Timberborn Buildings Guide — Best Buildings for Your Colony

Building smart is the difference between a thriving beaver civilization and a colony that starves come drought season. This guide breaks down every essential building category in Timberborn, compares Folktail vs Ironteeth options, and tells you what to build — and in what order — to survive the hardest cycles.

Buildings by Category

💧 Water

Water management is the core of Timberborn. Without it, nothing else matters.

Building	Faction	Purpose	Key Stat
Water Pump	Both	Extracts water from rivers/lakes	2.5–3.0 m³/hr
Small Water Wheel	Both	Power from flowing water	Up to 120 HP
Large Water Wheel	Both	More power from deeper/flowing water	Up to 450 HP
Mechanical Water Pump	Both	Powered water pumping	~5.0 m³/hr with full power
Floodgate	Both	Blocks or releases water	1–3 blocks tall
Levee	Both	Permanent water barrier	1 block tall, stackable
Sludge	Both	Extends levee height	Fills gaps
Water Dump	Both	Dumps water from tanks onto terrain	Fills reservoirs
Deep Water Pump	Ironteeth	Pumps from deep groundwater	4.0 m³/hr
Large Water Tank	Both	Stores water in bulk	750–1500 units

Tip: Always build 2–3 extra water pumps before your first drought. Overlapping their output zones ensures no beaver goes thirsty.

🍎 Food

You need a mix of food types to keep your colony fed and your beavers happy.

Building	Faction	Produces	Yield Notes
Gatherer Flag	Both	Berries, Carrots, Potatoes, Sunflowers	Base 10–15 plants per harvest
Farmhouse	Both	Assigns farmers to crop fields	1 beaver per farmhouse
Lodge	Both	Housing (also generates pups)	—
Grill	Both	Grilled food (Carrots → Grilled Carrots, Potatoes → Grilled Potatoes)	Doubles shelf life
Bakery	Both	Bread (wheat → bread)	Highest food value per unit
Mill	Both	Wheat → Flour	Needed before baking
Corn (Crop)	Folktail	Grows corn	4 food per harvest
Spadderdock (Crop)	Ironteeth	Aquatic crop	Grows in shallow water
Kohlrabi (Crop)	Ironteeth	Fast-growing root veg	3 food per harvest
Wild Berries (Bush)	Both	Natural berry source	No planting needed
Bread	Both	Wheat → Flour → Bread	Requires Mill + Bakery chain

Tip: Diversify! In the early game, berries + carrots are enough. Mid-game, add grilled food. Late-game, a bakery chain (wheat → flour → bread) lets you stockpile efficiently through multi-day droughts.

🏠 Housing

Beavers need homes to breed. Population = workforce = survival.

Building	Faction	Capacity	Special
Basic Lodge	Both	2 beavers (1 bed)	Extends to double lodge
Double Lodge	Both	4 beavers (2 beds)	Upgrade from basic (Folktail)
Small Lodge	Ironteeth	3 beavers (1 bed)	Compact, efficient
Large Lodge	Ironteeth	6 beavers (2 beds)	Ironteeth-only upgrade
Barracks	Both	10 beavers (dorm-style)	No breeding bonus
Apartment	Ironteeth	24 beavers (3 floors × 8)	End-game housing
Rooftop Terrace	Both	+1 happiness, aesthetic only	Decorative roof upgrade
Overhangs	Both	+1 happiness, aesthetic only	Adds depth to lodges

Tip: Build lodges early and often. Every 2–3 beavers should have a bed. Barracks are space-efficient but don't encourage breeding (no wellbeing bonus). Ironteech prefer large vertical lodges; Folktail spread out horizontally.

⚙️ Industry

Processing buildings turn raw resources into advanced materials.

Building	Faction	Input	Output
Lumberjack Flag	Both	Trees	Logs
Forester	Both	—	Plants new trees
Sawmill	Both	Logs	Planks
Scavenger Flag	Both	Ruins	Scrap/Random
Smelter	Both	Scrap Metal	Metal Blocks
Mine (Deep)	Both	—	Iron/Metal Ore
Gears Workshop	Both	Planks	Gears
Paper Mill	Folktail	Logs + Water	Paper
Printing Press	Folktail	Paper + Ink	Books (Science)
Inventor Hut	Ironteeth	—	Science points
Tank Foundry	Ironteeth	Metal Blocks	Water Tanks
Crushing Mill	Both	Sunflowers → Sunflower Oil	Oil for cooking
Biofuel Facility	Ironteeth	Plants	Biofuel (power)

Tip: Build your sawmill early in year 1 — planks are required for every advanced building. Rush metal blocks as soon as you find scrap.

⚡ Power

Power keeps your industry running. Without it, pumps, sawmills, and smelters sit idle.

