Materials are working materials of a purely material nature which are further processed as working objects in production processes and are incorporated into the respective end products. The quality and properties of the end products or semi-finished products are decisively influenced by the choice of more or less suitable materials. In today's materials science, a distinction is generally made between five material groups.

• Metals (e.g. iron)
• non-metals (e.g. graphite)
• organic materials (e.g. wood, plastics)
• inorganic non-metallic materials (e.g. ceramics, glass)
• semiconductors (e.g. silicon)

In addition, composite materials and material composites, a combination of materials from several material groups, are increasingly being used.