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Why is a saxophone classified as a clarinet in the Hornbostel-Sachs system?

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Four children play musical instruments in a row, including a flute, trumpet, and tuba, focusing intently as they perform together indoors. — musical instrument Children playing musical instruments.

In the Hornbostel-Sachs system, the saxophone is classified as a clarinet because of its method of tone production.1

The system categorizes wind instruments (aerophones) based on their acoustical principles rather than their material or cultural context. Within the category of reed pipes, instruments are grouped by the type of reed used to activate the air column. Under this classification:1

Oboes are the generic classification for instruments using multiple (double) reeds.1
Clarinets are the generic classification for instruments using a single (beating) reed.1

Because the saxophone utilizes a single reed to vibrate the air column, it is grouped under the clarinet category within this specific scientific framework, regardless of the fact that the instrument is constructed from metal.1