According to Genesis, what was the main material used to build Noah’s Ark?

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

Genesis 6:14 instructs Noah to make the ark from “gopher wood” and to construct rooms inside it. The same verse tells him to coat the vessel inside and outside with pitch, a waterproofing substance.

The exact identity of gopher wood is uncertain. The Hebrew term appears only in this passage, and biblical scholars have proposed that it may refer to a particular tree, a type of wood, or a construction method. Because of that uncertainty, “gopher wood” is the standard traditional answer rather than the name of a definitively identified modern species.

Translations sometimes preserve the Hebrew wording, while others render it as resinous wood or a similar phrase. This is different from later artistic depictions, which often show the ark as a generic wooden ship without identifying its timber.