A raw material is the basic substance a thing is manufactured from. Raw material costs, source the raw materials, a shortage of raw material.
The price of them decides whether a factory can make anything at a profit, which is why commodity markets move whole economies. The figurative use is common, and the raw material of a book is the notes and interviews behind it.
1nounraw materialThe basic substance a thing is manufactured from.
“Cotton is the main raw material for the mill's cloth.”
raw material is a substance.
Practised in Materials & Substances, Factory & Manufacturing