XML schema types can be identified and compared for equivalence so as to avoid unnecessary and undesirable creation of multiple classes for equivalent schema types. XML schema types having the same name are identified and normalized according to a unified system for representing schema types. The step for normalizing schema types can include any writing and/or rewriting at least a portion of the schema types into a common unifying format so that they can be compared. Once the schema types have been normalized, they are then compared for equivalence. One technique for comparing the schema types is to create and compare hash numbers of all or only selected portions of the normalized schema types. Equivalent schema types can then be indexed to share a single class, thereby avoiding the creation of multiple classes for equivalent schema types.