Processing Materials
How raw materials are changed into useful products
From Raw to Useful
Raw materials come from nature — wood from trees, clay from the ground, wool from sheep. We process (change) these materials to make useful products. Processing can include cutting, heating, mixing and shaping.
Example
Examples of Processing
Clay → shaped and baked → brick or pot
Wheat → ground into flour → baked → bread
Tree → cut into planks → furniture
Sand → heated very hot → glass
Note
Remember
Processing changes the form of materials but uses the same raw material. In South Africa we process many materials: gold ore into jewellery, sugarcane into sugar, and maize into mealie meal.
Key Vocabulary
Raw materialNatural material before it is processed
ProcessingChanging a raw material into a useful product
ProductThe useful thing made from raw materials
ManufacturingMaking products in large quantities in factories
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Raw material
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