toolmarks

Implements leave these

Toolmarks are impressions, scratches, or striations left on a surface by a tool—a crowbar on a doorframe, pliers on a wire, a screwdriver on a lock.

In forensic investigation, toolmarks can link a specific instrument to a crime scene: The toolmarks on the window matched the defendant's pry bar.

Also spelled as two words: tool marks.

forensic

striations

Parallel linear markings

scratchesShallow marks from abrasion
groovesNarrow carved channels
indentationsRecessed marks in surfaces

ballistics · comparison · microscopic · analysis · identification · laboratory · examination · firearm · bullet · cartridge

craftsmanship

chisel

Edged carving implement

latheRotating shaping machine
carvingShaping by cutting away
engravingCarving into hard surfaces

woodworking · metalwork · sculpture · joinery · turning · forging · hammering · polishing · sanding · filing

impression

indentation

Inward cut or setback

grooveNarrow cut or routine
scoreNumerical standing in competition
incisionControlled cut into tissue

scratch · gouge · cut · abrasion · striation · pattern · depth · width · angle · pressure

Opposites

evidence type

toolmarkstestimonial evidence

Proof from oral statements

eyewitness testimony · fingerprints · DNA evidence · digital evidence · blood spatter

mark origin

toolmarksfingerprints

Ridge patterns identifying individuals

handprints · footprints · palm prints · lip prints · claw marks

presence of physical traces

toolmarksuntouched

Not contacted or affected

smooth surface · unblemished

Family

tool, mark, tools, tooled, tooling, marks, marked, marking, marker

Familiarity: Top 500,000
Profile: Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Rated G