The material may be solid, liquid, gas, a material of some intermediate characteristics such as gel or sputum, tissue, organism, or a combination of these. Even if a material sample is not countable as individual items, the quantity of the sample may still be describable in terms of its volume, mass, size, or other such dimensions. A solid sample can come in one or a few discrete pieces, or it can be fragmented, granular, or powdered. A section of a rod, wire, cord, sheeting, or tubing may be considered a sample. Samples which are not a solid piece are commonly kept in a container of some sort.
Where goods are sold or supplied by reference to a sample, relevant sale of goods legislation may dictate the supplier's legal obligations in ensuring that the bulk of the goods corresponds with the goods comprising the sample, for example in the UK, the Sale of Goods Act 1979, section 15, the Supply of Goods and Services Act 1982, section 5, and the Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 13.