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Tutorials/Best building materials

List of materials

Overworld

Material Description Pros Cons
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.
  • Common and renewable.
  • Has a relatively high blast resistance of 6.
  • Not flammable.
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.
  • Very common and easy to obtain.
  • Not flammable.
  • Renewable.
  • Low blast resistance of only 0.5.
  • Has a somewhat ugly look for most styles of buildings.
  • Can easily be destroyed
  • Turns into Grass Blocks if exposed to sunlight (unless converted into Coarse Dirt), which may not be desirable
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.
  • Inexpensive and renewable.
  • Moderate blast resistance of 3.
  • Large variety of styles.
Cobblestone Cobblestone is a strong block and is easy to acquire, making it great for building houses.
  • Very common and renewable.
  • Has a relatively high blast resistance of 6.
  • Not flammable.
  • Can look ugly if not combined with other materials.
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.
  • Obtained by crafting it from Stone (which in turn is obtained by smelting Cobblestone), making it renewable.
  • Has a good blast resistance of 6.
  • Not flammable.
  • Is somewhat expensive and time-consuming to acquire, as every batch of 4 blocks of Stone Bricks requires 4 blocks of Stone which must be smelted from Cobblestone.
    • Cracked Stone Brick requires a second round of smelting and Mossy Stone Brick requires Vines, to further add to material expenses.
  • The gray texture may not be the most pleasant option for some structures.
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.
  • Has a high blast resistance of 6.
  • Has a detailed and polished look, but not a wild look, making it great for many styles of buildings.
  • Renewable.‌[Java and Bedrock editions only]
  • Costs 4 clay per block, and they must be smelted, making it expensive.
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.
  • Practically invincible to explosions with a blast resistance of 1,200.
  • Very hard to mine through, even with proper tools.
  • Renewable through nether portal.
  • Difficult to collect and build with due to the long breaking time.
  • Doesn't always look the best; sets a rather dark mood.
  • Somewhat challenging to build with on lower brightness settings as the dark appearance of the block can make it hard to see exactly how a given block is placed.
Sand Sand is gravity-affected block that can be found in many Overworld biomes. Sand is generated in large numbers in the Desert.
  • Affected by gravity.
  • Blast resistance of 0.5.
  • Can be easy destroyed by hand.
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 Edition only] It's strongly recommended to have a desert biome nearby if you want to make a building out of sandstone.
  • Fairly easy to decorate with and has several variants for different textures.
  • Easily found and mined in the desert biome.
  • Renewable.‌[Java Edition only]
  • Not renewable.‌[Bedrock Edition only]
  • Has a low blast resistance of only 0.8.
  • Easily mined through.
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.
  • Comes in many different colors, providing many variation for decoration.
  • Has a decent blast resistance of 4.2.
  • Not flammable.
  • Is expensive and time-consuming to acquire, as it requires lots of clay, smelting, and dyes.
  • If overused can create an overly exotic look.

Nether

Material Description Pros Cons
Netherrack Netherrack is a rock-like block found in the Nether. This block can be very easy destroyed. Netherrack is mostly generated in nether wastes.
  • Very easy to break.
  • Low blast resistance of 0.4
  • Can look ugly if not combined with other materials.
  • Not renewable ‌[Java Edition only]
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.
  • Has a good blast resistance of 6.
  • Not flammable.
  • Can be obtained by smelting Netherrack, making it easy to obtain once the Nether is available.
  • Requires access to the Nether in order to be obtainable.
  • Non-renewable.
  • Sets a somewhat dark mood in structures made from it.
Basalt[Java and Bedrock editions only] Basalt is block which is generated in Basalt Deltas and Soul Sand Valley. Basalt can be made by lava flowing into a space that is on top of soul soil and next to blue ice. The lava is replaced with basalt.
  • Rewenable.
  • Not flammable.
  • Easy to obtain when player finds Basalt Deltas.
  • Blast resistance of 4.2.
  • Can look ugly if not combined with other materials.
  • Don´t have stairs, slabs and wall variants.
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.
  • Looks quite gorgeous with its clean white texture and sets itself apart from most other building materials.
  • In addition to the full block, stairs and slabs, also has pillar- and chiseled block variants for added decoration.
  • Requires access to the Nether to be obtainable and only be obtained from Nether Quartz Ore.
  • Has a rather low blast resistance of just 0.8, making it a poor material for building fortified structures.
    • This caveat can be partially bypassed with Nether Quartz Slabs which have a blast resistance of 6.
  • The striking white texture is somewhat unnatural and does not necessarily work well with structures meant to look natural.
    • Sticks out very blatantly within most biomes.

End

Material Description Pros Cons
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.
  • Has a very good blast resistance of 9.
  • Rewenable.
  • Not flammable.
  • Easy to obtain when The End is available.
  • Cannot be picked up by enderman and cannot be destroyed by the ender dragon.
  • Requires access to The End in order to be obtainable.
  • Can look ugly if not combined with other materials.
End Stone Bricks End stone bricks are decorative blocks made from end stone.
  • Easy to obtain
  • Renewable
  • Not flammable
  • Has a very good blast resistance of 9.
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.
  • Very Difficult to collect and build with as one must access the End, kill the Ender Dragon and either find Chorus Fruit or and End City.
  • Looks somewhat out of place within the Overworld.
  • Chorus Plant farming can be a bit of a complicated affair due to the unusual growth patterns.
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