raw material

Definition of raw material

: 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 on the Web Related Stories Today, because paper is manufactured with an eye toward recyclability, 64 percent of the raw materials to make new paper come directly from recycled paper. — Caroline Delbert, Popular Mechanics, "This Stone Paper Is Cool. Its Environmental Impact Is Complicated.," 26 Nov. 2019 And because of the value of the raw materials it’s made of, the jewelry industry is, at least to a certain extent, circular in the sustainable sense. — Vogue, "The Top Jewelry Trends of Spring 2020—From Chokers to Full-Body Glitz," 16 Oct. 2019 The company has had to raise prices because the cost of raw materials not available in the United States has gone up, Mr. Briggs said. — Patricia Cohen, New York Times, "Hiring Slowed in September as Unemployment Rate Fell to a 50-Year Low," 4 Oct. 2019 In every stage of the life of concrete, from the extraction of raw materials to industrial cement manufacturing to on-site concrete manufacturing, carbon dioxide emissions are a major concern for air quality and the health of construction workers. — Charles Curkin, ELLE Decor, "Will Your Home Soon Be Made of Green Charcoal Bricks?," 22 Sep. 2019 Others are reconsidering their use of raw materials altogether. — Irina Ivanova, CBS News, "Wall Street sees profits in a heating planet," 19 Sep. 2019 In Maryland, a can manufacturer reported looking for ways to increase automation to offset the cost of raw materials. — Sarah Chaney, WSJ, "Fed’s Beige Book Shows Concerns Mounting Among U.S. Businesses," 16 Jan. 2019 These included a failure to test raw materials and finished products, and falsifying test results and releasing sub-potent drugs to the U.S. market. — Ed Silverman, STAT, "FDA slams Dollar Tree for purchasing drugs from suppliers with checkered safety records," 14 Nov. 2019 The forecast was so wildly off the mark that the internet smelled blood, seeing in it a rich source of irony: perfect raw material for memes. — Shoaib Daniyal, Quartz India, "2020 is here, not India’s predicted superpowers," 2 Jan. 2020

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.

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Last Updated

18 Feb 2020

Cite this Entry

“Raw material.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/raw%20material. Accessed 27 Feb. 2020.

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More Definitions for raw material

raw material

noun

Financial Definition of raw material

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

raw material

noun