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"Made of" vs "made from"

idontknow362
How to distinguish between the two? I have read several explanations, but it seems like sometimes they are used almost interchangeably when talking about the same products in different sources. What is the rule of thumb here?

14 comments

Vivid-Internal8856•
This bowl is made of plastic, which is made from petroleum.
LifeHasLeft•
They can absolutely be interchanged depending on the material. I could say my dining table is made from wood and I could also say it is made of wood. But I would not say “paper is made of wood”, I would say from. This is because the wood undergoes drastic physical and chemical changes to become the paper. In the case of my table, the wood is simply cut, shaped, and stained. If the material does not go through a lot of deformity you usually say “of”. “These bowls are made of paper. Those bowls are made from clay.” (Clay undergoes a lengthy process to become a bowl)
TehGunagath•
"Made of" is used when the original material is clearly visible, like a wooden table. "Made from" is used when it's not clearly visible. Example, paper is made from trees.
FoundationalSquats•
I'd suggest that it has to do with the level of processing of the base material, if the material retains its character the final product is Made Of, if the material is significantly changed its Made From. For example if the base material is wood I would say about a table that it is made *of* wood, whereas I would say paper is made *from* wood. That being said they are certainly a little interchangeable.
Raibean•
Made from can be ingredients while made of generally lists the main ingredient or material. Mashed potatoes is made of potatoes, but it’s also made from milk, butter, sour cream etc
brokebackzac•
While typically interchangeable, there is a subtle difference. Made of ___ means ____ is the main component and whatever you're talking about went directly from ____ to the thing you're talking about. This container is made of plastic = this container started as just plastic, was melted down and made into this shape, but is still just plastic in a different shape. Made from ___ can imply that more things are in something than just what is mentioned or that something has been done to change the ___ that is in whatever you're talking about. Splenda is made from sugar = sugar was the primary ingredient, but it is processed to the point that it is no longer sugar. It is no longer sugar, but it's a sugar substitute that is still very close to sugar in how it is used.
StarHammer_01•
100% Interchangeable. But if I have to give a difference then "Made from" emphasizes the object, "made of" emphasizes the material. "Sword made from gold" - Sword is primary subject. Gold is the descriptor. "Sword made of gold" - Gold is the primary subject. Sword is the descriptor. In conversation: "nice table you made", "thanks its made of mahogany". Subject is diverted to the wood. Natural response is "wow! what kind of mahogany" "nice table you made", "thanks its it from mahogany". Subject is on made. Natural response is "wow! how did you make it" Ultimately the difference is very small and other factors such as tone and context will have a bigger impact on the subject.
throwaway284729174•
For a lot of things yes they are fairly interchangeable with different places having preferences on which they prefer. The only distinctions would come when you need to separate the source from the end product. A wood bowl is made from wood, and continues to be wood. So a wooden bowl is made of and from wood. Glass is made from sand, but it is no longer sand. So glass bowl was made from sand and is made of glass. This level of distinction is not often needed.
MimiKal•
Correct: "Bread is made from wheat" Weird: "Bread is made of wheat" Correct: "This table is made of wood" Less common: "This table is made from wood" The wood that the table is made of is still wood when it forms the table. The wheat that the bread is made from is no longer wheat, it has been changed into another material during the breadmaking process.
Echiio•
Made of is the material is it Made from is the material it was
Dependent_Practice52•
Made of is the quality while Made from is more focused on the material... but yes, interchangeable
Skystorm14113•
I would say it depends on how close I am to the process. A table I see in the store "This table is made of wood". A table I built by hand? "This table is made from oak wood". Everything can be made "of" something. "from" is more specific, like I'm thinking of the exact elements used to create the object. Sometimes you're equally close to both so you can use both pretty interchangeably. But "of" is a little more distant and "from" is a little closer. Not that "from" is only when you were directly involved in the process, just that it means you're thinking of the process when describing the material type. Like if I said "Well it is made of glass", that would probably be because I'm going to finish the sentence by saying something about the qualities of glass as a material, like "Well it is made of glass, so it's easy to break". Vs if I said "well it's made from glass" I would be more likely to finish that sentence by saying "so it's very special", like with more acknowledgement that the process of making it from glass was difficult and took technique so I take special care of it.
Appropriate-West2310•
In some cases you might use made of to create a connection, like a simile 'A man made of steel' suggests someone strong, firm, unyielding. Made from is more like a recipe, how to mix things together to create a compound, perhaps changing the nature of the ingredients too. 'A cake is made from flour, water, eggs ... etc.'
Person012345•
They're basically interchangeable. I think it's more natural and easier to say "made of" so it's used casually and "made from" is more used when someone is being deliberate.