According to Genesis, what material formed Noah’s Ark’s main construction?

According to Genesis, Noah’s Ark was made from gopher wood.

Genesis 6:14 instructs Noah to make the Ark from “gopher wood,” while also telling him to make rooms in it and cover it inside and outside with pitch. The Hebrew term translated “gopher wood” occurs only in this passage, so the text does not identify a securely known modern tree species.

This is different from the question of what made the Ark watertight. Genesis separately mentions pitch as a coating or sealant. Gopher wood refers to the construction material, not the substance used to seal the vessel. The passage also does not explain how the wood was shaped or where Noah obtained it.

Because the word is unique and its meaning is uncertain, translations and commentators have proposed interpretations such as a type of cypress or a general term for prepared timber. “Gopher wood” remains the standard traditional English rendering.