The raw material is a primary material usually used to produce goods or finished products. It is considered as the backbone of finished products. You cannot earn customer satisfaction by providing poor quality products that are made of low-quality raw material.
Raw materials are classified based on the type of industry they are being used. Different types of chemical materials such as alcohols, and acids are being imported in the pharmaceutical industry for producing medicine. Food ingredients and food flavors are being processed in the food industry for manufacturing food products. and PP, PVC, ABS, etc. are raw materials of the plastic industry. Regardless of the use, every manufacturer opts to buy the best quality raw materials from its vendors at affordable prices. To ensure the quality of raw material, buyers must test the sample materials before any commercial order.

Basic Properties Of Raw Materials:

All raw materials should be tested for identity, purity, composition, potency, freshness, value, and quality. Depending on the category of product, the extent of raw material testing varies. Nevertheless, the following tests can be done to know the basic details of raw materials.

1. Identity: Identity test is to verify whether the correct raw materials with proper specifications have been received or not
2. Purity: The purity test confirms whether the material is ready for consumption or not.
3. Potency: It is essential to ensure that the material contains the proper amount of components.
4. Composition: Without knowing chemical composition, neither the purchasing team can negotiate with the supplier, nor the Research & Development team can establish a new product.
5. Shelf Life: Identifying shelf life of raw material is a must for inventory planning as well as order quantity fixing.


Physicochemical Properties

Physicochemical Test is a characterization of the physicochemical properties of raw materials and thus it is integral to the verification of raw materials.

1. Appearance: all products must be visually inspected.
2. PH: It will help you to identify whether raw material has acidity or alkalinity.
3. Viscosity: It is another major property which is the resistance of the fluid to flow
4. Osmolality: It generally defines how many solute particles are present in per kilogram of solvent.
5. Moisture Content: . The extent of water existed in raw materials largely influences its other characteristics.
6. Optical Activity: Optical activity is one of the basic properties of chiral substances.
7. Spectral Analysis: It is a technique for checking materials at various stages of the manufacturing process.

Importance Of Raw Material Testing:

Raw material testing is mandatory if you want to manufacture quality products. Because the properties of the final product depend greatly on the quality of the raw materials. Quality raw materials are sure to produce high quality products unless there is any anomaly in the production or packing process. However, the importance of raw material testing lies in:

1. Survival of company
2. Negotiation
3. Proper Storage
4. Ensuring Consistent Quality

Therefore, companies must regularly identify and qualify raw materials is the best approach to verify the consistency of quality of delivered products.
Raw material testing ensures that the raw materials used in the final products are suitable for their intended use.