The real cost of metallurgical examination of irradiated fuel elements is several times that of fuels before irradiation. Since post-irradiation study is necessary to determine the performance of prototype fuel designs in a reactor environment, complete physical characterization before irradiation provides an economical and efficient basis for comparing experimental data. Without such comparative study, unexpected damage to fuels in the reactor would be difficult, if not impossible, to interpret. This report presents such a characterization of one fuel element from a group of fuels prototypic of the initial charge in Hanford`s N-Reactor. This fuel element, 1055-8, is significant because it belongs to the Production Work Request CX-2 family of elements.