Surovin

Surovin is a term used in several South Slavic languages, including Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian, and Slovenian, to denote raw materials or feedstock—inputs used in industrial production. In its plural form surovine or the genitive surovin, it covers a wide range of materials, such as minerals and metals, fossil fuels, agricultural commodities, timber, and other biotic resources. The closest English equivalents are "raw materials" or "resources."

Etymology and usage: The word derives from a root meaning crude or uncooked, reflecting its function as the raw input stage in manufacturing and energy supply chains. It is used to distinguish inputs from finished goods and to discuss supply, pricing, and regulation in economic and policy contexts.

Classification and scope: Surovine can be categorized in several ways. By origin: non-energy resources (ores, metals, wood) and energy resources (oil, gas, coal, uranium). By state: solid, liquid, or gaseous. By processing stage: extracted or refined materials that have yet to become final products. They are widely traded in commodity markets, with prices influenced by geology, extraction costs, technology, geopolitical events, currency movements, and demand from industry.

Extraction, processing, and sustainability: The life cycle of surovine typically includes exploration or harvesting, extraction or production, processing and refinement, and transport to manufacturing ecosystems. The extraction and use of surovine raise environmental and social considerations, prompting regulatory oversight, environmental safeguards, and increasingly stringent traceability and certification schemes.

Economic role and risk: Raw materials are foundational to industry and energy systems, and exposure to their price and supply risk can affect economies, companies, and households. Strategies to manage risk include diversification of suppliers, long-term contracts, stockpiling, substitution, and recycling.

See also: raw materials, commodity markets, supply chain management.