Which category is used to classify tool marks into groups based on common properties?

• A. Class characteristics
• B. Individual characteristics
• C. Manufacturing marks
• D. Drag marks

Answer: (A)

In tool-mark analysis, marks are understood through two main ideas: class characteristics and individual characteristics. Class characteristics are features that allow you to group marks by shared properties of the tool or its use—things like the general type of tool, its size range, and the common pattern it leaves. This lets investigators narrow a mark down to a category of tools that could have made it, without naming a specific tool. Individual characteristics, on the other hand, are unique, idiosyncratic features—tiny, random imperfections—that can link a mark to a particular tool.

So, for classifying tool marks into groups based on common properties, the term you’re using is class characteristics. Manufacturing marks and drag marks refer to specific kinds of marks or processes, not the overarching grouping concept.