thing sold in very large quantities, especially raw materials and food, such as metals or corn. Commodities are either traded for immediate delivery (as 'actuals' or 'physicals'), or for delivery in the future (as 'futures'). Commodity market deal either in metals (aluminium, copper, lead, nickel, silver, zinc) or in 'soft' items such as cocoa, coffee, sugar and oil., broadly defined, any goods exchanged in trade; but usually used to refer to widely traded raw materials