raw material

noun

1. material before being processed or manufactured into a final form.

raw material

noun

1. material on which a particular manufacturing process is carried out
2. a person or thing regarded as suitable for some particular purpose

   raw material for the army

Word History and Origins

Origin of raw material¹

First recorded in 1790–1800

Example Sentences

An ExxonMobil spokesperson recently told ProPublica that the company’s chemical recycling process works, and that it has “processed more than 60 million pounds of plastic waste into usable raw materials, keeping it out of landfills.”

From Salon

The Spanish came to the New World in search of gold, Russians for pelts, others for spices, raw materials, fishing grounds, etc., etc.

From Los Angeles Times

After processing, the raw material was sent to the UK where it was manufactured, tested and packaged.

From BBC

It also said more raw materials, such as rice, could be used, delivering a "10-fold reduction" in food waste, alongside new packaging lines and upgraded production lines.

From BBC

It’s a complicated question, involving supply costs, crop yields, public policy, the availability of raw materials, supply chain issues and animal and plant disease, to name a few factors.

From Salon