diff --git a/library/PolyVoxCore/include/PolyVoxCore/AStarPathfinder.inl b/library/PolyVoxCore/include/PolyVoxCore/AStarPathfinder.inl
index 1e1e07bc..9159b02f 100644
--- a/library/PolyVoxCore/include/PolyVoxCore/AStarPathfinder.inl
+++ b/library/PolyVoxCore/include/PolyVoxCore/AStarPathfinder.inl
@@ -40,8 +40,8 @@ namespace PolyVox
 		}
 
 		//and if their density is below the threshold.
-		Material8 voxel = volData->getVoxelAt(v3dPos);
-		if(voxel.getDensity() >= Material8::getThreshold())
+		VoxelType voxel = volData->getVoxelAt(v3dPos);
+		if(voxel.getDensity() >= VoxelType::getThreshold())
 		{
 			return false;
 		}
diff --git a/library/PolyVoxCore/include/PolyVoxCore/CubicSurfaceExtractor.h b/library/PolyVoxCore/include/PolyVoxCore/CubicSurfaceExtractor.h
index 1beb6cb2..17b6189d 100644
--- a/library/PolyVoxCore/include/PolyVoxCore/CubicSurfaceExtractor.h
+++ b/library/PolyVoxCore/include/PolyVoxCore/CubicSurfaceExtractor.h
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@ namespace PolyVox
 		void execute();		
 
 	private:
-		int32_t addVertex(float fX, float fY, float fZ, uint8_t uMaterial, Array<3, IndexAndMaterial>& existingVertices);
+		int32_t addVertex(float fX, float fY, float fZ, uint32_t uMaterial, Array<3, IndexAndMaterial>& existingVertices);
 		bool performQuadMerging(std::list<Quad>& quads);
 		bool mergeQuads(Quad& q1, Quad& q2);
 
diff --git a/library/PolyVoxCore/include/PolyVoxCore/CubicSurfaceExtractor.inl b/library/PolyVoxCore/include/PolyVoxCore/CubicSurfaceExtractor.inl
index d347e190..fae71749 100644
--- a/library/PolyVoxCore/include/PolyVoxCore/CubicSurfaceExtractor.inl
+++ b/library/PolyVoxCore/include/PolyVoxCore/CubicSurfaceExtractor.inl
@@ -95,7 +95,7 @@ namespace PolyVox
 
 					if((currentVoxelIsSolid != negXVoxelIsSolid) && (finalY == false) && (finalZ == false))
 					{
-						int material = (std::max)(currentVoxel.getMaterial(), negXVoxel.getMaterial());
+						uint32_t material = (std::max)(currentVoxel.getMaterial(), negXVoxel.getMaterial());
 
 						// Check to ensure that when a voxel solid/non-solid change is right on a region border, the vertices are generated on the solid side of the region border
 						if(((currentVoxelIsSolid > negXVoxelIsSolid) && finalX == false) || ((currentVoxelIsSolid < negXVoxelIsSolid) && regX != 0))
@@ -241,7 +241,7 @@ namespace PolyVox
 	}
 
 	template< template<typename> class VolumeType, typename VoxelType>
-	int32_t CubicSurfaceExtractor<VolumeType, VoxelType>::addVertex(float fX, float fY, float fZ, uint8_t uMaterialIn, Array<3, IndexAndMaterial>& existingVertices)
+	int32_t CubicSurfaceExtractor<VolumeType, VoxelType>::addVertex(float fX, float fY, float fZ, uint32_t uMaterialIn, Array<3, IndexAndMaterial>& existingVertices)
 	{
 		uint32_t uX = static_cast<uint32_t>(fX + 0.75f);
 		uint32_t uY = static_cast<uint32_t>(fY + 0.75f);
diff --git a/library/PolyVoxCore/include/PolyVoxCore/CubicSurfaceExtractorWithNormals.inl b/library/PolyVoxCore/include/PolyVoxCore/CubicSurfaceExtractorWithNormals.inl
index f0fff385..732aca9b 100644
--- a/library/PolyVoxCore/include/PolyVoxCore/CubicSurfaceExtractorWithNormals.inl
+++ b/library/PolyVoxCore/include/PolyVoxCore/CubicSurfaceExtractorWithNormals.inl
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ namespace PolyVox
 					int plusXVoxel = m_volData->getVoxelAt(x+1,y,z).getDensity()  >= VoxelType::getThreshold();
 					if(currentVoxel > plusXVoxel)
 					{
-						int material = m_volData->getVoxelAt(x,y,z).getMaterial();
+						uint32_t material = m_volData->getVoxelAt(x,y,z).getMaterial();
 
