The paper attempts to respond to the question of whether materials economists can provide useful cues to technological R?D in materials. Doubts are expressed that there are specialists that can truly be called ’’materials economists’’ and that the profession as a whole has seriously analyzed the economics of materials problems. Hypothetical lists are drawn up of characteristics that would make a material ’’deal’’ from the materials scientist’s and from the economist’s viewpoint. A number of the economic characteristics are analyzed with respect to the knowledge economists presently have of their presence or absence in any given material. The answer is disapointing. Hope is expressed that the visibility of the materials problem will attract economic analysis and that the technologists will raise questions to stimulate this research.