Natural material

A natural material is any product or physical matter that comes from plants, animals, or the ground which is not man-made. Minerals and the metals that can be extracted from them (without further modification) are also considered to belong into this category. Natural materials are used as building materials and clothing. Types include:

• Biotic materials
  • Wood (rattan, bamboo, bark, etc.)
• Plant fiber (coir, ramie, sisal, cotton, flax, hemp, jute, kapok, kenaf, moss, linen, abacá, etc.)
• Animal fiber (wool, silk, alpaca, camel, angora, cashmere, mohair, etc.)
• Inorganic material
  • Stone (flint, granite, obsidian, sandstone, sand, gems, glass, etc.)
  • Native metal (copper, iron, gold, silver, etc.)
  • Composites (clay, plasticine, etc.)
• Other natural materials.
  • Soil

See also

• Natural product
• Earth structure
• Material science
• Natural resources
• Metamaterials

Further reading

• DeMouthe JF (2006). Natural Materials: Sources, Properties, and Uses (1st ed.). Oxford: Architectural Press. ISBN 978-0-7506-6528-5.