This class comprises the immaterial realisations of individual works at a particular time that are regarded as a complete whole. The quality of wholeness reflects the intention of its creator that this expression should convey the concept of the work. Such a whole can in turn be part of a larger whole.

Inherent to the notion of work is the completion of recognisable outcomes of the work. These outcomes, i.e. the Self-Contained Expressions, are regarded as the symbolic equivalents of Individual Works, which form the atoms of a complex work. A Self-Contained Expression may contain expressions or parts of expressions from other work, such as citations or items collected in anthologies. Even though they are incorporated in the Self-Contained Expression, they are not regarded as becoming members of the expressed container work by their inclusion in the expression, but are rather regarded as foreign or referred elements.

F22 Self-Contained Expression can be distinguished from F23 Expression Fragment in that an F23 Expression Fragment was not intended by its creator to make sense by itself. Normally creators would characterise an outcome of a work as finished. In other cases, one could recognise an outcome of a work as complete from the elaboration or logical coherence of its content, or if there is any historical knowledge about the creator deliberately or accidentally never finishing (completing) that particular expression. In all those cases, one would regard an expression as self-contained.