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Minecraft currently has nine Overworld tree-log families—oak, spruce, birch, jungle, acacia, dark oak, mangrove, cherry and pale oak—and two Nether stem families, crimson and warped. Break any matching log or stem, place it in the crafting grid, and you receive four planks of that variety. Those planks power most wooden recipes, while the original blocks remain useful for building, fuel, campfires, smokers, note blocks and a few special interactions.
This guide explains how the wood system works, what stripped blocks change, where each family fits, and which material to choose for construction or crafting. The family list reflects the maintained reference consulted on October 15, 2026; individual recipe names and edge cases can change between Minecraft updates and editions.
All Minecraft log and stem families
The broad “wood types” system contains tree logs from the Overworld and fungus-derived stems from the Nether. Each family has matching logs or stems, stripped versions, planks and a parallel set of wooden building blocks. The recipes generally do not make one family stronger than another: choose primarily for appearance, availability and special interactions.
| Family | Category | Appearance and typical use | How it is obtained | Special interaction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oak | Overworld log | Warm, medium-brown wood with a familiar, neutral grain; a versatile default for houses and utility builds. | Oak trees | No family-specific interaction documented. |
| Spruce | Overworld log | Dark brown with a cool, strong grain; useful for cabins, roofs and darker interiors. | Spruce trees | No family-specific interaction documented. |
| Birch | Overworld log | Pale wood with dark markings; works for bright walls, floors and high-contrast trim. | Birch trees | No family-specific interaction documented. |
| Jungle | Overworld log | Rich brown and strongly patterned; often used for tropical or highly contrasted builds. | Jungle trees | Jungle logs can carry cocoa beans. |
| Acacia | Overworld log | Orange-brown with a pronounced grain; stands out in warm, colorful designs. | Acacia trees | No family-specific interaction documented. |
| Dark oak | Overworld log | Very dark brown; suited to medieval, dramatic or nearly black palettes. | Dark oak trees | No family-specific interaction documented. |
| Mangrove | Overworld log | Deep red-brown; useful for saturated accents and marsh-themed construction. | Mangrove trees | No family-specific interaction documented. |
| Cherry | Overworld log | Pink-toned wood; useful for soft, bright or ornamental builds. | Cherry trees | No family-specific interaction documented. |
| Pale oak | Overworld log | Light, muted wood that provides a subdued neutral palette. | Pale oak trees | No family-specific interaction documented. |
| Crimson | Nether stem | Red Nether fungus wood with a strong crimson palette. | Crimson fungi | Stems follow the wood crafting system but are not furnace fuel. |
| Warped | Nether stem | Blue-green Nether fungus wood, useful for cool, otherworldly builds. | Warped fungi | Stems follow the wood crafting system but are not furnace fuel. |
The nine-log and two-stem count is a current snapshot, not a promise that a future update will never add another family. The older Mojang plank explainer discussed only six Overworld types, so it should not be used as a complete modern list.
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How to turn logs into planks
The conversion is deliberately simple: one matching wood block, stripped or unstripped, yields four planks of the same variety. A spruce log produces spruce planks; it does not produce oak or a mixed bundle. The same rule applies to stems and their corresponding planks.
- Collect a log or stem. Break the trunk block of an Overworld tree or a crimson or warped fungus in the Nether. You can use your hand or a suitable tool.
- Open a crafting grid. Your inventory’s 2×2 grid is enough for the basic conversion; a crafting table is not required.
- Place one wood block in any slot. Use the regular log, stripped log, regular stem or stripped stem you want to process.
- Take the output. The result is four planks from the same family. This is the “one wood block makes four planks” rule stated in Mojang’s beginner guide.
- Make a crafting table when needed. Put four planks—any matching or mixed combination accepted by the recipe—into the four slots of the 2×2 grid. The output is one crafting table.
Because the yield is four planks per block, converting a stack of logs is a quick way to obtain building material. Keep some unconverted logs if you still need fuel, campfires, charcoal or the natural-bark look.
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Regular versus stripped logs and stems
Use an axe on a log or stem to remove its bark and create the stripped variant. The stripped block is a separate block with a cleaner, more uniform texture, but it remains part of the same family.
What stripping changes
- Texture: Stripped blocks expose a consistent inner-wood color instead of the bark-covered sides. They are useful for pillars, beams, frames, floors and deliberate color blocking.
- Crafting role: A stripped log or stem converts into four planks of that same variety, just like its unstripped counterpart. It does not create a stronger tool or a different plank type.
- Building choice: Use regular logs when you want bark, rings or a natural trunk appearance; use stripped blocks when you want smooth vertical supports or a cleaner modern finish.
- Resource planning: Stripping is effectively a one-way texture decision. If you may need the barked appearance later, place the log before using the axe or keep an unstripped reserve.
How to strip a block
- Hold an axe of any usable material.
- Place or locate the log or stem.
- Use the axe action on the block. The bark is removed and the stripped block drops or remains in place according to the interaction and edition.
- Mine the stripped block if you need it as an item, or leave it in place as a structural element.
Recipe availability can receive small changes in snapshots or edition-specific updates, but the broad crafting relationship between regular and stripped variants remains parallel in the current system.
