Which term describes the individual characteristics of tool marks?

• A. Class characteristics
• B. Mechanical fit
• C. Drag marks
• D. Individual characteristics

Answer: (D)

In tool mark analysis, the key idea is that some features link a mark to a tool type, while others can link the mark to a specific instrument. The distinctive, unique details that can pinpoint one particular tool—such as tiny surface imperfections, wear patterns, and manufacturing flaws—are the individual characteristics. These unique traits are what can potentially tie a tool mark back to a single tool, rather than just to a category of tools. That’s why the term described here is individual characteristics.

The other concepts describe different aspects: class characteristics are the general features shared by tools of the same type, which can help identify the tool category but not a specific tool; drag marks refer to marks produced by sliding contact rather than the notion of uniqueness; mechanical fit is the process of aligning a tool with its corresponding mark, not the description of the mark’s distinguishing features.