Tutorials/Best building materials
When building houses or other structures, it's important to choose the right materials for construction. Otherwise, you may end up having a house that can be burned down or blown up easily, or you may spend unnecessary time looking for supplies to build a house out of rare materials. This tutorial page contrasts different building materials, and additionally gives an overall view of the quality of the material.
Contents
What to look for[edit]
When picking a material to build with, there are three main considerations: Obtainability, durability, and decoration.
Obtainability[edit]
Some materials are easier to get, while others are extremely difficult. For example, in survival, making a house of cobblestone is certainly easier than making one of diamond blocks. Also to consider is the renewability of the material you would like to use. Some materials can be gained infinitely, while others must be sought in increasing distances from spawn.
Durability[edit]
The durability of a material is important, especially in PVP. The main considerations to make are hardness, blast resistance, and flammability. Maximum durability is not always necessary. If you don't expect to be attacked by players, then hardness shouldn't be a problem. If you can stop creepers from getting close, blast resistance isn't as important. If there is no nearby lava or trees to spread fire and you aren't concerned about lightning, flammability isn't a problem either. Just remember that it is usually better to have extra durability than too little.
Decoration[edit]
Decoration blocks are a big part of enhancing your builds when you've done all that you feel you can with normal building blocks. Ultimately what looks the best is a matter of opinion, and there is no right or wrong way to decorate.
List of materials[edit]
Overworld[edit]
Material | Description | Pros | Cons | |
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Stone | Stone is overall a fairly strong and withholding material, and is very abundant. However, cobblestone has nearly the same properties as stone. Stone must be smelted from cobblestone. If used carefully, stone can create a distinctive look. |
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Dirt | Dirt is very weak, and isn't the most beautiful material to build with either. However, it is found on the surface of nearly all biomes, and can be mined up very quickly, even with a player's hand, meaning that it is suitable for beginners on their first night. It is generally not a good idea to use dirt as part of a permanent structure. |
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Planks | Planks have a rather nice look and are inexpensive to make. Their blast resistance is lower than stone but higher than dirt. One of the main disadvantages of wood planks is that they are flammable, so don't build near lava. |
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Cobblestone | Cobblestone is a strong block and is easy to acquire, making it great for building houses. |
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Stone Bricks | Stone Bricks grants a very medieval and in some ways, militaristic feel to structures made out of it and is in many ways the ideal building material for structures meant to look medieval, militaristic and/or fortified in general, like forts and castles. |
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Bricks | Bricks have a very pleasant look to them and a high blast resistance. However, they are also rather expensive, even though they are renewable. They are good for buildings with a neutral yet pleasant look. |
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Obsidian | Obsidian is an extremely strong material, and takes a long time to break. Its breaking time can be a pain when building, but is great for protection against other players on multiplayer PVP servers. |
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Sand | Sand is gravity-affected block that can be found in many Overworld biomes. Sand is generated in large numbers in the Desert. |
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Sandstone | Sandstone looks great for certain style of homes, especially a desert-style home. It's strongly recommended to have a desert biome nearby if you want to make a building out of sandstone. It has a low blast resistance, however. |
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Terracotta | Terracotta is a rather colorful block, making it good for some styles of homes. It also has a high blast resistance. However, it is rather time-consuming and expensive to acquire unless the player has access to a badlands biome. |
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Nether[edit]
Material | Description | Pros | Cons |
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Netherrack | Netherrack is an easily-destroyed rock-like block found in the Nether. |
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Nether Bricks | Nether Bricks are a very otherworldly- and exotic-looking building material that fits well with structures meant to look intimidating and/or sinister. |
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Basalt | Basalt is block which is generated in basalt deltas and soul sand valleys. Basalt can be made by lava flowing into a space that is on top of soul soil and next to blue ice. The flowing lava is replaced with basalt. |
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Block of Quartz | Quartz Block bears a striking similarity to Ancient Greek architecture and is a good option for buildings meant to look "philosophical", "civilized" or otherwise very clean in appearance. |
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Blackstone | Blackstone is a black stone block found in the Nether. It has many smooth and brick variants. It works well for builds meant to look dark or evil. |
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Nether wood | The Nether variant of wood. Similar to building with planks, but they are not flammable. |
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The End[edit]
Material | Description | Pros | Cons |
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End Stone | End stone is a block that appears in The End, makes up all of the solid ground that exists in that dimension. End stone can be easily destroyed by any pickaxe. The 16 end stone blocks under the edge of the exit portal are replaced when the ender dragon is respawned, and again when it is killed. |
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End Stone Bricks | End stone bricks are decorative blocks made from end stone. |
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Purpur Block | Purpur blocks are some of the hardest blocks to obtain in Survival Mode and, alongside end stone and end stone bricks, can be seen as end-game building materials. Aside from that, its purple hue grants a somewhat magical atmosphere to structures made from it. |
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