Why does some Category metafields auto fill while categories don’t?
I’ve been adding products and adding Categories to those products, one thing I noticed not sure if I’m doing it correctly but some categories auto suggest colors and fields while other categories don’t? Am I doing something wrong or should I narrow down the category more?
For example: “Hats” don’t auto suggest but “Bucket Hats in Hats” does.
Hi @Brian-A ,
This behavior is actually expected in Shopify’s new product taxonomy system (also referred to as the product category system), which includes category-specific metafields.
Here’s what’s happening and why:
Why some categories auto-fill metafields and others don’t
Category-specific metafields (like color, size, material, etc.) are only available for more specific categories in Shopify’s taxonomy.
Broad categories like “Hats” often don’t have predefined attributes (metafields), while narrower subcategories like “Bucket Hats” do.
Shopify uses these structured attributes to help improve product discoverability in Search, Filters, and Channels like Google or Facebook.
You’re not doing anything wrong!
It just means:
Shopify recognizes “Bucket Hats” as a defined product category in their taxonomy and thus auto-suggests relevant fields.
“Hats” might be too broad and doesn’t trigger specific metafield suggestions.
What you can do:
Always assign the most specific category possible when adding products. This ensures:
You get helpful, auto-suggested metafields (like color, material, etc.)
Your products are better optimized for SEO and third-party channels.
You can explore Shopify’s category taxonomy by going to: Shopify Admin > S
ettings > Custom data > Categories.
Hope this helps. Let me know if you need more help.
Regards,