What are washing machines made of?
Washing machines take 11 things directly, among them sheet steel, plastic, stainless steel, aluminum, cement and paint. Trace them back and you pass 59 made things on the way to 29 raw materials.
How washing machines are made See it on the map
What goes straight in
- Sheet steelat Press the sheet parts
- Plasticat Mold the plastic parts
- Stainless steelat Roll and weld the drum
- Aluminumat Cast the gearbox parts
- Cementat Weight the balance ring
- Paintat Powder coat the panels
- Ball bearingat Build the tub module
- Steel wireat Build the tub module
- Electric motorat Bolt on motor and pump
- Printed circuit boardat Wire controls and cabinet
- Copper wireat Wire controls and cabinet
From the ground: 29 raw materials
- Natural gas through plastic
- Crude oil through aluminum
- Coal through aluminum
- Limestone through cement
- Clay through cement
- Gypsum through cement
- Water through paint
- Zinc ore through sheet steel, zinc
- Air through sheet steel, zinc
- Chromite through stainless steel, chromium
- Nickel ore through stainless steel, nickel
- Bauxite through aluminum, alumina
- Titanium ore through paint, titanium dioxide
- Iron ore through paint, pigment
- Sulfur through paint, pigment
- Copper ore through copper wire, copper
- Silica sand through printed circuit board, fiberglass
- Dolomite through electric motor, steel, magnesium
- Manganese ore through electric motor, steel, manganese
- Rock salt through stainless steel, chromium, soda ash
- Trona through stainless steel, chromium, soda ash
- Tin ore through printed circuit board, solder, tin
- Lead ore through printed circuit board, solder, silver
- Silver ore through printed circuit board, solder, silver
- Quartz through electric motor, steel, magnesium, metallurgical silicon
- Timber through electric motor, steel, magnesium, metallurgical silicon
- Corn through stainless steel, chromium, soda ash, carbon dioxide
- Sugarcane through stainless steel, chromium, soda ash, carbon dioxide, baker's yeast, molasses
- Sugar beet through stainless steel, chromium, soda ash, carbon dioxide, baker's yeast, molasses
Made along the way: 48 things
Metals 15
Chemicals and fuels 25
NaphthaEthylenePropyleneOxygen gasArgonPetroleum cokeTitanium dioxidePigmentQuicklimeSulfuric acidHydrogenPropaneSoda ashCaustic sodaChlorineCarbon blackAmmoniaMethanolPhenolAcetoneCarbon dioxideBenzeneFormaldehydeCharcoalToluene
Plastics and fibers 4
Electronics 2
Food 2
What it is packed in
On the line, but left out of everything above, because it holds the finished thing rather than goes into it.