Wood¸ Stone¸ and Bronze
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This is a system-neutral attempt at verisimilitude. While the goal isn't realism¸ per se¸ there is no reason not to use the real world as a source of information¸ as long as it doesn't lead to too much complexity. If an entire campaign is at one tech level¸ such comparisons are less important but that is rarely the case. There will almost always be so-called primitives or perhaps peoples¸ like the Fey in myth¸ for whom iron and steel are forbidden or cause the equivalent of an allergic reaction. I will try to answer questions like "What happens when bronze meets steel?” Weapons and armor are very important in roleplaying games but there are overlaps between weapons and tools and between armor and clothing. This isn't a course in material science. I am not qualified to teach one and the textbooks are much longer than this and more expensive.
We will look at materials other than the ones in the title. Iron is one and there is a great deal of confusion about when steel came into use. This is partly due to the annoying habit of archologists of calling all ferrous artifacts "iron¸” without paying any attention to the carbon content. Bone¸ horn and other materials will also be discussed. Leather and cloth are often involved with armor. I am going to discuss materials in chronological order.
I will give adjustment examples for D20 systems¸ D% systems and my own Glory Road Roleplay system