Taxonomists primarily use characteristics of the valves and the girdle to tell the difference between species and this is the case for "Chiton glaucus". The shell consists of eight overlapping valves. It is fairly large, up to 55 mm in length, with 6 intermediate valves between 2 terminal valves at either end of the organism. These valves are surrounded by a girdle, which helps with adhesion to the preferred surface and in the case of "Chiton glaucus" it is covered in large scales.