# structural (default)

Element-level chunks — one per paragraph, heading, table, or list.

`structural` produces one chunk per structural element: each heading, paragraph,
table, and list becomes its own chunk. It's the finest-grained mode and the best
choice when you want element-level control over indexing.

```python
from py_chunks import get_chunks

chunks = get_chunks("report.docx", mode="structural")
```

## `default` vs `structural`

For most formats, `default` is element-level chunking.

- **DOCX**: `default` is normalized to `structural` — they're equivalent.
- **PDF**: `default` and `structural` are **not** the same. `default` uses a
  fast, lightweight path; `structural` uses the full, font-size-weighted layout
  analysis. Use `structural` when heading detection matters.

  If you're unsure, `default` is a safe starting point for every format.

## content_type values

Chunks are typed by what they contain — common values include `heading`,
`plain_paragraph`, `bullet_list`, `table`, and `code_block`. See the full list
in the [Output Schema](/docs/output-schema).

## When to use it

- Fine-grained retrieval where each element should be independently searchable.
- Downstream logic that re-groups elements itself.
- Precise citations back to a single paragraph or table.