You’re mid-fight. The sweat is real. You’ve got a guy ramping up over you with a Mythic Hammer Pump, and suddenly, your character stops building. You're out of wood. You panic-click, but nothing happens because you’re staring at a red "0" while sitting on 999 bricks. It's frustrating. It's honestly one of those "throw the controller" moments that happens to the best of us because, in the heat of a 1v1, your brain just farts on the controls.
Knowing how to switch materials in Fortnite isn't just a basic mechanic; it's the difference between catching a lobby screen and catching a dub. Most people think it’s automatic. It isn’t. Well, it can be if you have the right settings toggled, but relying on "Auto Material Change" is a recipe for disaster when you need the extra health of metal to block a sniper shot.
The Button You're Probably Missing
If you’re on a controller—whether that’s PlayStation, Xbox, or Switch—the default button to cycle through wood, brick, and metal is Right Trigger (RT/R2) while you are in Build Mode. But wait. That’s for placing the piece. To actually change the type of material before you place it, you need to hit the Left Trigger (LT/L2) or the D-Pad, depending on your specific layout.
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Most "Pro" layouts like Builder Pro make this a bit more intuitive. When you pull out your blueprints (usually by hitting B or Circle), you'll see your material counts in the bottom right. Tapping the Left Trigger (LT/L2) while the build menu is open swaps the resource. You’ll see the icon cycle from the brown logs to the gray bricks and finally to the corrugated metal sheets.
Keyboard players have it way easier, yet somehow more complicated. By default, it’s Right Click. You pull out your wall or ramp, and you right-click to cycle. Simple? Sure. But in the middle of a box fight? It feels clunky. Many high-level players like Bugha or Clix actually remap this or rely heavily on the "Auto Material Change" setting so they never have to think about it.
Why Wood Isn't Always the Answer
Wood is the "Panic Button" of Fortnite. It starts with the highest initial health when first placed, which makes it great for immediate cover. But if someone is spraying an SMG? Wood melts.
Brick is the middle ground. It’s the "I’m healing in a 1x1" material. It takes longer to fully "mature" or reach its max health than wood, but it’s much harder to bleed through with a spray weapon. Then there’s metal. Metal is the king of late-game. If you’re in a moving circle and you aren't building in metal, you're basically asking to be lobby-focused. It takes the longest to build, but once those plates are set, they are a nightmare to break.
Actually choosing to switch to metal manually before a fight starts is a high-IQ move. If you know a fight is coming, don't wait until you're out of wood. Switch to brick or metal early.
The Setting That Saves Lives: Auto Material Change
There is a setting buried in the "Game" tab (the little gear icon) called Auto Material Change. Turn it on. Seriously.
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What this does is simple: when you run out of wood, the game automatically swaps you to brick. When you run out of brick, it goes to metal. Without this on, your character will literally just stand there holding a blueprint while you get shot in the face. It’s one of those legacy settings that should probably be "on" by default for everyone, but sometimes it gets toggled off after a major update or a fresh install. Check it. Now.
Advanced Tactics for Changing Materials
Don't just switch because you're empty. Switch because of the situation.
- The Decoy Move: Build a base out of wood, then immediately switch to brick for the "inner" layers. People will spray the wood thinking it's a weak structure, only to hit a wall of stone they weren't expecting.
- The End-Game Rotate: If you have 500 metal, use it. People tend to "hoard" metal for the very last second, but by then, they’re usually dead because their wood walls got sprayed out.
- Healing Situations: If you're popping a Med-Kit, switch to your strongest material (metal) and build a 1x1. It buys you those extra 2-3 seconds you need to finish the heal.
Common Mistakes and How to Fix Them
A big mistake is "Double Tapping." On controllers, if you have a bit of input lag, you might accidentally tap the switch button twice, skipping brick and going straight to metal. This wastes your best resource on a simple ramp-up. Slow is smooth, and smooth is fast.
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Another issue? Not looking at your UI. The bottom right corner of your screen is your lifeline. It tells you exactly what you’re about to place. If you see wood, but you hear the "clink" of metal being placed by your opponent, you are at a disadvantage. You need to match their material strength or get out of that box.
Key Takeaways for Mastering Your Build
- Controller: Use LT/L2 (Builder Pro) to cycle materials while in Build Mode.
- PC/KBM: Right-click is the default, but consider your "Auto Material Change" setting.
- Settings: Enable "Auto Material Change" in the Game settings tab to prevent building stalls.
- Strategy: Use wood for fast cover, brick for mid-range fights, and metal for late-game or healing boxes.
Instead of just jumping into a Battle Royale match, go into Creative Mode or a "Free Build" map. Spend five minutes just building ramps and forcing yourself to switch materials every three pieces. It builds the muscle memory so that when you're in a high-pressure situation, you aren't looking at your controller trying to remember which trigger does what. You'll just do it.
Get your settings dialed in first. Open your menu, go to the "Game" tab, and ensure "Auto Material Change" is set to "On." Then, jump into a Team Rumble match—it's the best place to practice building under fire since you respawn with materials. Focus entirely on using metal for your defensive boxes and wood for your offensive pushes until the button presses feel like second nature.