Once artifacts have undergone the preservation process, each is given a distinct number that is applied to the object itself, and placed on all documentation related to the object.

The purpose of cataloging is to give each item a unique identifying number which refers to a card or sheet that includes all the information for that item(s). This information includes the catalog number, identification of the item, its provenience (county, site number, coordinates, elevation), the geologic or cultural stratum in which it was discovered, the collector, date of collection and time period in which the artifact was utilized. All of this information may not be known but all that is known should be recorded.

Objects also are identified categorically according to the materials they are constructed from, physical characteristics, construction and design, and possible function. This information assists researchers later in reconstructing the site that was excavated.