Material

From Nordan Symposia
Revision as of 20:11, 13 April 2008 by Rdavis (talk | contribs)
Jump to navigationJump to search

Lighterstill.jpg

Material is any physical substance used in production, costs, and pricing or manufacturing. Raw materials are first extracted or harvested from the earth and made into a form that can be easily transported and stored, then processed to produce "semi-finished materials". These can be input into a new cycle of production and finishing processes to create "finished materials", ready for distribution and [consumption|economics]].

An example of a raw material is cotton, which can be processed into thread or used in the making of paper; further processing can yield garments or books respectively. Steelmaking is another example—raw materials are mined, refined and processed into steel, a semi-finished material. Steel is then used in many other industries to make finished products.

See also