Glossary:Commodity (2024)

A commodity, also called primary product or primary good, is a good sold for production or consumption just as it was found in nature. Commodities include crude oil, coal, copper or iron ore, rough diamonds, and agricultural products such as wheat, coffee beans or cotton; they are often traded on commodity exchanges.

The Standard international trade classification distinguishes five main categories (sections) of commodities or primary goods:

  • Food and live animals (SITC 0 );
  • Beverages and tobacco (SITC 1);
  • Crude materials, excluding fuels (SITC 2);
  • Mineral fuels (SITC 3);
  • Animal and vegetable oils, fats and waxes (SITC 4).

Sections 0 and 1 can be grouped together as 'Food and drink', 2 and 4 as 'Raw materials'.

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Glossary:Commodity (2024)

FAQs

What is a commodity answer? ›

Commodities are basic goods and materials that are widely used and are not meaningfully differentiated from one another. Examples of commodities include barrels of oils, bushels of wheat, or megawatt-hours of electricity.

What does the word commodity mean responses? ›

A commodity is any useful or valuable thing, especially something that is bought and sold. Grain, coffee, and precious metals are all commodities. The word commodity is usually used in an economic context, as in importing commodities from other countries or trading in the stocks and commodities markets.

What is considered a commodity? ›

A commodity, also called primary product or primary good, is a good sold for production or consumption just as it was found in nature. Commodities include crude oil, coal, copper or iron ore, rough diamonds, and agricultural products such as wheat, coffee beans or cotton; they are often traded on commodity exchanges.

What is a commodity for kids? ›

A commodity is, generally speaking, any product that is bought or sold. The word has also come to refer specifically to agricultural products and raw materials that are vital to the world's economy.

What is meaning commodity examples? ›

commodity
  • a. : a product of agriculture or mining. agricultural commodities like grain and corn.
  • b. : an article of commerce especially when delivered for shipment. reported the damaged commodities to officials.
  • c. : a mass-produced unspecialized product. commodity chemicals. commodity memory chips.
May 23, 2024

What does it mean when someone says you're a commodity? ›

In economics, a commodity is an economic good, usually a resource, that specifically has full or substantial fungibility: that is, the market treats instances of the good as equivalent or nearly so with no regard to who produced them.

What is a commodity in short term? ›

Commodity prices are determined by inelastic supply and demand which make them largely prone to short-term price shocks. Inelasticity means that the quantity demanded or supplied cannot adjust quickly. Short-term options can be used around key demand and supply report releases.

What does it mean to treat someone as a commodity? ›

For those of you who may need a bit of a fresher on what the term "commodity" means... When you're a commodity, you can be replaced on a whim and have NO VALUE beyond anyone else in the market. Another (more blunt) way of explaining this is that people don't actually care about you...they care about your money.

What does the phrase information is a commodity mean? ›

You are as good as the information you possess and the way you use it. The way a company uses all this information that has/owns, is quite significant and can give serious competitive advantages. Commodity is defined as a useful and valuable material or product that can be bought and sold. Information is knowledge.

What is the synonym of commodity? ›

commodity (noun as in merchandise, possession) Strongest matches. asset goods material produce product property stock.

What is the opposite of a commodity? ›

The opposite (antonym) of a commodity product is a rare one that's possibly custom-made.

How do you identify a commodity? ›

Commodities are naturally occurring materials or goods that are collected and processed for use in human activity – such as oil, sugar and precious metals. They form the basis of our economy, because the raw materials are needed for the production of food, energy and clothing.

What is commodity in school? ›

Commodity programs serve a dual purpose to support agricultural producers and to provide food to schoolchildren (USDA, 2006a). Today's commodity distribution program was established during the 1930s as a part of federal work and food assistance programs.

What is the meaning of the word commodities? ›

, plural com·mod·i·ties. an article of trade or commerce, especially a product as distinguished from a service. something of use, advantage, or value. Stock Exchange. any unprocessed or partially processed good, as grain, fruits, and vegetables, or precious metals.

How to use commodity in a sentence? ›

How to Use commodity in a Sentence
  1. Oil is a commodity in high demand.
  2. Patience is a rare commodity.
  3. Prices of basic commodities have soared, and poverty is on the rise. ...
  4. The humble commodity has caused the rise and fall of empires.
May 3, 2024

What is a commodity quizlet? ›

Commodity. A raw material or primary agricultural product that can be bought and sold, such as copper or coffee. Consumer.

What are your commodities? ›

Commodities are another class of assets just like stocks and bonds. Most commodities are products that come from the earth that possess uniform quality, are produced in large quantities, and by many different producers. Major commodities include cotton, oil, gas, corn, wheat, oranges, gold, and uranium.

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