Thrombi may be white, red, laminated, or hyaline.

A white thrombus consists of platelets, fibrin, and white blood cells and is formed slowly during rapid blood flow, generally in arteries. A red thrombus, in which red blood cells predominate, forms rapidly during slow blood flow, generally in veins. The most common type of thrombus is the laminated thrombus, which has a layered structure and crimped surface and contains fragments of white and red thrombi. It is attached to the endothelium of a blood vessel, generally that of a vein; this differentiates it from a postmortem thrombus. A hyaline thrombus forms in blood vessels of the capillary bed and consists of a homogenized mass of protein