NATURAL MATERIALS: CHARACTERISTICS AND EXAMPLES - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2025

Natural materials are those that humans take from nature to create products, without the need to be modified by industrial, chemical or other processes. They can come from plants, animals, or the earth's crust.

Natural materials can be biotic, which are those that come from living things. For example, wood, cotton, pulp, honey, leather, and wool are natural materials because they come from plants and animals.

Amethyst

Also, inorganic materials are found. Among inorganic materials, rocks, minerals and metals stand out.

Natural materials are found in their pure state in nature. For example, silver can be extracted from different points of the earth's crust.

Some of the materials are formed without human intervention (such as oil, coal, and diamonds) while others require human action (such as leather, natural fabrics, and wood).

It should be noted that even after being modified and processed, these types of materials will continue to be natural. For example, purified silver is still natural.

Characteristics of natural materials

- They are not modified by industrial, chemical or biological processes.

- They are taken directly from nature.

- They can be renewable, like wool, or non-renewable, like oil.

- They are the opposite of artificial materials, which have been created by man from industrial, chemical or biological processes.

Examples of natural materials

1- Leather

Leather is a material that is obtained from the skins of some animals.

To produce leather, the animals must be skinned and the hide then tanned to achieve the desired finish.

2- milk

Most of the commercial milk is obtained from cattle, mainly cattle.

3- Natural fertilizers

Natural fertilizers are extracted from biological matter in the process of decomposition.

In general, animal waste and plant debris are used as fertilizers.

4- Guano

Guano is a type of animal manure that is produced by the accumulation of seabird excrement. It is found in large quantities on the islands.

5- Feathers

Feathers are used as ornamental elements in the clothing industry, as pillow fillers and as writing material.

6- Wool

This is a tissue that is formed from the fur of sheep.

7- Cotton

Cotton is a plant that produces a fiber that is used to make fabrics. The produced fabric is also called cotton.

8- Silk

The set of filaments produced by some caterpillars is known as silk.

From these filaments, a fabric that receives the same name is created.

9- Wood

Wood is one of the most common natural materials, which is extracted from trees.

10- Bamboo

Wood that is extracted from the plant that receives the same name.

It is used in the production of fishing rods, furniture, among others.

11- Cork

This material is obtained from the internal tissues of the stem of some trees.

Most of the cork that is sold comes from the cork oak tree.

12- Maple syrup

This is a molasses that is created from the sap of the maple tree.

13- Cement

This is a material in powder form, which is obtained from other materials (such as limestone).

14- Aluminum

It is the most abundant metal on planet Earth.

15- Iron

It is the second most abundant metal on the planet. Its versatility has allowed it to be used in various areas: in construction, in goldsmithing, in the armory, among others.

16- Copper

Copper is a brownish metal, sometimes reddish. This is a very good conductor of electricity. For this reason, it is widely used in electrical wiring system.

17- Granite

Granite is an eruptive rock, of the intrusive type. It gets its name because its appearance is grainy. Due to its attractiveness, it is used in buildings as an ornamental element.

18- Chalk

It is a type of white sedimentary rock, which is used in the production of compact powders used for writing.

19- Gold

Gold is a precious metal, an excellent conductor of electricity. It is used mainly in jewelry.

20- Silver

It is a metallic element of white color. It is used in various areas, among which jewelry stands out.

21- Lead

Metallic element, bluish in color. It is highly harmful to health.

22- Platinum

Platinum is a white metal that is used as a catalyst.

23- Clay

Clay is a sedimentary rock. When mixed with water, it forms a malleable paste that becomes hard when cooked.

24- Pearl

Pearls are the product of some mollusks, which are formed from the secretions they generate to expel foreign elements.

25- Oil

Petroleum is a hydrocarbon that is formed by the decomposition of large amounts of organic matter in the absence of oxygen. It is one of the most important fuels in the world.

26- Coal

Coal is a very useful material since it is a fuel.

This is formed from the carbonization of plant remains that have been preserved as fossils.

27- Graphite

Graphite is a material derived from carbon. It is a good conductor of electricity, which is why it is used in electrical circuits and electrodes. In the same way, with graphite pencils are produced.

28- Pumice stone

This is an effusive rock, characterized by its pores. It is used in construction.

29- Diamond

Precious stone, transparent. It is formed by the crystallization of carbon, which occurs at high temperatures.

30- Ruby

Ruby is a reddish gemstone. It is used in jewelry.

31- Sapphire

Blue-colored gemstone.

32- Quartz

Quartz is a precious stone. Its color varies according to the additional components it presents. In this sense, there are pink, white, transparent quartz, among others.

33- Peridot

It is a gemstone of green color and rhomboid shape.

34- Lapis Lazuli

Lapis lazuli is a gemstone with a hard consistency and a blue color. It is usually in the form of cubes.

35- Limestone

Limestone is a sedimentary rock and is usually white in color. It is used to produce building materials.

Others

36- Obsidian

37- Amber

38- Amethyst

39- Brass

40- Zinc

41- Marble

42- Lima

43- Sulfur

44- Gravel

45- plaster

46- Talc

47- Feldspar

48- Sand

49- Water

50- Salt

References

1. Natural material. Retrieved on August 21, 2017, from wikipedia.org
2. Natural and manmade materials. Retrieved on August 21, 2017, from slideshare.net
3. Top 10: Natural Materials. Retrieved on August 21, 2017, from makezine.com
4. Materials. Retrieved on August 21, 2017, from icteachers.co.uk
5. Synthetic and natural materials. Retrieved on August 21, 2017, from bbc.co.uk
6. Natural and man made materials. Retrieved on August 21, 2017, from slideshare.net
7. Examples of natural materials. Retrieved on August 21, 2017, from acs.org.