Stardew Valley players will eventually find that chopping normal trees to complete early-game objectives won’t be enough to progress through the game. Over time, you must gather other resources to continue progression, particularly Hardwood. So, here’s a guide on how to get Hardwood in Stardew Valley, including the best locations to cut it, all of its crafting uses, and even how to buy it from a vendor.

Best Locations to Get Hardwood in Stardew Valley

The Stardew Valley Hardwood is a reasonably common material. Players can farm it by chopping a Mahogany or Mystic Tree with any axe. Gathering Hardwood is also possible by chopping a Large Stump with a Copper Axe or higher-tier axe or a Large Log with a Steel Axe or a higher-tier variant. Find these Hardwood resource-gathering points in various places around Stardew Valley. For instance, you can find 6x Large Sump in the Secret Woods that spawn daily, allowing you to farm 12x Hardwood in that location every day. Note: The location of the Secret Woods is at the northwest corner of Cindersap Forest, and it’s blocked by a Large Log. Other farming locations for Hardwood include the following:

• The Forest Farm layout has 8x Large Stump that spawns daily
• The Four Corners Farm layout has 1x Large Stump at the upper-left corner
• Break the containers in The Mines for a chance to receive Hardwood
• Chop the trees in Floors 51 to 69 of the Dangerous Mines
• Acquire the Lumberjack Profession for normal trees to drop Hardwood
• Care for Woodskip at the Fish Pond on your farm for a chance to produce 5x Hardwood

Can You Buy Hardwood in Stardew Valley?

Apart from farming Hardwood in the locations mentioned, players may buy this material from Robin at the Carpenter's Shop. However, this item only appears in her wares during the Spring Desert Festival. Also, you must use 3x Calico Egg, the exclusive currency of the Desert Festival, to purchase the material.

Hardwood Crafting Recipes

Players can use Hardwood in Stardew Valley as an ingredient for crafting recipes. As of Stardew Valley 1.6, the items you can craft using this item as an ingredient are the following:

• Cheese Press: 10x Hardwood, 45x Wood, 45x Stone, and 1x Copper Bar (unlock the recipe at Farming Lv. 6)
• Hardwood Fence: 1x Hardwood (unlock the recipe at Farming Lv. 6)
• Oil Maker: 20x Hardwood, 50x Slime, and 1x Gold Bar (unlock the recipe at Farming Lv. 8)
• Warp Totem: Desert: 2x Hardwood, 1x Coconut, and 4x Iridium Ore (unlock the recipe by trading 10x Iridium Bar at the Desert Trader)
• Cask: 1x Hardwood and 20x Wood (unlock the recipe by upgrading the farmhouse cellar)
• Worm Bin: 15x Hardwood, 1x Gold Bar, 1x Iron Bar, and 50x Fiber (unlock the recipe at Fishing Lv. 4)
• Cork Bobber: 5x Hardwood, 10x Wood, and 10x Slime (unlock the recipe at Fishing Lv. 7)
• Mushroom Log: 10x Hardwood and 10x Moss (unlock the recipe at Foraging Lv. 4)
• Warp Totem: Beach: 1x Hardwood, 2x Coral, and 10x Fiber (unlock the recipe at Foraging Lv. 6)
• Warp Totem: Mountains: 1x Hardwood, 1x Iron Bar, and 25x Stone (unlock the recipe at Foraging Lv. 7)
• Warp Totem: Farm: 1x Hardwood, 1x Honey, and 20x Fiber (unlock the recipe at Foraging Lv. 8)
• Tent Kit: 10x Hardwood, 25x Fiber, and 1x Cloth (unlock the recipe at Foraging Lv. 8)
• Rain Totem: 1x Hardwood, 1x Truffle Oil, and 5x Pine Tar (unlock the recipe at Foraging Lv. 9)
• Treasure Totem: 5x Hardwood, 1x Mystic Syrup, and 10x Moss (unlock the recipe by mastering Foraging)
• Heavy Tapper: 30x Hardwood and 1x Radioactive Bar (unlock the recipe by trading 20x Qi Gems with Mr. Qi)\
• Hopper: 10x Hardwood, 1x Iridium Bar, and 1x Radioactive Bar (unlock the recipe by trading 50x Qi Gems with Mr. Qi)
• Ostrich Incubator: 50x Hardwood, 50x Bone Fragment, and 20x Cinder Shard (unlock the recipe by completing Professor Snail’s collections and surveys)
• Stump Brazier: 5x Hardwood and 1x Coal (unlock the recipe by buying it at the Carpenter’s Shop for 800 gold pieces)
• Carved Brazier: 10x Hardwood and 1x Coal (unlock the recipe by buying it at the Carpenter’s Shop for 2,000 gold pieces)
• Warp Totem: Island: 5x Hardwood, 1x Dragon Tooth, and 1x Ginger (unlock the recipe by buying it at the Volcano Shop for 10,000 gold pieces)
• Fish Smoker: 10x Hardwood, 1x Sea Jelly, 1x River Jelly, and 1x Cave Jelly (unlock the recipe by buying it at the Fish Shop for 10,000 gold pieces)
• Mini-Obelisk: 30x Hardwood, 20x Solar Essence, and 3x Gold Bar (unlock the recipe by completing the “A Curious Substance” quest from the Wizard

Hardwood can also be one of the materials used to create and upgrade specific buildings, which are the following:

• Farmhouse Upgrade 2: 100x Hardwood and 65,000 gold pieces
• Stable: 100x Hardwood, 5x Iron Bar, and 10,000 gold pieces
• Pet Bowl: 25x Hardwood and 5,000 gold pieces

Additionally, Robin is the only NPC in Stardew Valley who likes receiving Hardwood. Giving this item to other NPCs reduces their friendship levels. Alternatively, use Hardwood as a spool for the Sewing Machine to sew a Shirt from Cloth. Players can also give 10x Hardwood at the Community Center for the Construction Bundle. Doing so helps restore the establishment's Crafts Room and repairs the bridge to access the Quarry and the Quarry Mine.