The basis for classification is the profile. The description language should hold all features of the fragment as primitives and all properties among features as relations.
Every fragment is archived together with a number of different attributes.
Common attributes for manual classification are shape, dimensions, material, period and the excavation site. But there exist no clear standards for the classification process, because different archaeologists use different terms and classification attributes. Archaeologists distinguish between various shape features like the profile, the dimensions of the object like diameter and type of surface, whereas the classification of material copes with different characteristics of a fragment like the clay, color and surface properties. One classification feature for example is the height to width feature. Depending on this ratio, an object is classified as cup, bowl, or dish to give an example see the figure above.