Where materials come from
- Paper and board: made from wood pulp from trees, or from recycled paper.
- Timber: hardwoods from deciduous forests, often in slow-growing tropical regions; softwoods from faster-growing coniferous forests, often managed and replanted.
- Metals: extracted from ores dug from the ground, then refined using heat and energy.
- Polymers: most are made from crude oil, a finite resource; some are made from plants (bioplastics).
- Textiles: natural fibres from plants (cotton, linen) and animals (wool, silk); synthetic fibres from crude oil (polyester, nylon).
Stock forms, types and sizes
- Paper and board are sold in standard sizes (A4, A3), by weight in grams per square metre (gsm) and board thickness in microns.
- Timber: planks, boards, strips, squares and dowel (round rods); sawn or planed.
- Metals: sheet, plate, bar, rod, tube and angle sections.
- Polymers: sheets, rods, tubes, granules and powders (for moulding).
- Textiles: fabric sold by the metre from rolls (bolts), in set widths.
- Standard components: screws, nuts and bolts, hinges, catches, zips and buttons in standard sizes.
Why stock forms matter
- Choosing a standard stock form reduces waste and cost, because it can be bought ready-sized.
- Designers should plan products around standard sizes where possible, such as a box that fits on an A3 sheet.
Key terms
- Stock form
- The standard shape and size a material is sold in.
- gsm
- Grams per square metre: the weight of paper.
- Micron
- A thousandth of a millimetre: used for board thickness.
- Dowel
- A round rod of timber.
- Ore
- Rock containing a metal.
- Crude oil
- A finite fossil fuel from which most polymers are made.