- Steel: Steel is the primary and the most important material used in car manufacturing. It constitutes around 65% of the weight of a standard passenger car. Different types of steel are used for automotive purposes. Each auto part requires specific properties; hence multiple grades of steel are employed while making a car. For instance, parts that require bending and folding such as the trunk lid and door skins use extra-soft or high-carbon steels. Whereas, other parts like the wheels, transmission, chassis and engine block are made from medium to ultra-high strength steel.
- Aluminum: Aluminum ranks second after steel in terms of consumption in automobiles, it contributes to around 10% of the total weight of a passenger car. Aluminum has various applications in automotive components such as cylinder blocks, heads and pistons, wheels and rims, body panels, suspension parts, and so on. It can also be used to replace parts traditionally made from steel, this lowers the overall vehicle weight and improves the handling and fuel efficiency of the car.
- Plastic: Plastic is the third primary automotive raw material and represents 8%-10% of a car’s weight. Different forms of plastics such as polyurethane (PU), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polypropylene, and polyethylene are commonly used in automotive parts. Parts such as the exterior panels, fascias, bumper, consoles, dashboards, interior trim, and the headliner are made of plastic materials.
- Glass: Glass contributes to approximately 2.5% of the total weight of a passenger car. The car windscreen is the most visible glass part, but also present are the side windows, back window, rearview and wing mirrors, sunroof, and the rearview mirror. Besides offering visibility and protection from the outside environment, glasses are also used in certain cases for aesthetics.
- Magnesium: Magnesium has significant potential as an automotive material because it is the lightest among the commonly used metals, it provides a weight reduction of around 75% compared to steel. It is corrosion resistant and offers good vibration absorption and heat dissipation properties. Although its applications in cars are limited at the moment, it has the ability to form strong alloys with other metals. The most popular example of a magnesium alloy is alloy 443, which holds around 90% magnesium with the addition of 5% aluminum and 5% zinc. It offers better strength as compared to pure magnesium and is used for the manufacturing of instrument panels, steering wheels, and seat frames.
- Rubber: Rubber constitutes around 4.5% of the weight of a standard car. It is essential in components like tires, seals, tubes, and hoses.
- Copper: Copper is used for electrical wiring, bearings, radiators, brakes and other various parts of the car. It forms about 1.8% of the weight of a car.
- Concrete: Cement concrete may only be part of the manufacturing plant, but it is the most crucial raw material for building a manufacturing facility.
Secondary Raw Materials
Apart from the primary raw materials, many secondary materials are also used in the manufacturing of vehicles. Some examples of these materials include:
- Leather
- Wood
- Fiberglass
- Synthetic leather
- Ceramics (i.e. spark plug insulators)
