Do we really need a materials tag?

Question

I see a few questions using the materials tag. This seems to me like the tools tag. I suppose it can give a question context. It just seems like a tag that adds very little to the question. The current questions using tag are as follows

• Is PVC pipe safe to use for a dust collection system? I guess you could argue that the OP is asking about PVC "materials"

• How can I safely move complete 4 ft x 8 ft sheets of plywood alone? I added the plywood to this question but don't see how the materials tag fits.

• How do I calculate the weight threshold for plywood boxes/cabinet carcasses? Again, I added the plywood to this question.

I am not trying to burn the tag or anything because I am sure it is justafiable. I would just like to know what the guidelines for using that tag would be. What would the appropriate usage for this tag?

Answer 1

I know it's come up on several occasions, but the idea I've seen repeated since even before I started pushing it is that it's easier to delete a tag later than it is to add one later and retag all the relevant questions.

materials potentially has many uses, including the following:

1. low-rep users can tag a question for which the material they're using doesn't already have a tag
2. it's a nice catch-all blanket term if we don't think a particular material deserves its own tag
3. at present it seems to be a useful marker for questions which are not properly tagged
4. general advice on asking for an appropriate material for a project

It may be that we don't know yet how it should be used, and that's ok, as long as its use isn't more harmful than it is helpful. We can always go back and remove the tag from some questions once we refine its purpose.