Crimson and Warped Wood: Building With the Nether’s Non-Burning Planks

TL;DR: Crimson and Warped wood comes from huge fungi, not trees, so the blocks are called stems and hyphae. The wiki lists these blocks, and the planks, doors, signs and other things made from them, as non-flammable. Fire can touch them, but they do not burn away. They also do not work as furnace fuel. You can grow more with bone meal on a fungus planted on its matching nylium. A non-burning wall protects your base, not you. Lava still hurts you.

Where Nether wood comes from

Nether wood comes from huge fungi. Huge crimson fungi generate only in Crimson Forests. Huge warped fungi generate only in Warped Forests. (See Crimson Forest and Warped Forest.) These are the two Nether biomes where you can get wood without going back to the Overworld.

The wiki calls a huge fungus "tree-like". It is a fungus, not a tree. The trunk is made of stems. The "leaves" are wart blocks and shroomlights. A huge fungus can grow up to 27 blocks tall.

Here is one difference. If you remove the stems of a huge fungus, the wart blocks and shroomlights stay put. Leaves on a real tree decay when the logs are removed.

Stems and hyphae, not logs and wood

The game uses different names for Nether wood:

Stem is the Nether version of a log. You can break it by hand, but an axe is faster.
Hyphae is the Nether version of the Overworld "wood" block. It has bark on all six sides. Four matching stems craft into three hyphae.
Stripped versions come from using an axe on a stem or hyphae. They act the same.

What "non-burning" really means

People call this wood fireproof. The wiki's word is non-flammable, and the difference matters. The wiki says non-flammable blocks can be lit but do not burn away, and that such fire does not spread. It also says fire on blocks like these goes out quickly.

The wiki lists these Nether wood blocks as non-flammable: stems, hyphae, their stripped versions, planks, slabs, stairs, fences, fence gates, doors, trapdoors, pressure plates, buttons and signs. It also says none can burn away.

The editions differ on one point:

Java Edition: Nether wood does not catch fire from lava.
Bedrock Edition: the wiki says Nether wood can catch fire from lava. It still lists these blocks as unable to burn away.

Overworld planks are different. The wiki says they can catch fire from lava and burn away.

Nether wood is not fuel

Most Overworld wood can fuel a furnace. Nether wood cannot. The wiki says:

Logs, but not stems, can be used as fuel.
Hyphae cannot be used as fuel.
Crimson and warped planks cannot be used as fuel.
Nether doors and Nether signs cannot be used as fuel.
Stems cannot be smelted into charcoal.

One odd detail: the wiki says sticks and tools crafted from Nether planks can be used as fuel.

What you can craft

One stem crafts into 4 planks of the same kind. From planks you can make stairs, slabs, fences, fence gates, doors, trapdoors, pressure plates, buttons and signs. Each one must be crafted from planks of the same type, so crimson planks give you crimson pieces. Crimson and warped planks cannot be used to make boats.

Growing your own

Get a fungus. You find crimson and warped fungi in Crimson and Warped Forests. The wiki also says bone meal on nylium makes fungi appear nearby.
Plant it on matching nylium. Crimson fungus goes on crimson nylium. Warped fungus goes on warped nylium. A fungus can sit on dirt too, but it only grows into a huge fungus on its matching nylium. Bone meal on a fungus on the wrong nylium does nothing.
Use bone meal. Each use has a 40% chance to grow a huge fungus. A fungus does not grow by itself the way a sapling does.
Give it room. A fungus can still grow with blocks above it, but it does not replace solid blocks in its way. Clear the space so it can grow into its full shape.
Do not cover the nylium. The wiki says nylium turns into netherrack over time when a full opaque block is placed right on top of it. Opaque means it hides the view behind it.

A huge fungus grown with bone meal can make shroomlights too. Shroomlights give light level 15, the highest in the game. (See Lighting a Nether Base.)

Why this matters next to lava

Fire and lava are very common in Nether biomes. Walls, floors and doors made of Nether wood will not burn away. (See What Makes a Great Nether Base.)

In Bedrock Edition, the wiki says Nether wood can catch fire from lava, so you may see small flames on it. It still does not burn away. The wiki also says lava can turn nearby air into fire when certain blocks are close by, so watch for small flames near it.

Non-burning blocks protect your build. They do not protect you. The wiki says a player in lava lasts a few seconds: 2.5 seconds with no armor. Players also burn when exposed to fire. Never stand next to lava to test a wall. Build well back from the edge. A Fire Resistance potion is a safety net with a timer, not a dare.

Common mistakes

Trying to smelt stems or burn them as fuel. Neither works. Use another fuel, such as coal.
Planting a warped fungus on crimson nylium, or the other way around.
Waiting for a fungus to grow on its own. It needs bone meal.
Mixing oak planks into a lava-side build. Oak planks can catch fire from lava and burn away. Nether planks cannot burn away.
Thinking "non-burning" means lava-proof for you. It does not.
Expecting a Nether-wood boat. Crimson and warped planks cannot be used to make boats.

Crimson Forest · Warped Forest · Nether Forest Finds · Lighting a Nether Base · What Makes a Great Nether Base · Fire Resistance Potion · Complete Nether Guide · Walk the World

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