raw material
noun/ˌɹɔː.məˈtɪə.ɹi.əl/
1
A material in its unprocessed, natural state considered usable for manufacture.
- Petroleum is the raw material refined into various fuels and needed for countless chemicals.
- The three main firms […] are increasing their output capacity and it is estimated that by 1964-5 railborne traffic will be about a third greater than the 1960 figure, reaching a total of something like 13½ million tons per annum, of which some 70 per cent will be inwards raw materials for these firms.1962 October 23, “Talking of Trains: New yard at Scunthorpe”, in Modern Railways, page 221:
2
Figuratively Any physical product serving as input to a factory or other installation which processes it.
- The assembly plant's raw materials are finished parts from Asian suppliers.
- Teams will place all their unassembled raw materials and tools in the competition area along with two provided 5-gallon buckets of contaminated water and two provided stirring sticks.2024 October 23, “Water Treatment Competition”, in ASCE, page 11: