Shopify unit price (Grundpreis): when it is required, how to set it up, exceptions

Anyone selling goods to consumers by weight, volume, length or area in Germany must, as a rule, show the unit price next to the total price. German law calls it the Grundpreis, the price per unit of measure, and the Price Indication Ordinance (Preisangabenverordnung, PAngV) requires it. In Shopify you enter the unit price (Grundpreis) directly on the product, and Online Store 2.0 themes display it without any coding.

In this article we explain what a unit price is and when showing it in an online store is mandatory. We also show how to display the unit price in Shopify, how to check your theme and which products are exempt from the obligation. Information as of October 2026.

The key points in brief

• Required under § 4 PAngV: Anyone offering consumers goods in prepackages, open packages or as sales units without packaging by weight, volume, length or area shows the unit price next to the total price. Typical examples are shampoo, coffee, cooking oil or pet food in prepackages.
• Everywhere a price appears: The obligation applies when offering goods and when advertising with prices. In a store this concerns not only the product page but also the category page and any other place where a price is shown.
• Fixed unit of measure: As a rule, the unit price refers to 1 kilogram, 1 liter, 1 meter, 1 square meter or 1 cubic meter (§ 5 paragraph 1 PAngV). 100 grams or 100 milliliters are only intended for loose goods.
• Built into Shopify: You enter the unit price on the product. According to Shopify, the feature is available to all merchants, and all Online Store 2.0 themes show the unit price automatically on product pages, category pages, in the cart and in the checkout.

What is a unit price?

Explained simply

The unit price is the price per unit of measure, usually per kilogram or per liter. It makes products of different sizes directly comparable: whether the small or the large bottle is cheaper is something customers can tell from the unit price, not from the total price. This information is especially important if you sell a product in several sizes.

A calculation example following the pattern in the Shopify help center: a product costs 30 euros and contains 600 grams. That is 5 cents per gram, or 50 euros per kilogram. The unit price is therefore €50.00/kg.

Grundpreis, Einheitspreis, price per unit: what is the difference?

All three mean the same thing, namely the price per unit of measure. German law speaks of the Grundpreis. Shopify calls the feature “Unit price” in its English help center, and in German you will also come across the terms Einheitspreis or Preis pro Einheit.

Unit prices in an online store: what the Price Indication Ordinance requires

The basis is § 4 paragraph 1 PAngV. Under it, anyone who as a business offers such goods to consumers or advertises prices for them must show the unit price next to the total price “unambiguously, clearly recognizable and easily legible”. If the unit price equals the total price, for example for a package of exactly 1 kilogram, the information may be omitted. Anyone selling loose goods by weight, volume, length or area shows only the unit price under § 4 paragraph 2.

The ordinance governs price information toward consumers (§ 1 paragraph 1 PAngV). If you sell exclusively to businesses, clarify with your legal advisor whether and how the obligation affects you.

On which pages the unit price must appear

§ 4 paragraph 1 explicitly names advertising with prices in addition to the offer. The product page alone is therefore not enough. The unit price belongs everywhere you show the total price of an affected product: on the product page, on the category page and likewise in product lists on the home page, in search results or in product recommendations.

Under § 1 paragraph 3 PAngV, price information must also be clearly attributable to the offer or the advertisement and be easily recognizable and clearly legible. So show the unit price right next to the total price, in a font size that is easy to read on a phone as well.

Which unit of measure applies?

§ 5 paragraph 1 PAngV sets the unit of measure: 1 kilogram, 1 liter, 1 cubic meter, 1 meter or 1 square meter. § 5 paragraph 2 provides the indication per 100 grams or 100 milliliters only for loose goods. For goods that are usually sold in quantities of 100 liters, 50 kilograms or 100 meters and up, the unit of measure that corresponds to general trade practice applies. There are special rules, among others, for goods with a drained weight and for household detergents (§ 5 paragraphs 4 and 5).

Practical tip for Shopify: When setting up packaged goods, set the base measure to 1 kg or 1 l, not to 100 g or 100 ml. That way the display matches § 5 paragraph 1 PAngV.

What happens if the unit price is missing?

Anyone who intentionally or negligently fails to show the unit price, shows it incorrectly or incompletely, contrary to § 4 paragraph 1 sentence 1, commits an administrative offense under § 20 PAngV.

Showing the unit price in Shopify: how to set it up

Shopify rolled the feature out in stages: first for merchants in Germany and France, in June 2024 for all merchants in the EU and Switzerland, and since October 2, 2025 worldwide. This is how you enter the unit price on a product:

1. In the Shopify admin, open Products and click the product you want to edit.
2. If the product has variants, select the variant, for example the 250 ml bottle.
3. In the pricing section, click the option for the unit price (Unit price in the English interface).
4. Enter the total quantity with its unit of measure, for example 250 ml. With the base measure you define what the unit price refers to, for packaged goods 1 l or 1 kg.
5. Confirm the entry and save the product.

