Wood is the first material you need to collect in Minecraft. Speedrunners grab the first wood they see; casual players collect whatever’s nearby. Builders, however, are a bit pickier about their wood. From logs, to trapdoors, to fences, Minecraft wood has several purposes. Some types of wood are more aesthetic than others. Here are my thoughts on the original four Minecraft wood types:
Oak Wood
There’s nothing too special about it. The logs and fences are average, and the planks are a lighter wood. The door and trapdoor have a window, which can be useful in your build’s aesthetics. But also, it’s EVERYWHERE. You don’t have to worry about finding it. One perk with using oak is that wood items that have yet to be textured to all woods usually start off as oak. So if you’re building bookshelves into your wood wall, use oak. 5/10
Spruce Wood
Also introduced early in Minecraft history. The logs are much darker than oak and provide a nice contrast. The solid door is nice if you don’t want a window in the room you’re building, and I personally like the striped texture of this and the trapdoors for accenting. The planks are a good contrast to their own log, which is helpful if you don’t want to collect several types of wood. Spruce is my favorite wood. 9/10
Birch Wood
Another early game wood. The logs are ugly, but the light-colored planks are a plus. It provides a nice contrast to the many dark blocks of wood in the game. The doors appear to have a frosted window look, which fits well for doors you want to have windows you can’t actually see through. Many people hate birch wood, but they probably only hate the logs. 7/10
Jungle Wood
Before directional blocks were a thing in Minecraft, the horizontal pattern on the jungle wood would’ve been a bonus. But that was updated ages ago. One bonus with the logs could be the green pixels if you’re looking for a moss-like wood? Other than that, jungle wood isn’t that appealing unless you’re a big fan of pink. The door is an uglier pattern than acacia doors, but the trapdoors aren’t too bad. I only use jungle wood if I build a treehouse in the jungle. Even then, I often use other wood types in the build. 3/10