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What planks let you craft
Planks are the basic wooden construction and crafting ingredient. Mojang’s guide lists crafting tables, basic tools, sticks, doors, fences, shields, boats, trapdoors, pistons, buttons, beds and many other recipes. Most families provide a visually matching version of these blocks or items.
| Category | Examples made with planks | Why planks are used |
|---|---|---|
| Core crafting | Crafting table and sticks | These are the first conversion steps from raw wood into a larger crafting chain. |
| Tools and weapons | Wooden pickaxe, axe, shovel, hoe and sword components | Planks form handles and heads for early-game tools; exact recipes use sticks as well. |
| Protection | Shield components and beds | Planks combine with other materials for defensive or sleeping items. |
| Building access | Doors, trapdoors, fences and fence gates | Each family gives structures a coordinated color and grain. |
| Transport | Boats and related boat variants | The selected plank family determines the appearance of the wooden vehicle. |
| Redstone and controls | Pistons, buttons and other mechanisms | Wood is part of several mechanical recipes, even when the finished block is not visibly wooden. |
| General construction | Planks, slabs, stairs and many decorative blocks | These are the main volume blocks for houses, bridges, roofs and interiors. |
Recipe lists can differ slightly by edition and update, so check the in-game recipe book for the exact current pattern. The important planning rule is that a family’s planks are normally interchangeable only within that family’s matching recipes; crimson and warped materials keep their own colors and names.
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Utility uses for logs and stems beyond planks
Fuel and charcoal
Logs can fuel a furnace, and the current reference gives a return of 1.5 smelted items per log. Logs can also be smelted into charcoal, which then serves as a more compact fuel source. This fuel statement applies to logs, not Nether stems. Flammable plank families can also be used as furnace fuel, but Nether stem materials are not treated as ordinary flammable wood for that purpose.
When fuel efficiency matters, decide whether the block is more valuable as a building texture, a charcoal input or direct furnace fuel before converting the entire supply into planks.
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Campfires and soul campfires
Logs and stems participate in campfire crafting, and the resulting campfire variants provide cooking, lighting and smoke utility. Soul campfires use the Nether-themed soul version of the recipe and produce a different visual effect. Keep a few raw blocks available if you are preparing several campfires rather than converting every block immediately.
Smokers and cooking setups
Logs are part of the material set used for smokers, the cooking workstation that processes food faster than a standard furnace. A smoker is therefore another reason to reserve raw wood while establishing a base, even if most of the remainder becomes planks.
Note-block bass sounds
Placing a note block on a wood block produces the bass sound associated with that material category. Logs and stems can therefore be selected for musical builds as well as visual ones. The note-block interaction is about the block underneath the note block, not about turning it into planks first.
Cocoa beans on jungle logs
Jungle logs have a distinctive utility: cocoa beans can be grown on their sides. This makes jungle wood useful for compact cocoa farms and decorative vines. Other log families do not provide that documented cocoa-bean attachment.
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Choosing a wood family for a build
Since the families are broadly parallel in recipes, choose by color, grain, supply route and the one special interaction you need rather than by imagined durability differences.
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| If you need… | Good starting choice | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| A neutral material for a first shelter | Oak | Its warm, familiar tone fits walls, floors and basic utility blocks. |
| A dark frame or roof | Spruce or dark oak | Both provide darker visual contrast than pale families. |
| A bright, high-contrast interior | Birch or pale oak | The lighter palette makes rooms feel open and separates dark trim. |
| A saturated accent color | Acacia, mangrove, cherry, crimson or warped | These families stand out strongly from neutral stone and oak palettes. |
| A cocoa farm | Jungle | Only jungle logs have the documented cocoa-bean attachment. |
| A Nether-themed base | Crimson or warped | These are fungus-derived stems with distinct red or blue-green palettes. |
Mixing families is a design decision, not a mechanical upgrade. Pairing a pale plank with a dark log, for example, creates contrast while preserving the same general recipe roles.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Common mistakes and fixes
“My planks changed color.”
You probably placed a different family’s log in the grid. Remove the output, identify the source block’s name, and use matching logs for the palette you intended. The conversion never randomly changes a family.
“I cannot make four planks from a stripped block.”
Confirm that the block is a stripped log or stripped stem rather than a similarly colored decorative block. Place exactly one valid wood block in the inventory crafting grid and check the recipe book. Current recipes can have edition or update differences, but stripped blocks are intended to retain the same broad plank role.
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Crimson and warped are stems, not ordinary Overworld logs. The documented furnace-fuel rule covers logs, while stems are excluded. Use an eligible log, coal, charcoal or another accepted fuel instead.
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Reserve raw logs before bulk conversion. Planks are excellent for construction, but raw logs have separate roles in campfires, smokers, charcoal production, note-block sound setups and furnace fuel.
“A recipe is missing after an update.”
Open the recipe book and verify the edition and game version. The maintained family list used here is current to October 15, 2026, while older guides may omit mangrove, cherry and pale oak. Do not assume an older six-type list is complete.
A practical early-game wood workflow
- Collect several logs from the most accessible family near your spawn.
- Keep a reserve of unstripped logs for fuel, charcoal, campfires, smokers and natural-bark construction.
- Convert the remainder into planks in the 2×2 inventory grid at a four-plank-per-block yield.
- Craft a table from four planks, then make sticks and the basic tools you need.
- Choose one or two plank colors for the main structure and reserve contrasting logs or stripped blocks for beams and trim.
- When you find a special family—especially jungle, mangrove, cherry or pale oak—store a sample before spending it so you can reproduce the palette later.
- In the Nether, treat crimson and warped stems as building and crafting materials, not as furnace fuel.
This workflow prevents the most common resource conflict: using every raw block for construction and then having none left for utility recipes.
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