raw material

noun

Updated on: 10 May 2018

: crude or processed material that can be converted by manufacture, processing, or combination into a new and useful product

wheat … is raw material for the flour mill
—C. A. Koepke

broadly : something with a potential for improvement, development, or elaboration

perplexities are often the raw material of discoveries
—Agnes M. Clerke

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Examples of raw material in a Sentence

His experiences during the war were the raw material for the story.

Recent Examples of raw material from the Web

Each sheep yielded between 10 to 15 pounds of wool, Lally said, but the market value of the raw material is minimal.

— frank vaisvilas, Daily Southtown, "Just in time for spring, sheep lose their coats at Children's Farm in Palos," 1 May 2018
The quality of the raw material often matters most.

— kim bhasin, Bloomberg.com, "Why a Cashmere Sweater Can Cost $2,000 … or $30," 19 Apr. 2018
The users are Facebook's raw material, offered for sale to its real customers, who are its advertisers.

— michael hiltzik, latimes.com, "Touting Facebook's 'idealism,' Zuckerberg displays the smooth evasions of a tobacco executive," 10 Apr. 2018
That is the kind of raw material upon which our take on politics has been shaped since Socrates’ day.

— ron grossman, chicagotribune.com, "Even Socrates may have mourned the closing of Toys R Us," 26 Mar. 2018
The cost of the raw material increased, causing candy manufacturers to move across the lakes to Canada.

— WSJ, "Unilateral Tariffs Hurt Friends and Enemies," 15 Mar. 2018
Rusal had provided 7 percent of the world’s alumina, the raw material for aluminum production.

— eric levitz, Daily Intelligencer, "Trump Administration Eases Sanctions on Russian Metal Giant," 23 Apr. 2018
Factories have closed because of a lack of raw materials, fishermen have deserted their boats, and military units are resorting to charcoal-engine vehicles and even ox-driven carts for transport.

— choe sang-hun, BostonGlobe.com, "Sanctions hurting North Korea, but evasion continues," 20 Apr. 2018
Factories have closed because of a lack of raw materials, fishermen have deserted their boats and military units are resorting to charcoal-engine vehicles and even ox-driven carts for transport.

— New York Times, "Sanctions Are Hurting North Korea. Can They Make Kim Give In?," 20 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'raw material.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of raw material

1612

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

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raw material Synonyms

Synonyms

making, material, stuff, substance;

Related Words

possibility, potential, potentiality;

matter, metal;

Financial Definition of RAW MATERIAL

raw material

noun

What It Is

Raw materials are commodities, parts or substances that are assembled or processed to form a final product.

How It Works

For example, the raw materials involved in chocolate chip cookies are butter, sugar, eggs, flour, vanilla, baking powder and chocolate.

Why It Matters

Raw materials determine the quality and cost of producing an item. Many raw materials are commodities that trade on the futures market. For many companies, acquiring raw materials at a good price makes the difference between having a profitable year and having an unprofitable year.

Raw materials may be considered unfinished goods and thus recorded as inventory on the balance sheet.

Source: Investing Answers