raw material

American  

noun

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

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raw material British  

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

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Etymology

Origin of raw material

First recorded in 1790–1800

Example Sentences

It helps, I’ve found, to think about it less as “leftovers” and more as raw material.

From Salon • Apr. 26, 2026

Another social media user has reported that the textile company where their sister-in-law worked has fired 600 out of their 650 personnel, as they cannot import raw material from Australia anymore.

From BBC • Apr. 21, 2026

The problem for data geeks like Savouri, however, and for investors, is the increasingly unreliable raw material that governments are providing them.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 15, 2026

Reputedly, he destroyed hundreds of his own negatives, and the celluloid was melted down -- and some of it used as raw material to make soldiers' boots during World War I.

From Barron's • Apr. 13, 2026

The man realized that the animals on Salatin’s farm were not being treated like unfeeling raw material, but like living creatures.

From "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan