* Water: water has the highest volumetric heat capacity of all commonly used material. Typically, it is placed in large container(s), acrylic tubes for example, in an area with direct sunlight. It may also be used to saturate other types material such as soil to increase heat capacity.
* Concrete, clay bricks and other forms of masonry: the thermal conductivity of concrete depends on its composition and curing technique. Concretes with stones are more thermally conductive than concretes with ash, perlite, fibers, and other insulating aggregates. Concrete's thermal mass properties save 5–8% in annual energy costs compared to softwood lumber.
* Insulated concrete panels consist of an inner layer of concrete to provide the thermal mass factor. This is insulated from the outside by a conventional foam insulation and then covered again with an outer layer of concrete. The effect is a highly efficient building insulation envelope.
* Insulating concrete forms are commonly used to provide both thermal mass and insulation to building structures.  The concrete mass provides the specific heat capacity required for good thermal inertia.  Insulating layers created on the side or interior surfaces of the form provide good thermal resistance.
* Clay brick, adobe brick or mudbrick: see brick and adobe.
* Earth, mud and sod: dirt's heat capacity depends on its density, moisture content, particle shape, temperature, and composition. Early settlers to Nebraska built houses with thick walls made of dirt and sod because wood, stone, and other building materials were scarce. The extreme thickness of the walls provided some insulation, but mainly served as thermal mass, absorbing thermal energy during the day and releasing it during the night. Nowadays, people sometimes use earth sheltering around their homes for the same effect. In earth sheltering, the thermal mass comes not only from the walls of the building, but from the surrounding earth that is in physical contact with the building. This provides a fairly constant, moderating temperature that reduces heat flow through the adjacent wall.
* Rammed earth: rammed earth provides excellent thermal mass because of its high density, and the high specific heat capacity of the soil used in its construction.
* Natural rock and stone: see stonemasonry.
* Logs are used as a building material to create the exterior, and perhaps also the interior, walls of homes. Log homes differ from some other construction materials listed above because solid wood has both moderate R-value (insulation) and also significant thermal mass. In contrast, water, earth, rocks, and concrete all have low R-values. This thermal mass allows a log home to hold heat better in colder weather, and to better retain its cooler temperature in hotter weather.
* Phase-change materials