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.
What to look for
When picking a material to build with, there are three main considerations: Obtainability, durability, and decoration.
Obtainability
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
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 prevent 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
Some material looks better than others when it comes to houses. Of course, it really boils down to a matter of opinion, but most people will agree that solid bedrock cubes aren't always the best design.
List of materials
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.[Java and Bedrock editions only] 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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Sandstone | Sandstone looks great for certain style of homes, especially a desert-style home. However, it has a low blast resistance and is not renewable.[Bedrock and Legacy Console editions only] It's strongly recommended to have a desert biome nearby if you want to make a building out of sandstone. |
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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 have access to a badlands biome. |
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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 eldritch. |
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Quartz Block | 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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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, with a given structure made out of them being a trophy of sorts in itself (in Survival Mode). Aside from that, its purple hue grants a very eldritch, somewhat magical atmosphere to structures made from it. |
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