Conventional cell

Maille conventionnelle (Fr); Cella convenzionale (It); 慣用単位胞 (Ja).

For each lattice, the conventional cell is the cell obeying the following conditions:

• its basis vectors define a right-handed axial setting;
• its edges are along symmetry directions of the lattice;
• it is the smallest cell compatible with the above condition.

Crystals having the same type of conventional cell belong to the same crystal family.

See also

• primitive cell
• unit cell
• Section 1.3.2.4 in of International Tables of Crystallography, Volume A, 6^th edition