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94 Examples of Construction Materials

John Spacey, updated on January 24, 2024

Construction materials are materials used to build large things such as houses, buildings, land improvements, commercial and public infrastructure. These can be broadly classified as natural or synthetic with many materials that are somewhat natural such as engineered wood that includes chemicals such as glue. Construction materials include a wide range of form factors such as dimensional lumber, boards, insulation, fasteners, tiles, panels, components, systems, plates, pipes, wires, meshes, pastes, gels and liquids. The following are common examples of construction materials.

Acrylic Glass	Aggregates / Gravel
Alloys	Aluminum Frames / Panels / Doors / Windows
Architectural Glass	Asphalt / Bitumen
Bamboo	Bricks / Burnt Clay Bricks
Bronze / Brass	Carbon Fiber
Carpet	Caulking / Sealants
Cellulose Insulation	Cement Board
Ceramics / Ceramic Tiles	Composite Materials
Compressed Earth	Concrete
Concrete Bricks	Copper / Copper Pipes
Cork	Drywall / Gypsum
Engineered Bamboo	Engineered Stone
Engineered Wood	Engineering Bricks
Epoxy / Resin	Fabric
Fiber Cement	Fiberboard
Fiberglass	Firebricks
Foam Board / Rigid Foam Insulation	Galvanized Steel
Glass	Glass Blocks
Glass Tile	Glues / Adhesives
Granite	Gypsum Concrete
Hardwood	Lacquer
Laminate / Plastic Laminate	Laminated Glass
Laminated Veneer Lumber	Limestone
Linoleum	Logs / Timber
Marble	Metal Foams
Mineral Wool Insulation	Mortar
Mud & Clay	Natural Fibers / Flax / Straw / Jute / Cotton / Palm Fibers
Oil Paints / Primers	Oriented Strand Board (OSB)
PVC / PVC Pipes	Paint / Enamel Paint / Acrylic Paint / Latex Paint / Silicate Mineral Paint
Paper / Wallpaper / Shoji	Plaster
Plastic	Plywood
Polycarbonate	Polyurethane
Porcelain / Porcelain Tile	Pressure Treated Wood
Quartz	Reinforced Concrete
Roofing Tiles	Rubber
Sand	Sandstone
Shellac	Silicone / Silicone Sealants
Slate	Soft Rush / Tatami Mats
Softwood	Spray Foam
Stainless Steel	Steel / Steel Beams / Steel Connections
Stone	Stucco
Synthetic Stone	Tempered Glass
Terrazzo / Terrazzo Tile	Titanium
Upcycled Materials (e.g. glass bottles)	Varnish
Vinyl Siding / Flooring / Panels	Vinyl Wallpaper
Water-based Paints / Primers	Wire Mesh
Wood	Wood Veneer

Metals

Metals and alloys commonly used in construction such as steel, stainless steel and aluminum.

Natural Materials

Major building materials such as wood and stone are naturally occurring materials that can be used with minimal processing and no additives.

Building Stones

Stones are commonly used for floors, countertops, walls, facades and paving. Gravel aggregate is also used in concrete such that stones and rock are used a great scale by the construction industry.

Wood

Wood is used for the frames of houses and interior elements such as floors, walls, ceilings and doors. It is also used outdoors for features such as fences. It is considered an aesthetically pleasing material that has much tradition behind it.

Notes: Bamboo is technically a grass and not a wood. In addition to the list above, there are may types of engineered wood product such as plywood or oriented strand board (OSB).

Truth to Materials

Truth to materials is the design philosophy that materials not pretend to be something they are not. For example, a plastic countertop that looks like plastic as opposed to a plastic countertop designed to look like marble.

Sustainable Materials

Sustainable materials are materials that have a low impact on the environment that are also conductive to the health and happiness of people. This is not synonymous with natural materials. In many cases, synthetics have a lower overall impact on the environment as they may have benefits such as durability, strength or energy efficiency.

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