Palworld added Hardwood as a new resource in the 1.0 update, and it's not something you'll stumble across by accident. Unlike regular wood, which falls from practically any tree you swing at, Hardwood only drops from specific trees in specific zones. Once you know where to look, farming it is straightforward. Getting there is the harder part.
What is Hardwood and why do you need it?
Hardwood is a higher-tier crafting material that sits above standard wood in the resource hierarchy. You'll need it for several items that become relevant as you push into the late game: the Double-Barreled Shotgun, the Single-Shot Rifle, a Logging Site II, and Large Pal Beds all require it. High-end capture tools, including Legendary Spheres, Sol Spheres, and Ultimate Spheres, also pull from your Hardwood reserves. If you're building out a Japanese-style base, expect to burn through a significant stockpile on decorative and structural pieces alone.
For a full look at what the 1.0 update added beyond resources, the Palworld 1.0 major changes and additions guide covers everything from new Pals to the sky island zones.
Where to find Hardwood in Palworld
There are four main sources: two tree-chopping zones, a handful of Pals that drop it on defeat, and Wandering Merchants who sell it directly.
Twilight Dunes tree locations
Sakurajima Island (best overall source)
The pink cherry blossom trees scattered across Sakurajima Island are the most reliable Hardwood source in the game. Chop them down and they drop Hardwood consistently, no special axe required. A stone axe works fine. The trees are spread widely across the island, so you can clear a solid haul in a single run without backtracking.
The catch: Sakurajima is a high-level zone. The Pals roaming the area are not friendly, and they're not low-level. If you're heading there purely to farm wood rather than fight, move carefully and avoid unnecessary encounters. The Dancing Sakura Shrine in the northwest of the island is a reliable landmark to orient yourself around.
To reach Sakurajima, you'll need to push through the Mushroom Wetlands or the Southern Sandbar unless you already have fast travel points unlocked in that region.
Twilight Dunes (early access option)
The Twilight Dunes sit northwest of the starting Windswept Hills area, making them more accessible earlier in a playthrough. The spikey trees here can drop Hardwood, though the yield is less reliable than the cherry blossom trees on Sakurajima. You won't always get Hardwood from every chop; other materials drop too.
The bigger issue is the heat. Venturing into the Twilight Dunes during the day requires heat protection or you'll take passive damage. Going at night sidesteps that problem, but the time window is shorter, so plan your runs accordingly.
Later-game zones
Feybreak and the new floating islands introduced in 1.0 also contain Hardwood, but both areas are populated with high-level enemies. These aren't practical early farming spots. They're worth knowing about for when you're deep into the end game and already operating in those zones for other reasons.
Which Pals drop Hardwood?
Chopping trees is the primary method, but three Pals have a chance to drop Hardwood on defeat:
None of these are guaranteed drops, which makes Pals a secondary option at best. You'll get far more Hardwood per minute from chopping cherry blossom trees than hunting these Pals specifically. That said, if you're fighting them anyway for other reasons, the bonus drops are worth noting.
Can you buy Hardwood from merchants?
Yes. Wandering Merchants that roam Sakurajima Island carry Hardwood in stock. The Village Shop merchant and the Fisherman's Point merchant both sell it for 100 Gold Coins per unit. Buying is the slowest and most expensive method, but it's useful if you're a few units short of a crafting recipe and don't want to make another farming run.
How to farm Hardwood efficiently
The fastest approach is to unlock fast travel on Sakurajima Island as early as your level allows, then run circuits through the cherry blossom tree clusters near the Dancing Sakura Shrine. Bring at minimum a stone axe. Higher-tier axes chop faster but aren't required for the drops themselves.
Avoid fighting unless you have to. The Pals in that zone are tuned for late-game players, and dying mid-run wastes time. Stealth movement between tree clusters keeps runs clean.
For players still in the mid-game who can't safely reach Sakurajima yet, the Twilight Dunes work as a stopgap. Run them at night, grab what you can, and supplement with merchant purchases if a specific recipe is blocking progress.
If you're building out a full crafting setup and need to pair your Hardwood farming with other resource runs, the Palworld leather farming guide covers another material that becomes important around the same stage of the game.
Palworld 1.0 Guide: How to Get Hardwood
What to craft with Hardwood first
Priority depends on where you are in the game. If you're pushing into new content and need better capture tools, focus on Legendary Spheres and Sol Spheres first since those directly improve your ability to add powerful Pals to your roster. The Double-Barreled Shotgun and Single-Shot Rifle are strong options for players investing in combat-focused builds.
For base builders, the Logging Site II pays for itself quickly by automating future wood gathering, which frees you up for other tasks. Pair that with the right Pals assigned to logging work and the resource loop becomes much less manual over time.
For everything you can unlock as you level toward the new level 80 cap, the Palworld 1.0 new technologies guide has the full breakdown from level 66 onward. Check the broader Palworld guides collection for help with any other systems you're working through.