A proposed classification of subcortical infarcts is presented. The classification is a clinicoradiological one with the distribution of infarcts based on known vascular territories and the borderzones between them. The document is in two sections: section A gives the broad framework of the classification, while section B gives more detail concerning terminology, location of infarcts, presumed pathogenesis, common clinical expressions of infarct types and radiological appearances. It is hoped that this document will act as means of establishing a common language concerning this important group of infarcts, thereby facilitating management and providing a framework for further research.