Building	Faction	Output	Notes
Small Water Wheel	Both	Up to 120 HP	Cheap, needs flowing water
Large Water Wheel	Both	Up to 450 HP	Strong but requires deep flow
Windmill	Both	120–550 HP (wind-dependent)	Unreliable — wind varies
Steam Engine	Both	Up to 1000 HP	Burns fuel (logs/biofuel)
Water Wheel (Vertical)	Both	70–200 HP	Uses waterfalls
Power Shaft	Both	Distributes power	Connects buildings
Power Wheel	Both	120 HP (beaver-powered)	Emergency/manual
Biofuel Generator	Ironteeth	500 HP	Burns biofuel only
Large Windmill	Ironteeth	600–1000 HP	More powerful than standard

Tip: Start with small water wheels — they're cheap and reliable on most maps. Add windmills as backup, then transition to steam engines or biofuel generators in the late game for consistent 24/7 power.

🎨 Decorations

Beauty makes beavers happy. Happy beavers work faster and breed more.

Building	Beauty Value	Cost	Effect
Flower Pot	+1 (outdoor)	10 Planks	Simple beauty
Lantern	+2	5 Planks + 1 Gear	Light + beauty
Rooftop Terrace	+2	10 Planks	Housing upgrade
Overhang	+1	5 Planks	Aesthetic
Statue	+3	50 Planks	High beauty
Bench	+1	10 Planks	Rest spot
Banner	+2	20 Planks	Faction colour
Wellbeing Statue	+5 (area-wide)	100 Planks	Major happiness boost

Tip: Scatter flower pots and lanterns along paths your beavers use daily. A single statue near your town centre gives area-wide beauty that boosts wellbeing significantly.

DataTables Comparison

Below is a comprehensive comparison table of key Timberborn buildings. Use this to quickly compare cost, output, and faction availability.

Building	Category	Faction	Wood	Planks	Metal	Gears	Other	Output	Power (HP)
Water Pump	Water	Both	20	—	—	—	—	2.5 m³/hr	—
Mechanical Water Pump	Water	Both	60	20	10	—	—	5.0 m³/hr	150
Deep Water Pump	Water	Ironteeth	—	30	15	5	—	4.0 m³/hr	200
Small Water Wheel	Power	Both	10	—	—	—	—	—	≤120
Large Water Wheel	Power	Both	30	10	—	—	—	—	≤450
Windmill	Power	Both	40	20	—	—	—	—	120–550
Steam Engine	Power	Both	80	40	20	10	—	1000 HP	1000
Sawmill	Industry	Both	30	10	—	—	—	6 Planks/cycle	75
Smelter	Industry	Both	40	20	—	10	—	1 Metal Block/cycle	100
Gears Workshop	Industry	Both	60	20	—	—	—	2 Gears/cycle	50
Paper Mill	Industry	Folktail	40	10	—	—	—	2 Paper/cycle	100
Printing Press	Industry	Folktail	60	20	10	5	—	3 Books/cycle	125
Inventor Hut	Industry	Ironteeth	40	10	—	—	—	5 Science/cycle	—
Bakery	Food	Both	30	10	—	—	—	3 Bread/cycle	75
Mill	Food	Both	20	10	—	—	—	2 Flour/cycle	50
Grill	Food	Both	20	—	—	—	—	2 Grilled Food/cycle	—
Farmhouse	Food	Both	20	—	—	—	—	Assigns 1 farmer	—
Basic Lodge	Housing	Both	10	—	—	—	—	2 beavers	—
Double Lodge	Housing	Both	30	10	—	—	—	4 beavers	—
Small Lodge	Housing	Ironteeth	15	5	—	—	—	3 beavers	—
Large Lodge	Housing	Ironteeth	40	15	5	—	—	6 beavers	—
Apartment	Housing	Ironteeth	80	40	20	10	—	24 beavers	—
Barracks	Housing	Both	50	20	—	—	—	10 beavers	—
Levee	Water	Both	6	—	—	—	—	1-block barrier	—
Floodgate	Water	Both	20	10	—	—	—	Water control	—
Water Dump	Water	Both	40	20	10	—	—	Dumps water	100
Large Water Tank	Water	Both	40	10	—	—	—	750–1500 units	—

Recommended Build Order

The order you build matters. Here's a proven sequence for standard difficulty on most maps.

Year 1 (Survival)

Lumberjack Flag (×2) — You need logs immediately.
Gatherer Flag — Plant carrots; you'll have food in 3–4 days.
Water Pump (×2) — Drought is coming. Double up.
Basic Lodge — House your starting beavers so they breed.
Small Water Wheel — Power for the sawmill.
Sawmill — Planks unlock everything else.
Forester — Plant trees to keep logs sustainable.
Small Water Tank (×1–2) — Store water before first drought.

