Typical industry materials include fiberglass, foam, wood, papier-mâché, polystyrene and steel.

Too often, prop makers are short on time and will use whatever is the most convenient to work with in order to achieve the right look. This is interesting since fans will go to great lengths trying to study and figure out how some props were made and will attempt to duplicate them. What these fans do not seem to realize is that their replica might turn up to actually be a better piece than the screen prop they were trying to duplicate. Without the magic of the camera lens, editing and added special effects, some fans create better and more functional replicas than the original without even being aware of it.