raw material
Featured
April 5, 2025
Raw material is unprocessed or minimally processed substance used to manufacture goods. A raw material is the input; a finished product is the output. Iron ore is raw material for steel.
Cotton bolls are raw material for cloth. Crude oil is raw material for plastic. Every supply chain starts with raw materials extracted from nature or recycled from other products.
What's interesting is how the concept has evolved: in the industrial era, raw materials came mostly from mining or agriculture. Today, recycled plastic, reclaimed wood, and lab-grown alternatives blur the line between raw and refined.
Cotton bolls are raw material for cloth. Crude oil is raw material for plastic. Every supply chain starts with raw materials extracted from nature or recycled from other products.
What's interesting is how the concept has evolved: in the industrial era, raw materials came mostly from mining or agriculture. Today, recycled plastic, reclaimed wood, and lab-grown alternatives blur the line between raw and refined.
Rate of Appearance in English Language Print
Google's Ngram project shows how often a pair of words has appeared in print every year since the 1800's.
Data from Google Books Ngram Viewer. Licensed under CC BY 3.0.
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