Meaning & use
intermediate product
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountablebusinessspecialist
a good that is made and then used up in producing another good, rather than sold to a final buyer
Grammar: Countable: you can say 'an intermediate product' or 'intermediate products'.
Patterns
- an intermediate product in something
- produce intermediate products
- use something as an intermediate product
Steel is an intermediate product that carmakers use to build vehicles.
The factory makes intermediate products such as wires and switches for other manufacturers.
Economists count intermediate products separately to avoid double counting in GDP.
nouncountablebiologychemistrytechnical
in biology, a molecule formed during a series of chemical reactions before the final substance appears
Grammar: Often used in scientific writing about metabolism or chemical pathways.
Patterns
- an intermediate product of a reaction
- form an intermediate product
- break down an intermediate product
Glucose is broken down into intermediate products that release energy.
The enzyme converts the intermediate product into the final hormone.
Scientists identified a toxic intermediate product in the metabolic pathway.
Word forms
| plural | intermediate products |
|---|
Common combinations
- produce intermediate products
- The company produces intermediate products for the electronics industry.
- intermediate product in the supply chain
- An intermediate product in the supply chain may cross borders several times.
- use something as an intermediate product
- They use aluminum as an intermediate product in making cans.
- trade in intermediate products
- Global trade in intermediate products has grown faster than trade in finished goods.
Synonyms and how they differ
- semi-finished good
- Similar, but 'semi-finished good' often suggests a product that still needs more processing, while 'intermediate product' can be used up completely in production.
- component
- A component is a part of a larger product; an intermediate product is the whole item that is bought and used by another firm.
Opposites
Word family
- intermediate adjective
- coming between two stages or levels
- product noun
- something that is made or grown to be sold
Commonly confused: intermediate product or final product?
intermediate product vs final product
A final product is sold to the end user; an intermediate product is used up in making something else.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'intermediate product' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Steel beams are used up in building bridges, so they are an intermediate product. Options A, C, and D describe goods sold to final consumers, which are final products, not intermediate ones.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “intermediate product”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.