Band neutrophils have a pink cytoplasm with specific granules. The nucleus lacks segmentation and has uniform thickness, usually forming a “C” or “S” shape. Chromatin is looser than that of segmented neutrophils.

Monocytes can look like bands, especially if care is not taken. The nucleus of the monocyte can take on that classic ‘U’ shape. However, monocytes can be differentiated by their ground glass cytoplasm and lack of granules.