This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Owen, A., Ebinghaus, A., Hartley, A. J., Santos, M. G. M. and Weissmann, G. S. (2017), Multi-scale classification of fluvial architecture: An example from the Palaeocene–Eocene Bighorn Basin, Wyoming. Sedimentology, 64: 1572–1596., which has been published in final form at DOI: 10.1111/sed.12364. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving.