A raw material is a natural or transformed product which is used in the production chain to obtain a finished product. The typology of natural raw materials is determined by their origin: vegetable (extracted from plants) such as latex to produce rubber; animal (taken from animals) such as cattle skin to produce leather; or mineral (extracted from the soil) such as oil to produce petrol. Processed raw materials result from some kind of human action. Cotton fibre is the processed raw material used for clothing production. Cotton is a natural raw material that can be found in nature.

Basic industries change the raw material into processed raw material to be used by other industries. For example: agricultural fertiliser industry. Consumer goods industries transform raw materials produced by the basic industry into a product for the end consumer. For example: the automobile or household appliance industry.

The importance that certain raw materials have in an assembly line has justified some transnational conflicts and motivated numerous military actions. An example of this is the control over oil deposits all over the world. On the other hand, global phenomena such as pandemics, climate change or associative actions may be responsible for the scarcity of raw materials and, consequently, for the increase in price of final products.