Question

What does it mean if a paint sample "matches" a known sample from a vehicle? Does this indicate the same source? Why or why not?

Answer 1

Physical matches are rare but do occur on occasion. A physical match is when one paint chip from a known source is matched to a sample from a suspects' car, clothing or weapon etc. The match is made by comparing the edges of two samples with a stereomicroscope. This allows the two samples to be compared side by side. Just as the striations on a bullet are compared so are the edges of two paint samples. Those that fit together like a jigsaw puzzle can be considered exact matches