--- title: Conditional Shipping by Product description: Change which WooCommerce shipping methods appear based on the products in the cart, with Require and Exclude Products. url: "https://wpfactory.com/docs/conditional-product-shipping/" updated: "2026-09-26" category: How to tags: - Conditional Shipping for WooCommerce --- # Conditional Shipping by Product To show or hide WooCommerce shipping methods based on the products in the cart, install [Conditional Shipping for WooCommerce: Restrict Shipping Options by Anything](https://wpfactory.com/item/conditional-shipping-for-woocommerce/), go to **WPFactory > Conditional Shipping** (also at **WooCommerce > Settings > Conditional Shipping**), open **Products** and enable **Require Products** or **Exclude Products**. Both are free. ## Can WooCommerce restrict shipping by product without a plugin? Partly. WooCommerce core lets you set up shipping zones, choose methods per zone, and use shipping classes to change Flat rate costs. It has no setting that hides a shipping method when a specific product is in the cart, and Free shipping can only be limited by a coupon or a minimum order amount. ## Conditional Shipping by Product Pick products with an AJAX search, then tie a shipping method to their presence, so you can promote free shipping on select items or keep bulky goods off Local Pickup. ![Products condition section in Conditional Shipping settings, searching and selecting products per shipping method](https://wpfactory.com/wp-content/uploads/Products.png) ### Before you start - WooCommerce, active, with the products you want to target already published. - Conditional Shipping installed and enabled. Both conditions are free. ### Step-by-step setup 1. Go to **WPFactory > Conditional Shipping** (also reachable at **WooCommerce > Settings > Conditional Shipping**). 2. Open the **Products** section. 3. To limit a method to certain products, tick **Enable condition** for **Require Products**, then, next to that method, search and select the products that should unlock it. 4. To hide a method when certain products are in the cart, tick **Enable condition** for **Exclude Products**, then select those products next to the method. 5. Leave a method's value empty to apply no product rule to it. 6. Save changes and test with the selected products in the cart. ### Two general options that change this behavior Both live in the **General** section and affect the Products conditions: - **Add products variations** (`wpjup_wc_cond_shipping_add_variations`, default Yes): adds product variations to the Products search list, so you can target an individual variation, not just the parent product. This affects the Require Products and Exclude Products conditions. - **Require all** (`wpjup_wc_cond_shipping_validate_all`, default No): when on, **Require Products** needs *all* cart items to match the selected products, rather than at least one. Exclude is unaffected. ### Options reference | Label | Option ID | Type | Default | Free/Pro | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Require Products (Enable condition) | `wpjup_wc_cond_shipping_product_incl_enabled` | Checkbox | No | Free | | Required products, per shipping method | `wpjup_wc_cond_shipping_product_incl_method[{method_id}]` | Multiselect (AJAX product search) | Empty | Free | | Exclude Products (Enable condition) | `wpjup_wc_cond_shipping_product_excl_enabled` | Checkbox | No | Free | | Excluded products, per shipping method | `wpjup_wc_cond_shipping_product_excl_method[{method_id}]` | Multiselect (AJAX product search) | Empty | Free | | Add products variations (General) | `wpjup_wc_cond_shipping_add_variations` | Checkbox | Yes | Free | | Require all (General) | `wpjup_wc_cond_shipping_validate_all` | Checkbox | No | Free | Each condition also has its own optional notice (`wpjup_wc_cond_shipping_product_incl_notice[enabled]` and `[content]`, and the matching `_excl` keys), shown before the cart and checkout forms when a method was hidden by that condition. ### Use cases - **Promotional shipping:** require a newly launched product on a Free Shipping method to feature it. - **Keep bulky goods off pickup:** exclude oversized products from Local Pickup so they always ship by courier. - **Whole-cart rule:** combine Require Products with **Require all** so a method appears only when every item is from your chosen set. ### Troubleshooting - **A variation is not in the search list:** turn on **Add products variations** in the General section. - **Require matches too easily:** if you meant "the whole cart must qualify", enable **Require all**; by default one matching item is enough. - **Need to start over:** tick **Reset section settings** in the Products section and save to reset it to defaults. ## Frequently asked questions ### Does Require Products need every item in the cart to match? No. By default one matching item is enough to show the method. Turn on **Require all** in the General section if every cart item must be one of the selected products. ### If I select a variable product, are all its variations included? Yes. Selecting the parent product covers all of its variations. With **Add products variations** on (the default), you can also pick a single variation. ### What if I also use other conditions, such as category or city? By default the **Logical operator** in the General section is AND, so a method is hidden if any enabled condition hides it. Switch it to OR to show the method when any condition passes. See [AND vs OR for multiple shipping conditions](https://wpfactory.com/docs/conditional-shipping-and-or-logical-operator/). ### Can I tell customers why a shipping method is missing? Yes. Each condition has its own optional notice, shown before the cart and checkout forms. See [cart and checkout notices for hidden shipping methods](https://wpfactory.com/docs/conditional-shipping-cart-checkout-notices/). ### Can I set the rule for one Flat rate in one zone only? Yes, with Pro. Turn on **Use shipping instances** to set conditions per method instance, as explained in [setting shipping conditions per shipping method instance](https://wpfactory.com/docs/conditional-shipping-per-shipping-instance/). ### Get more control These product conditions are free. [Conditional Shipping for WooCommerce: Restrict Shipping Options by Anything](https://wpfactory.com/item/conditional-shipping-for-woocommerce/) Pro adds the "Use shipping instances" option, so you can set conditions per shipping-method instance (a specific Flat rate inside a specific zone) instead of globally per method type. [See what Pro unlocks](https://wpfactory.com/item/conditional-shipping-for-woocommerce/). Related articles - [Conditional Shipping by Product Shipping Class](https://wpfactory.com/docs/conditional-product-classes/) - [Conditional Shipping by Product Tag](https://wpfactory.com/docs/conditional-product-tags/) - [Conditional Shipping by Product Category](https://wpfactory.com/docs/conditional-category-shipping/) - [Getting Started with Conditional Shipping for WooCommerce](https://wpfactory.com/docs/how-to-use-conditional-shipping/) - [Conditional Shipping by Date and Time](https://wpfactory.com/docs/date-time-conditional-shipping/)   [![Conditional Shipping for WooCommerce](https://wpfactory.com/wp-content/uploads/Conditional-Shipping-for-WooCommerce.webp)](https://wpfactory.com/item/conditional-shipping-for-woocommerce/)