材 raw materials

It takes skills to carve a XYLOPHONE from the raw material of wood.

ingredients ★★★☆☆
材 (raw materials) + 料 (ingredients / fees) = 材料 (ingredients)

usually seen on the "ingredients" label on food packaging. But also used about source material for a report: field notes, raw data. The implication is that, unlike 素材, the source material is not totally raw, it's partially assembled --for instance, if you get silk, that's 素材, but when the silk is woven into a fabric, that is 材料, and then the fabric is an ingredient of a handbag.

raw material ★★☆☆☆
素 (element) + 材 (raw materials) = 素材 (raw material)

raw material - both literally and figuratively (as in, the raw data that you base your essay or report or novel on) ("I'm working on materal for my novel!")

raw lumber ☆☆☆☆☆
木 (tree) + 材 (raw materials) = 木材 (raw lumber)