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

According to Huo, a growing share of enterprises reported higher raw material and logistics expenses compared to the previous month.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026

“We think that raw material issues are likely to cause some earnings growth uncertainties,” Zekauskas wrote in a note to clients.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 26, 2026

Fuel and raw material shortages, chronic underinvestment and nationalisations have hollowed out the local economy.

From BBC • Mar. 26, 2026

That the statue survived at all is exceptional: in antiquity, bronze was a valuable raw material routinely melted down for weapons, coins or everyday objects.

From Barron's • Mar. 20, 2026

Groves’s order reduced K-25 to a supplemental source of raw material for the Beta calutrons of Y-12.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik