Glossary term

raw material

The base material-identity layer in CRMA and product-passport records, before critical, strategic, recycled, or battery-specific classifications are applied.

Officially defined term1 formal definition

What does raw material mean?

Raw material is the starting point for material evidence. The practical sequence is to identify the material, connect it to a product or supply-chain role, then add source-bound classifications and evidence such as CRMA status, recycled-content records, origin, supplier documents, or battery-material requirements.

Source context

The EU Critical Raw Materials Act uses raw-material terminology as the base layer for more specific CRMA categories and value-chain stages. The term should stay broader than critical or strategic status while still being structured enough to support classification. North America critical-minerals context: U.S. sources use designation/list logic under 30 U.S.C. § 1606 and the Federal Register 2022 list; Canada Income Tax Act section 127.49 uses qualifying material and qualifying mineral activity for a tax-credit context. Keep these source layers separate from EU CRMA critical/strategic raw material and EU conflict-minerals definitions.

Official definitions by source

EU Critical Raw Materials Act

Regulation (EU) 2024/1252 establishing a framework for ensuring a secure and sustainable supply of critical raw materials

a substance in processed or unprocessed state used as an input for the manufacturing of intermediate or final products, excluding substances predominantly used as food, feed or combustion fuel

CRMA Article 2 source-specific definition layer.

Reference: Article 2, point 1

View official source

Definition status

Reviewed public draft page. Aligns with CRMA raw-material priority policy: source-bound category boundaries, concrete implementation objects, and evidence-focused commentary.

Practical application

Implementation records should capture substance or material name, source family, product role, category flags, supplier/facility link, country or origin field where relevant, material form, quantity/unit, evidence source, and links to critical, strategic, recycled, or battery-specific status.

Minespider commentary

Raw material is the anchor for downstream classifications. If the material identity is not structured first, later CRMA status, supply-risk, recycled-content, and passport claims can be routed to the wrong substance or product layer.

Common confusions

  • Jumping from a material name directly to a compliance category without recording the base material identity.
  • Treating raw material, critical raw material, and strategic raw material as interchangeable.
  • Recording a product component without identifying the material evidence that supports later CRMA or passport claims.