What material does Genesis specifically command Noah to use for the Ark?

Genesis specifically commands Noah to make the Ark from gopher wood. Genesis 6:14 uses the Hebrew expression often transliterated as “gopher wood,” but the text does not identify a confirmed modern tree species.

Because “gopher” is not securely matched to a known botanical term, translators and commentators have proposed possibilities such as cypress or other types of wood. These proposals are interpretations rather than a settled identification. Some translations retain the phrase as “gopherwood” to avoid claiming more certainty than the source allows.

The same verse says Noah should make rooms in the ark and cover it inside and outside with pitch. Thus, gopher wood is the named construction material, while pitch is the waterproofing substance. Confusing those two details produces another common answer, but pitch was not the ark’s timber.