 						uint32_t v0 = m_meshCurrent->addVertex(PositionMaterialNormal(Vector3DFloat(regX + 0.5f, regY - 0.5f, regZ - 0.5f), Vector3DFloat(1.0f, 0.0f, 0.0f), material));
 						uint32_t v1 = m_meshCurrent->addVertex(PositionMaterialNormal(Vector3DFloat(regX + 0.5f, regY - 0.5f, regZ + 0.5f), Vector3DFloat(1.0f, 0.0f, 0.0f), material));
diff --git a/library/PolyVoxCore/include/PolyVoxCore/Material.h b/library/PolyVoxCore/include/PolyVoxCore/Material.h
index 53d78c08..8f6ff962 100644
--- a/library/PolyVoxCore/include/PolyVoxCore/Material.h
+++ b/library/PolyVoxCore/include/PolyVoxCore/Material.h
@@ -88,6 +88,8 @@ namespace PolyVox
 	};
 
 	typedef Material<uint8_t> Material8;
+	typedef Material<uint16_t> Material16;
+	typedef Material<uint32_t> Material32;
 }
 
 #endif //__PolyVox_Material_H__
diff --git a/library/PolyVoxCore/include/PolyVoxCore/PolyVoxForwardDeclarations.h b/library/PolyVoxCore/include/PolyVoxCore/PolyVoxForwardDeclarations.h
index 8d1ce04f..656b3e1e 100644
--- a/library/PolyVoxCore/include/PolyVoxCore/PolyVoxForwardDeclarations.h
+++ b/library/PolyVoxCore/include/PolyVoxCore/PolyVoxForwardDeclarations.h
@@ -77,6 +77,8 @@ namespace PolyVox
 	typedef Density<uint8_t> Density8;
 	template <typename Type> class Material;
 	typedef Material<uint8_t> Material8;
+	typedef Material<uint16_t> Material16;
+	typedef Material<uint32_t> Material32;
 	template <typename Type, uint8_t NoOfMaterialBits, uint8_t NoOfDensityBits> class MaterialDensityPair;
 	typedef MaterialDensityPair<uint8_t, 4, 4> MaterialDensityPair44;
 
diff --git a/library/PolyVoxCore/include/PolyVoxCore/SurfaceExtractor.inl b/library/PolyVoxCore/include/PolyVoxCore/SurfaceExtractor.inl
index e2cad798..f0ae31ac 100644
--- a/library/PolyVoxCore/include/PolyVoxCore/SurfaceExtractor.inl
+++ b/library/PolyVoxCore/include/PolyVoxCore/SurfaceExtractor.inl
@@ -448,7 +448,7 @@ namespace PolyVox
 					Vector3DFloat v3dNormal = (n100*fInterp) + (n000*(1-fInterp));
 					v3dNormal.normalise();
 
-					const uint8_t uMaterial = v000.getMaterial() | v100.getMaterial(); //Because one of these is 0, the or operation takes the max.
+					const uint32_t uMaterial = v000.getMaterial() | v100.getMaterial(); //Because one of these is 0, the or operation takes the max.
 
 					PositionMaterialNormal surfaceVertex(v3dPosition, v3dNormal, uMaterial);
 					uint32_t uLastVertexIndex = m_meshCurrent->addVertex(surfaceVertex);
@@ -471,7 +471,7 @@ namespace PolyVox
 					Vector3DFloat v3dNormal = (n010*fInterp) + (n000*(1-fInterp));
 					v3dNormal.normalise();
 
-					const uint8_t uMaterial = v000.getMaterial() | v010.getMaterial(); //Because one of these is 0, the or operation takes the max.
+					const uint32_t uMaterial = v000.getMaterial() | v010.getMaterial(); //Because one of these is 0, the or operation takes the max.
 
 					PositionMaterialNormal surfaceVertex(v3dPosition, v3dNormal, uMaterial);
 					uint32_t uLastVertexIndex = m_meshCurrent->addVertex(surfaceVertex);
@@ -494,7 +494,7 @@ namespace PolyVox
 					Vector3DFloat v3dNormal = (n001*fInterp) + (n000*(1-fInterp));
 					v3dNormal.normalise();
 
-					const uint8_t uMaterial = v000.getMaterial() | v001.getMaterial(); //Because one of these is 0, the or operation takes the max.
+					const uint32_t uMaterial = v000.getMaterial() | v001.getMaterial(); //Because one of these is 0, the or operation takes the max.
 
 					PositionMaterialNormal surfaceVertex(v3dPosition, v3dNormal, uMaterial);
 					uint32_t uLastVertexIndex = m_meshCurrent->addVertex(surfaceVertex);