Tutorials/Best building materials (2024)

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 and lastly, if no consideration is taken to building materials, the end result can end up looking strange at best and unappealing/haphazard at worst. This tutorial page contrasts different building materials, and additionally gives an overall view of the quality of the material.

When picking a material to build with, there are three main considerations: Obtainability, durability, and decoration.

Some materials are easier to get, while others are extremely difficult and many are somewhere in between. 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 replicated through various means and thus gained infinitely, while others must be sought after over increasing distances from spawn.

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 too much durability than too little.

Unless you are building strictly for function, then 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.

MaterialDescriptionProsConsStoneStone is overall a fairly strong and withholding material and is very abundant. However, cobblestone has nearly the same properties as stone. The stone must be smelted from cobblestone. If used carefully, stone can create a distinctive look.

Common and renewable via smelting the output of a cobblestone generator.
Has a relatively high blast resistance of 6; takes minimal damage from creeper explosions.
Slightly faster to mine than cobblestone.
Not flammable.
Can be used to hide or camouflage underground bases.

Must be smelted or mined with a Silk touch pickaxe.
If misplaced, turns back into cobblestone (unless you use a pickaxe enchanted with Silk touch), which then must be smelted again.
Can be tricky to decorate with.

DirtDirt 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 but is easier to make a hole in the ground. It is generally not a good idea to use dirt as part of a permanent structure, unless you are explicitly aiming for an "earthen" look, complete with grass blocks for extra decor. Alternatively, dirt can be used to "camouflage" a structure made from other materials, either to make it blend in more with the surroundings or make it look less valuable than it actually is.

Very common and easy to obtain.
Not flammable.
Renewable via crafting and then tilling coarse dirt, or by trading with a wandering trader.

Low blast resistance of only 0.5.
Easily broken by hand.
Turns into grass blocks if exposed to sunlight (unless converted into coarse dirt), which may not be desirable.

PlanksPlanks have a rather nice, somewhat rustic 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 or any other source of fire, especially in the Nether.

Inexpensive and renewable via replanting trees.
Large variety of styles.
Decent blast resistance of 3.

Flammable.
Easily broken by hand.

CobblestoneCobblestone is a strong block and is easy to acquire, making it great for building houses. It has a very rough, rocky appearance, so it can be used to create structures that resemble forts, castles and churches that resemble ones from the Early Middle Ages (Compare with stone bricks, which looks more in line with the High and Late Middle Ages).

Very common and renewable via cobblestone generators.
Has a high blast resistance of 6; takes minimal damage from creeper explosions.
Not flammable.

Takes slightly longer to break than stone.

Stone BricksStone bricks grant 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. Stone Bricks are style-wise fitting for structures meant to hearken back to the High and Late Middle Ages and later (Compare with cobblestone, which looks more fitting for structures aiming look in line with the Early Middle Ages).

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. However, if you have a Silk Touch pickaxe, you can simply craft a stonecutter and use it to make stone bricks.
- Cracked stone brick requires a second round of smelting and mossy stone brick requires vines, to further add to material

BricksBricks 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, looking similar to stone bricks but without the belligerent feel. Bricks also convey and express an image of sturdiness more readily than blocks like concrete.

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 via trading with mason villagers.

Costs 4 clay balls per block, and they must be smelted, or bought from masons, making it expensive.

ObsidianObsidian 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 but some players may not like the look.

Invincible to vanilla explosions with a blast resistance of 1,200.
Very hard to mine through, even with proper tools.
Renewable via bartering.

Difficult to collect and build with due to the long breaking time.
Cannot be moved by pistons.
- Ancient debris or block of netherites are blast-proof alternatives that can be moved by pistons, but both are extremely expensive and difficult to obtain.
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.

SandSand is a gravity-affected block that can be found in many Overworld biomes. Sand is generated in large numbers in the desert. it might be good for walls but not roofs. It can also be layed out and used to pave over a surface to import a small slice of the desert to an environment. Red sand on the other hand, is identical to normal sand, save for its reddish color. This reddish color makes it somewhat resemble Mars dust, so it can be employed to create an environment with a "Martian" feel. Compare with end stone, which somewhat resembles stereotypical Moon rock.

Easy to obtain.
Not flammable.
Renewable via trading with a wandering trader.

Affected by gravity.
Blast resistance of 0.5.
Can be easily destroyed by hand.

SandstoneSandstone looks great for certain style of homes, especially a desert-style home or if one wishes to emulate Ancient Egyptian architecture. 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. Red sandstone, a variant for normal sandstone, behaves identically, but has a reddish color, making for a similar style to red sand.

Fairly easy to decorate with and has several variants for different textures.
Easily found and mined in the desert biome.
Renewable via the sand purchased from wandering traders.

Has a low blast resistance of only 0.8.
Easily mined through.

