Planks

Planks are one of the earliest processed materials in Timberborn and form the foundation of your colony's construction capabilities. Produced by processing Logs at a Lumber Mill (Folktails) or Industrial Lumber Mill (Iron Teeth), Planks unlock a vast range of buildings and infrastructure that raw Logs alone cannot provide. The standard Lumber Mill employs one worker and converts Logs into Planks at a rate of roughly one Plank every 1.3 hours, while the Iron Teeth's Industrial Lumber Mill employs two workers and produces Planks significantly faster at about 0.63 hours per Plank, though it requires more power.

Planks are required for constructing a wide variety of mid-game and late-game buildings, from workshops and housing upgrades to water management structures and leisure facilities. Beyond construction, Planks are also the key input for two critical downstream materials: Gears (produced at the Gear Workshop) and Treated Planks (produced at the Wood Workshop by combining Planks with Pine Resin). These secondary materials are themselves needed for advanced buildings, making Planks a crucial bottleneck resource in any colony's development. Ensuring a steady flow of Planks often means running multiple Lumber Mills simultaneously.

When planning your economy, keep in mind that Planks compete with other Log-derived products for the same raw material supply. Logs are also consumed by Paper Mills, Grills, Bakeries, and Smelters, so balancing Plank production against these other demands is essential. A good rule of thumb is to dedicate at least two Lumber Mills to Plank production early on, scaling up as your population grows. Planks are stored in Small Piles and Large Piles, and maintaining a visible stockpile helps you anticipate shortages before they disrupt construction queues. Given their central role in both the Gear and Treated Plank production chains, Planks are arguably the single most important processed material in the first half of any playthrough.