Seven commercially available: Zorbax C 18 , Kromasil C 18 , C 8 , cyano, phenyl, monolithic and amino stationary phases columns, have been characterized and classified into broadly similar types to simplify column choice. The results were evaluated employing cluster analysis, which shows several interesting groups based on distances (Minkowski and Euclidean) in agreement with the manufacturer's claims: chain density of the stationary phase used, and the presence or not a silica base. Finally, results showed that C 18 columns offer the best chromatographic characteristics for separation and quantification of antibiotics in micellar liquid chromatography.