The study of group types was completed by Meldrum [1]. The concept of ring type described here is based on analogous definitions.

The series R = R0 ⊃ R1 ⊃ … ⊃ Rα = Rα+1is the lower central series for the ring R if Rγ+1=RRγ + RγR for ordinal number γ and Rγ∩δ<γ Rδ if γ is a limit ordinal. The upper central series for R is the series 0=J0 ⊂ J1 ⊂ … ⊂jβ = Jβ+1 where Jγ+1={x ∊ R:xR + Rx ⊆ Jγ} for every ordinal number γ and Jγ = ∪ ∩δ<γ Jδ if γ is a limit ordinal. The length of the upper central series is the smallest ordinal number γ for which Jβ = Jβ+1.The length of the lower central series is defined similarily. We shall say the ring has type (β,α) if the length of the upper central series is β and the length of the lower central series is α.