Material designations, general (GMD) and specific (SMD), each consisting of a single letter as in the table below, so that the data consists of two letters, or occasionally a single letter. The table is that of NACSIS (now NII), as it was in the 1990s. The field has not been used consistently in the Chinese database.
#0cg ej
A manuscript map
| GMD | SMD | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| a | cartographic material | a | celestial globe |
| b | planetary or lunar globe | ||
| c | terrestrial globe | ||
| g | diagram | ||
| j | map | ||
| k | profile | ||
| q | model | ||
| r | remote sensing image | ||
| s | section | ||
| y | view | ||
| z | other | ||
| b | braille | ||
| c | printed music | a | full score |
| b | full score, miniature or study size | ||
| c | accompaniment reduced for keyboard | ||
| d | voice score | ||
| e | condensed score or piano conductor score | ||
| g | close score | ||
| h | eastern score | ||
| m | multiple score format | ||
| u | unknown | ||
| z | other | ||
| d | manuscript text | ||
| e | manuscript map | SMD as for GMD a | |
| f | manuscript music | SMD as for GMD c | |
| g | projected graphic | c | filmstrip cartridge |
| d | filmstrip | ||
| f | other filmstrip type | ||
| o | filmstrip roll | ||
| s | slide | ||
| t | transparency | ||
| z | other | ||
| h | microform | a | aperture card |
| b | microfilm cartridge | ||
| c | microfilm cassette | ||
| d | microfilm reel | ||
| e | microfiche | ||
| f | microfiche casette | ||
| g | micro-opaque | ||
| z | other | ||
| k | nonprojected graphic | c | collage |
| d | drawing | ||
| e | painting | ||
| f | photomechanical print | ||
| g | photonegative | ||
| h | photoprint | ||
| i | picture | ||
| j | |||
| l | technical drawing | ||
| n | chart | ||
| o | flash card | ||
| z | other | ||
| m | motion picture | c | film cartridge |
| f | film cassette | ||
| r | film reel | ||
| z | other | ||
| s | musical sound recording | b | LP disc (33⅓ rpm) |
| c | CD | ||
| d | other sound disc type | ||
| e | cylinder | ||
| g | sound cartridge | ||
| i | film soundtrack | ||
| q | roll | ||
| s | sound casette | ||
| t | tape | ||
| w | wire recording | ||
| z | other | ||
| t | nonmusical sound recording | SMD as for GMD s | |
| v | video recording | c | video cartridge |
| d | video disc | ||
| f | video cassette | ||
| r | video reel | ||
| z | other | ||
| w | computer file | ||
| x | object | ||
| y | kit | ||