You do not have to calculate the unit price yourself. Shopify divides the price by the quantity contained and multiplies the result by the base measure. If you change the price later, Shopify adjusts the unit price automatically. Each product and each variant can have exactly one unit price.

What does the unit price feature cost in Shopify?

Usually nothing beyond your plan. According to Shopify, the feature is available to all merchants, and Online Store 2.0 themes display the unit price without an additional app. Costs only arise if an older or heavily customized theme has to be modified to display it.

Many products at once: bulk editing and CSV

With large catalogs you do not have to open every product individually. According to the Shopify help center, you maintain unit prices in the bulk editor via the “Unit price” column or by CSV import. The CSV file needs four columns for this: “Unit price total measure”, “Unit price total measure unit”, “Unit price base measure” and “Unit price base measure unit”.

Which units are available

Which units Shopify offers when entering the data depends on the unit system setting in your store's general settings (metric or imperial). Important for stores with several markets: the unit is the same in all markets and cannot be set differently per country. Read more about selling in several countries in our article Optimizing your Shopify store for international markets.

Can my Shopify theme display unit prices?

Online Store 2.0 themes: yes, without coding

According to the Shopify help center, all Online Store 2.0 themes already have the feature built in. As soon as you enter a unit price, it appears automatically on product pages, category pages, in the cart and in the checkout. The default order confirmation template shows it as well. The way the unit is written can differ slightly from theme to theme.

Older themes and custom modifications

With older themes, which Shopify calls vintage themes, the theme code has to be modified so that the unit price appears. Developers use the Liquid filter “unit_price_with_measurement” for this. The same applies to a customized order confirmation template: there you add the output of the unit price by hand.

Even with an Online Store 2.0 theme it is worth looking at the details. Custom-built sections, such as your own product slider on the home page, a quick view or product recommendations, only show the unit price if their code outputs it. In principle, the display can be programmed in any store.

How to check your store

1. Enter a unit price on a product and save.
2. Open the product page, on a phone as well, and check whether the unit price is clearly legible next to the total price.
3. Check the category page, the search and all sections with product cards, for example on the home page.
4. Add the product to the cart and go all the way to the checkout.
5. If you have customized the order confirmation template, place a test order and look at the email.

If the unit price is missing in any of these places, the theme has to be modified there.

Benefits of showing the unit price

The unit price is first of all an obligation. But it also answers a question customers ask themselves anyway when comparing, and so it affects the buying decision.

• Transparency and comparability: Customers see the price per kilogram or liter and can compare products directly. That makes choosing easier.
• Price awareness: Customers understand exactly how much they pay for a given quantity and can better judge which product fits their needs.
• Protection against misleading offers: A clear unit price shows how the price is made up and whether a larger package is actually cheaper.
• Easier online comparison: Online in particular, customers compare offers from different retailers. With the unit price they quickly see which product offers the better value for money.
• Trust: Anyone who is open about their prices appears more credible. That strengthens trust in the store.
• Satisfaction: A clear price display makes for a more pleasant shopping experience and can increase the willingness to buy from the store again.

What this means for conversion

How strongly the unit price affects the conversion rate depends on the product range, and we know of no reliable general figures on this. What is clear: a clearly legible unit price right next to the price saves customers a calculation, especially for products in several sizes. Why such small hurdles in the buying process matter is something we describe in 10 usability laws that decide your success in e-commerce.

Which products do not need a unit price?

§ 4 paragraph 3 PAngV exempts certain goods from the obligation under paragraph 1. The unit price may be omitted for:

• Goods with a nominal weight or nominal volume of less than 10 grams or 10 milliliters.
• Goods made up of different products that are not mixed or blended with each other, for example a gift set consisting of a bar of soap and a small bottle of eau de toilette.
• Goods from small direct marketers such as farm shops, wineries or beekeepers, and from small retail outlets such as kiosks, mobile sales points or stalls at markets and fairs, if the goods are predominantly handed over by staff. This does not apply if the range is sourced through a distribution system.
• Goods offered as part of a service, for example in a restaurant or a canteen.
• Goods from beverage and food vending machines.
• Chewing tobacco and snuff with a nominal weight of up to 25 grams.
• Cosmetic products that serve exclusively to color or beautify the skin, hair or nails.
• Perfumes and perfumed toilet waters with at least 3 percent by volume of fragrance oil and at least 70 percent by volume of pure ethyl alcohol.

Not legal advice: This article summarizes the legal text and does not replace legal advice. If in doubt, clarify with a specialized lawyer whether an exemption applies to your product.

Strikethrough prices in Shopify: a separate rule

A separate rule applies to strikethrough prices. In Shopify you enter the original price in the compare-at price field and the new, lower price in the price field. The compare-at price must be higher than the price. Both amounts can appear on product and category pages, while in the checkout Shopify shows only the reduced price.

Anyone announcing a price reduction to consumers must, under § 11 paragraph 1 PAngV, as a rule also state the lowest total price they charged consumers in the 30 days before the reduction.