopify themes.

The Solution: Embracing Custom Product Templates

This is where the magic happens, folks. If your size chart is part of your default product template and you need it to appear conditionally, the best approach is to leverage Shopify's custom product templates. Think of it like this: your theme provides a 'default' blueprint for all your product pages. But you can create variations of this blueprint for specific products or groups of products.

Moeed's solution for elijahr1989 was elegant and effective: create a new product template, remove the size chart from that specific template, and then assign it to the products that don't need the chart. This way, your other products (like the tracksuits) continue to use the default template with the size chart, while the exceptions (the t-shirts) get their own chart-free layout.

Step-by-Step: Implementing a Conditional Size Chart

Here's how you can achieve this in your own Shopify store, drawing directly from Moeed's advice and solution:

1. Access Your Theme Editor:

   From your Shopify admin, go to Online Store > Themes. Find your current theme and click the "Customize" button.

2. Create a New Product Template:
   • In the theme editor, look at the top dropdown menu (it usually says "Home page" or "Products"). Click on it and select "Products", then choose "Default product" (or whatever your main product template is called).
   • Once you're viewing the default product template, look for an option to "Create template" or a similar button, often found next to the template name in the dropdown.
   • Choose "Product" as the base and give your new template a descriptive name, like no-size-chart or product.no-size-chart. This creates a duplicate of your default product template.
3. Remove the Size Chart Section from the New Template:
   • With your newly created no-size-chart template selected in the theme editor, you'll see sections and blocks on the left sidebar.
   • Identify the section or block that displays your size chart. This might be a custom liquid block, an accordion section, or a rich text section you've added.
   • Click on that section/block and look for the option to "Remove block" or "Remove section". For most modern themes, this is a simple click, no code editing required!
   • Save your changes.
4. Assign the New Template to Specific Products:
   • Now, head back to your Shopify admin (exit the theme editor).
   • Go to Products and open the product you want to remove the size chart from (e.g., your t-shirts).
   • On the product page, scroll down to the "Online Store" section (usually on the right sidebar).
   • You'll see a dropdown labeled "Theme template" or "Product template". Select your newly created no-size-chart template from the list.
   • Save the product.

And just like that, those specific products will now use your custom template, displaying without the size chart! Moeed even shared a screenshot of this in action, showing how the no-size-chart template was assigned:

This powerful technique isn't just for size charts! You can use custom product templates to show or hide all sorts of information, sections, or even completely different layouts for various product types. It's a fantastic way to tailor your customer's journey and make your product pages as relevant and engaging as possible.

So, next time you're thinking about custom layouts or conditional content on your product pages, remember the flexibility of Shopify's templates. It's a fundamental part of building a really effective online store, and it's easier to implement than many store owners realize. If you're looking to start your own flexible online store, consider signing up for Shopify to experience this level of customization firsthand. Happy customizing!