Each terracotta warrior weighs about 400 pounds. The body is about 8 inches thick at the base and tapers to less than 1 inch thick in the main torso region. Course clays were used to construct a basic form upon which finer clays were used to mold details. A total of 82 distinct signatures of potters have been identified on the figures. It is unknown how many people may have worked to create this clay army, but we can project the amount of labor necessary. It would have taken 3 men about 15 days to create a single figure not including time to paint it. If 80 men worked on the army, it would have taken them about 12 years of constant work to complete it.

The head is separate from the body. The head was made from a two piece mold that separated just behind the ears. Hand prints still can be found on the inside of the two halves. Details added to the uniform mold depict real soldiers from many regions of China. Not only are the figure distinctive but they reflect the diversity of China. It is said that the Qin army numbered around 1,000,000. Everyone was inscripted into the army at a young age and trained to fight for the Emperor. Ambitition was the means by which people were promoted and honored. People in the world of Qin were judged on their ability rather than on race or cultural background. Minorities from northern areas could become a general in the Qin army on the basis of this philosophy. This also made the Qin army a "well oiled" machine that could conquer its enemies.

Along with the 1,000,000 soldiers, it is thought that there were 1,000 chariots and as many as 10,000 horsemen in the Qin army. Taking the mobile strategies of the nomads from the north, the Qin created a success in battle from having an advantage in mobility. Horse trading and horsemenship was important in the Qin region making these people familiar with horses and horse breeding. They used this skill to help build the world's most powerful army. Horsemen could ride on a saddle (thought to not be used until the time of the Han) and shoot bows and arrows.

Weapons were equally important in creating the successful real-life army of the Qin. The crossbow had a trigger mechanism that made it far superior to anything found in Europe until about 1,000 years later. It is believed that the arrows shot from one of the Qin crossbows could pierce armour at a range of 650 feet. The formation in Pit 2 suggests that the Qin army could rain arrows down on an enemy in waves from a relatively great distance away. Soldiers carried spears that were in excess of 9 feet in length. Metal surfaces were subjected to an oxidization treatment to prevent rust and harden them. Even today, the blades of swords are as sharp as they were over 2,000 years ago. The picture below is a bronze halbert that would be used on the end of a spear.

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