Milestone: Survive first drought.

Year 2 (Expansion)

Farmhouse + crop fields — Expand food production.
Grill — Cook carrots for longer shelf life.
Mechanical Water Pump — More water, less beaver labour.
More Lodges (+2–4) — Grow population.
Second Small Water Wheel or Windmill — Power redundancy.
Scavenger Flag — Collect scrap for metal blocks.
Smelter — Start converting scrap to metal blocks.

Milestone: Stable food and water surplus.

Year 3+ (End Game)

Large Water Wheel or Steam Engine — Consistent power.
Bakery + Mill — Bread chain for massive food value.
Floodgates + Levees — Build a reservoir. This is critical.
Gears Workshop — Advanced building components.
Wellbeing Statues + Decorations — Boost beaver happiness.
Biofuel Facility (Ironteeth) / Printing Press (Folktail) — Faction-specific science.
Apartment (Ironteeth) / Expanded Lodges (Folktail) — End-game housing.

Milestone: Survive multi-cycle mega-droughts.

Folktail vs Ironteeth Building Differences

The two factions play very differently. Here's a breakdown of their unique buildings and how they change your strategy.

⚖️ Philosophy

Aspect	Folktail	Ironteeth
Playstyle	Growth, expansion, nature-friendly	Efficiency, industry, verticality
Population Style	Spread out horizontally	Dense vertical housing
Water Strategy	Surface water, levees, dams	Deep drilling, canals, water wheels
Science	Books (Paper Mill + Printing Press)	Inventor Huts (direct science)
Power	Traditional (wheels, windmills, steam)	Biofuel + advanced large windmills
Difficulty	Beginner-friendly	Intermediate — more micro-management

🆚 Unique Buildings

Folktail-Only Buildings

Building	Category	Why It Matters
Paper Mill	Industry	Converts logs + water into paper (needed for books).
Printing Press	Industry	Converts paper + ink into books (science points). Folktail's primary science source.
Corn Fields	Food	Corn gives 4 food per harvest — most efficient Folktail crop.
Bread Chain	Food	Wheat → Flour → Bread. Requires Mill + Bakery. Highest food density.
Water Wheel Focus	Power	Folktail rely more on water wheels and windmills; no biofuel option.

Folktail Tip: Folktail science is slower but cheaper in the long run. Build your Paper Mill early and stockpile paper. Once the Printing Press is up, science flows steadily.

Ironteeth-Only Buildings

Building	Category	Why It Matters
Deep Water Pump	Water	Pumps from deep groundwater — allows water during surface droughts.
Inventor Hut	Industry	Produces science points directly, no paper/ink chain needed.
Biofuel Facility	Industry → Power	Converts plants into biofuel for the Biofuel Generator.
Biofuel Generator	Power	Burns biofuel for 500 HP — reliable, renewable power.
Small Lodge	Housing	3 beavers in a compact footprint.
Large Lodge	Housing	6 beavers — efficient per tile.
Apartment	Housing	24 beavers in one building. Massive population density.
Large Windmill	Power	600–1000 HP, more powerful than standard windmills.
Kohlrabi Fields	Food	Fast-growing root crop, 3 food per harvest.
Spadderdock Ponds	Food	Aquatic crop grown in shallow water — unique food source.
Water Wheel Focus	Power	Ironteeth use more gears and metal in their wheels, but get higher output.

Ironteeth Tip: Ironteeth science is instant but costs metal blocks (for Inventor Huts). Rush metal production early. The Apartment building is your key to a massive late-game population, but requires significant plank and gear investment.

🏗️ Building Equivalent Comparison

Need	Folktail Solution	Ironteeth Solution
Early Water	Water Pump	Water Pump
Mid Water	Mechanical Water Pump	Deep Water Pump
Late Water	Large Reservoirs + Dams	Deep Pumps + Canals
Early Housing	Basic Lodge → Double Lodge	Small Lodge → Large Lodge
Late Housing	Multiple Double Lodges	Apartment
Early Science	Gatherer Flag + Ruins	Gatherer Flag + Ruins
Mid Science	Paper Mill → Printing Press	Inventor Hut
Power (Early)	Small Water Wheel	Small Water Wheel
Power (Mid)	Large Water Wheel / Windmill	Large Water Wheel / Large Windmill
Power (Late)	Steam Engine	Biofuel Generator + Steam Engine
Food (Staple)	Carrots + Corn	Carrots + Kohlrabi
Food (Advanced)	Bread	Grilled + Bread

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Guide last updated: June 2026. Timberborn is a city-builder developed by Mechanistry and published by WhisperGames.