Overview
Planks are processed wood materials in Starsand Island, produced at the Cutter from raw wood. The plank family has six members: Softwood Plank, Hardwood Plank, Premium Wood Plank, Meteor Plank, and the bamboo products Bamboo Board and Bamboo Strip. They are among the most heavily used crafting materials in the game, required for construction, furniture, storage, machines, and more.
How to Produce
Raw Material | Station | Output | Tool to Gather Raw |
|---|---|---|---|
Softwood Plank | Stone Axe | ||
Hardwood Plank | Impact Axe (Junior Crafter) | ||
Cutter III | Machete (Junior Crafter) | ||
Cutter III | Machete (Junior Crafter) | ||
Cutter | Gathered in the Cloudrest Lake groves | ||
Bamboo Board x2 | Cutter | Cut from Bamboo Boards |
The Cutter is a passive crafting station. Load raw wood in and collect the planks once processing finishes. Build two or three Cutters early on to keep up with demand, as Planks are needed constantly.
Softwood Planks
Softwood comes from most small to medium trees around the island and can be chopped with the basic Stone Axe from day one. Softwood Planks are used in:
Storage Boxes: Storage Box I (8 Softwood), Storage Box II (6 Softwood Planks + 3 Copper Sheets)
Bus Stop Construction: Most bus stops require Softwood Planks for construction (except the Cloudrest Lake stop, which uses Bamboo Board)
Furniture: Many early furniture recipes at the Worktable call for Softwood Planks
Buildings: Fences, floors, walls, and basic structures
Hardwood Planks
Hardwood comes from Banyan trees, the large dark-barked trees found near your starting home and across the island. You need the Impact Axe (unlocked at Junior Crafter rank) to chop them. Hardwood Planks are used in:
Machete: Crafted from Hardwood Planks, used for clearing brush
Storage Box III: 6 Hardwood Planks + 3 Iron Sheets
Beehive: 6 Hardwood Planks + 3 Iron Sheets + 6 Honeycomb (for Beekeeping)
Ore Analyzer: Uses Hardwood Planks in its construction
Advanced Furniture: Higher-tier furniture and decorations
Premium Wood, Meteor, and Bamboo Planks
Three more plank products join the family beyond the two basics:
Premium Wood Plank. Cut from Premium Wood (White Fig trees, Machete required) at the Cutter III. Feeds late-game builds such as the Chopper III, Powered Hoe, and Jet Ski.
Meteor Plank. The endgame plank, cut at the Cutter III. Required for the Electric Drill and Chainsaw; see the Meteor Plank page for the full recipe chain.
Bamboo Board and Bamboo Strip. Cut from Bamboo harvested in the groves around Cloudrest Lake. Boards build the bamboo furniture line and the Cloudrest Lake bus stop; strips feed woven pieces like screens and street lamps.
Key Uses Summary
Use Category | Examples |
|---|---|
Construction | Houses, fences, floors, walls, bus stops |
Furniture | Tables, chairs, beds, shelves (Worktable recipes) |
Storage | Storage Box I, II, III |
Machines | Ore Analyzer, advanced crafting stations |
Various vehicle components | |
Beehive construction |
Tips
Always keep a stockpile of both Softwood and Hardwood Planks. You will need them constantly throughout the game.
Build 2 to 3 Cutters early. They process wood passively, so load them up before doing other tasks and collect planks when you return.
Softwood is abundant from day one, but Hardwood requires the Impact Axe. Prioritize unlocking it through the Crafter profession questline.
Bamboo can also be processed at the Cutter into Bamboo Board and Bamboo Strip, but these are separate from standard Planks and are used in different recipes.
If you are running low on storage, build more Storage Boxes with Planks. Bag space is tight early on, so having extra storage at home helps enormously.