System and Method for Identifying Defects in a Material

Described are computer-based methods and apparatuses, including computer program products, for identifying defects in a material. A set of features is identified based on an image of a material, wherein each feature in the set of features is a candidate portion of a defect in the material. A set of chained features is selected based on the set of features, wherein each chained feature comprises one or more features that represent candidate portions of a same defect in the material. A defect in the material is identified based on the set of chained features and the image.