---
title: "Per-Variant Limits"
description: "Apply quantity limits to specific product variants like sizes or colors independently."
contentType: "docs"
locale: "en"
localized: true
source: "https://orderrules.com/docs/product-limits/per-variant-limits"
slug: "product-limits/per-variant-limits"
---
## Limit Specific Variants

Sometimes the constraint is not on the product as a whole but on a particular variant. OrderRules lets you set limits at the variant level so you can restrict popular sizes or options without affecting the rest.

## How to Set Variant Limits

1. Go to **Product Limits**
2. Click **+ Add Product Limits** (or **Edit Limits** on an existing product)
3. Select the product
4. Under **Variant overrides**, click **Set override** on the variant you want to limit (for example, "Size Large")
5. Enter Daily, Weekly or Monthly values under **Order Limits** or **Quantity Limits**, plus a step if needed. A per-variant minimum is set through the [CSV import](/docs/guides/csv-bulk-import)
6. Click **Save Limits**

## Example: T-Shirt Size Limits

```
Product:   T-Shirt
Variant:   Size Large
Max:       30 per week (shared total)

Other sizes: No limit

Result:
  Orders this week take 30 Large shirts: OK
  Next customer adds a Large shirt:      Blocked until the week resets
  Customer orders 10 Small shirts:       OK (no limit on Small)
```

## Example: Limited Color Run

```
Product:   Handmade Mug
Variant:   Color: Gold Edition
Max:       20 per month (shared total)

Result:
  Orders this month take 20 Gold mugs: OK
  Next customer adds a Gold mug:       Blocked until next month
  Customer buys Blue mug:              OK (no limit on Blue)
```

### Product level versus variant level

| Set at | Applies to | Use when |
|---|---|---|
| Product | Every variant of that product | The whole item is constrained |
| Variant | One variant only, others unaffected | A single size or colour is the bottleneck |

A variant-level rule takes precedence over the product-level one, and switching variants on the product page re-applies the correct limit.

## When to Use Variant Limits

- **Popular sizes** that sell out fast and you want to distribute fairly
- **Limited colorways** or special editions within a product line
- **Different production capacity** per variant (for example, custom engraving only available in small batches)
- **Premium variants** that are more labor-intensive to produce

## How It Works at Checkout

If a customer exceeds a variant-level limit, checkout displays a specific error:

```
"T-Shirt (this variant) has reached its weekly quantity limit and cannot be purchased at this time."
```

The error names the product and flags the line as "(this variant)". It doesn't print the variant name, so the shopper finds it by the line in their cart.

## Combining with Product-Level Limits

You can set both product-level and variant-level limits. Both are enforced:

- Product limit: Max 100 T-Shirts per week (any variant)
- Variant limit: Max 30 Large T-Shirts per week

Both are shared totals across all shoppers. Once 30 Large shirts have sold this week, Large is blocked even if the product total is still under 100; once 100 shirts of any size have sold, every size is blocked.

## Related

- [Per-Product Limits](/docs/product-limits/per-product-limits)
- [Minimum Order Quantity (MOQ)](/docs/product-limits/minimum-order-quantity)
- [Collection Limits](/docs/product-limits/collection-tag-limits)