# Characteristic

The `Characteristic` family — 5 operations.

A characteristic is a named product attribute (think material, care class, compliance mark) with an optional format rule. Manufacturers reference characteristics in their format maps.

## Operations

| Operation | Kind | What it does |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [characteristic](/reference/characteristic/characteristic/) | query | Look up one record — a product characteristic — a typed attribute products carry (material, care, age rating). |
| [characteristics](/reference/characteristic/characteristics/) | query | The characteristic list — each entry is a product characteristic — a typed attribute products carry (material, care, age rating). |
| [createCharacteristic](/reference/characteristic/createCharacteristic/) | mutation | Create a new product characteristic — a typed attribute products carry (material, care, age rating) at your organization. |
| [doomCharacteristic](/reference/characteristic/doomCharacteristic/) | mutation | Permanently retire a product characteristic — a typed attribute products carry (material, care, age rating). |
| [updateCharacteristic](/reference/characteristic/updateCharacteristic/) | mutation | Edit a product characteristic — a typed attribute products carry (material, care, age rating) — change its details. |