# What is the most abundant man made object in the world.
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-abundant-man-made-object-in-the-world/112566
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [June 5, 2002, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-abundant-man-made-object-in-the-world/112566 "2002-06-05T23:54:28Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)
#### Post date: [June 5, 2002, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-abundant-man-made-object-in-the-world/112566/1 "2002-06-05T23:54:28Z")
Don’t count things that have been discarded.
Do count objects or things that are stocked on shelves or stockpiled for future use.
Paper is hard to quantify, as is rope or wire.
I’m thinking of single objects, or objects that can be made of different and or multiple materials. A knife might have a wooden handle but it is one object.
Money/currency is made of many different types of materials, but serve the same purpose. Each note or coin would be one object.
Screwdrivers would be one class of object. Tools in general would be different types of objects. They fill different rolls.
My vote - Nails, lots and lots of nails hold the world together. I must have 2000 loose nails in my shed. Another couple of thousand hold my house together. There are billions of stockpiled nails.
What do you folks think?
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### Author:  [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)
#### Post date: [June 6, 2002, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-abundant-man-made-object-in-the-world/112566/2 "2002-06-06T00:19:53Z")
AOL disks. 😃
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### Author:  [@Tranquilis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tranquilis)
#### Post date: [June 6, 2002, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-abundant-man-made-object-in-the-world/112566/3 "2002-06-06T00:27:04Z")
Coat hangers.
Soda cans.
Hmm…
Mismatched socks.
😃
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### Author:  [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)
#### Post date: [June 6, 2002, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-abundant-man-made-object-in-the-world/112566/4 "2002-06-06T00:39:42Z")
After soda cans and bottles? Hmmm…shovels, maybe? Or pants?
Ranchoth
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### Author:  [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)
#### Post date: [June 6, 2002, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-abundant-man-made-object-in-the-world/112566/5 "2002-06-06T00:50:03Z")
nails?
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### Author:  [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)
#### Post date: [June 6, 2002, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-abundant-man-made-object-in-the-world/112566/6 "2002-06-06T01:17:16Z")
I thought about soda cans and shovels too. Just about everyone has access to a shovel of some sort. I have 6 shovels, but thousands of nails hold my home and many other homes together. And there are billions of soda cans. But how many soda cans are useful after they serve their purpose? 99.99% become waste after they are used (please don’t ask me for a site for that figure).
I’m am thinking about objects that are used and retain their function, or are used for something else.
What about plastic bottles? Nearly indestructible. They have many uses. The nail still holds my house together. Will for many years.
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### Author:  [@\_ceQueen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/_ceQueen)
#### Post date: [June 6, 2002, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-abundant-man-made-object-in-the-world/112566/7 "2002-06-06T01:25:25Z")
I was thinking wheels…
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### Author:  [@Caught\_Work](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caught_Work)
#### Post date: [June 6, 2002, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-abundant-man-made-object-in-the-world/112566/8 "2002-06-06T01:42:22Z")
Spuff!
That carpet fluff stuff that collects in the cuff of your trousers.
I have balls of that stuff.
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### Author:  [@Reeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeder)
#### Post date: [June 6, 2002, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-abundant-man-made-object-in-the-world/112566/9 "2002-06-06T01:57:33Z")
Lumber.
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### Author:  [@kniz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kniz)
#### Post date: [June 6, 2002, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-abundant-man-made-object-in-the-world/112566/10 "2002-06-06T02:12:20Z")
Books! 🆒
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### Author:  [@Rysdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysdad)
#### Post date: [June 6, 2002, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-abundant-man-made-object-in-the-world/112566/11 "2002-06-06T03:12:22Z")
If you go by what washes up along the shore of the river…tampon applicators.
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### Author:  [@sleestak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sleestak)
#### Post date: [June 6, 2002, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-abundant-man-made-object-in-the-world/112566/12 "2002-06-06T03:19:54Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Rysdad \*
> \*\*If you go by what washes up along the shore of the river…tampon applicators. \*\*
That image is so distrubing I cannot describe it.
Slee
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### Author:  [@AbbySthrnAccent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AbbySthrnAccent)
#### Post date: [June 6, 2002, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-abundant-man-made-object-in-the-world/112566/13 "2002-06-06T03:34:15Z")
Plastice containers: Tupperware, Rubbermaid, Gladware and so on.
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### Author:  [@AbbySthrnAccent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AbbySthrnAccent)
#### Post date: [June 6, 2002, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-abundant-man-made-object-in-the-world/112566/14 "2002-06-06T03:35:28Z")
-e
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### Author:  [@LifeOnWry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LifeOnWry)
#### Post date: [June 6, 2002, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-abundant-man-made-object-in-the-world/112566/15 "2002-06-06T03:53:04Z")
Buttons. They’ve been around for centuries: they’ll be around for centuries: they’re made of bone, stone, rubber, plastic, shell, metal, wood, thread, ceramic, glass; they can be reused endlessly.
But nails is probably a better answer.
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### Author:  [@Urban\_Ranger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urban_Ranger)
#### Post date: [June 6, 2002, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-abundant-man-made-object-in-the-world/112566/16 "2002-06-06T05:37:50Z")
Hair
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### Author:  [@Urban\_Ranger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urban_Ranger)
#### Post date: [June 6, 2002, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-abundant-man-made-object-in-the-world/112566/17 "2002-06-06T05:38:58Z")
Transistors - particularly if you count all the ones in ICs as separate.
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### Author:  [@Purd\_Werfect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Purd_Werfect)
#### Post date: [June 6, 2002, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-abundant-man-made-object-in-the-world/112566/18 "2002-06-06T05:41:00Z")
I’m tempted to say idiocy, but that would sound all cynical. Instead, I’ll say bad (in my opinion) art.
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### Author:  [@Etherman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Etherman)
#### Post date: [June 6, 2002, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-abundant-man-made-object-in-the-world/112566/19 "2002-06-06T06:01:02Z")
lightbulbs?
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### Author:  [@Largo62](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Largo62)
#### Post date: [June 6, 2002, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-abundant-man-made-object-in-the-world/112566/20 "2002-06-06T06:21:12Z")
Staples? (I guess that’s no fair. I just saw the Laker game on TV played at, you know, that place, tonight 😃 ) But really, staples are used in such volume, they might be close to nails (which I still think is the best answer). Way to go, \*\* enipla\*\*. Interesting post.
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