TerracottaTerracotta 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.

Comes in many different colors, providing many variations for decoration.
Has a decent blast resistance of 4.2.
Not flammable.
Colorless terracotta is renewable from being made by smelting clay, which can be made with renewable clay balls gifted from masons after raids‌^{[Java Edition only]} or mud convert to clay block, while colored is renewable by trading with masons.

Is expensive and time-consuming to acquire, as it requires lots of clay, smelting, and dyes, or access to a badlands biome.
Has no stairs or slab versions

ConcreteSimilar to terracotta, Concrete is a very colorful building block, making it very versatile and useful of styling. In contrast to terracotta, however, concrete displays its color cleanly, as opposed to terracotta which displays its chosen color on top of its own base color, causing it to distort all colors and make them appear slightly darker than they should be. Additionally, concrete's surface is completely smooth, flawless and clean of blemishes, allowing it to be used for giving of a more clean and pure look, suitable for emulating modern architecture.

Comes in many different colors, providing many variations for decoration.
Not flammable.
Competely smooth surface, making for a much cleaner look.
Displays its color perfectly, without any distortions (compare terracotta).

Somewhat expensive and time-consuming to make:
- Made from concrete powder, which is itself made from sand, gravel, and dye.
- Concrete itself is created when concrete powder comes into contact with water.
Has no stairs or slab versions.
Has a fairly low blast resistance of 1.8.

MaterialDescriptionProsConsNetherrackNetherrack is an easily-destroyed rock-like block found in the Nether. It can be mined very quickly and is found in abundance. Additionally, if a fire is lit on top it, it will burn forever. Netherrack itself has no stair or slab variant but can be processed into Nether Bricks, which do have them. Netherrack has a coarse and rough reddish surface, which makes it an apt block for a diabolical or hellish environment, similar to the Nether.

Nether Gold Ore, an ore variant of Netherrack, combines the reddish color with added golden details, making it give off an atmosphere of greed or avarice (red for diabolical, gold for wealth, combining to greed). It can be used as an analogue to Gilded Blackstone for creating a "gold-under-the-surface" look.

Very easy to obtain when Nether is available.
Not flammable.
Renewable. ‌^{[Bedrock Edition only]}

Very easy to break. A Diamond pickaxe enchanted with Efficiency II or stronger will instantly break this block.
Extremely low blast resistance of 0.4; can easily be destroyed by Ghast fireballs.
Not renewable. ‌^{[Java Edition only]}
- Nether Gold Ore cannot be obtained with Silk Touch.

Nether BricksNether Bricks are a very otherworldly- and exotic-looking building material that fits well with structures meant to look intimidating and/or sinister.

Red Nether Bricks are identical to Nether Bricks, but have brighter red color, so they can give off a similar, but more "fiery" impression than normal Nether Bricks.

Has a good blast resistance of 6; immune to explosions from Ghast fireballs.
Not flammable.
Can be obtained by smelting netherrack, making it easy to obtain once the Nether is available.
Renewable via bartering.

Requires access to the Nether in order to be obtainable.
- Red Nether Bricks alleviate this somewhat, with a brighter color.

BasaltBasalt is a 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.

Basalt and Polished Basalt have a rather dour, gloomy and sickly grey color, so they should be used sparingly, or in conjunction with brighter color blocks, as by themselves they set a somewhat depressing mood.

Renewable via basalt generators.
Not flammable.
Easy to obtain when player finds a basalt deltas.
Moderate blast resistance of 4.2.

Don't have stairs, slabs and wall variants.

Block of QuartzQuartz 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-, brick, and chiseled block variants for added decoration.
Relatively easy to obtain when mining Nether Quartz Ore with a pickaxe that has the Fortune enchantment.

Can be difficult to obtain in large quantities, as it must either be mined in the Nether, bought from Mason Villagers, or bartered from piglins.
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

BlackstoneBlackstone 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. Gilded Blackstone, an ore variant of Blackstone, combines the black color with added golden details, which makes it a good block for giving off a mood of avarice or greed (black for evil and gold for wealth, combining to greed). Gilded Blackstone can also act as an analogue to Nether Gold Ore for creating a "gold-under-the-surface" look.

Renewable via bartering.
Not flammable.
High blast resistance.
Easy to obtain, especially in Basalt Deltas.
Many variants.

Only obtainable in the Nether.
- Gilded Blackstone can only be obtained with Silk Touch, and only spawns in Bastion Remnants.

Nether woodThe Nether variant of wood. Similar to building with planks, but they are not flammable.

Nether Wood has an unusual color palette of cyan and magenta, so it can be used to create fantasy-esque wooden structures.

Inexpensive and renewable.
Large variety of styles.
Non-flammable.
Decent blast resistance of 3

Requires bone meal to grow new fungi.
Easily broken by hand.