Sandustry
Guide

Beginner Guide

First day checklist: build a furnace, mine Sand, heat it into Glass, place your first machines, and make a Shaker the first dedicated processing target. Keep the furnace and material drop area clear, then test one step at a time instead of feeding a full stockpile into an unfinished line.

Once the Shaker is moving material, make a short collection path and watch the output before expanding. This creates a dependable starting loop and gives every later Research choice a practical purpose.

First Gold

Gold is part of the early progression path and is used to unlock Research. Produce it through a stable processing line, collect it immediately, and reserve the first batch for the machine or unlock that removes the next bottleneck.

First Research

Use Research after the first material loop is running. Pick the unlock that improves the task you are already doing by hand—processing, moving material, or keeping outputs clear—then build around that new capability.

First Upgrades

Fluxite supports inventory upgrades. Gather it from early underground deposits, use it to improve the tools and carrying capacity that slow your current work, and return to factory construction with more room to handle materials.

Production Chains

Move toward automation when a repeated hand task has a predictable input and output, when you are spending more time carrying materials than deciding what to build, or when a full storage pile interrupts exploration. Start with one short route, observe it under a small load, then add filters and storage after it stays clear.

For the full Sand-and-Water-to-Gold route, use the processing plant automation guide. It separates each stage so a new machine can be added without turning the whole factory into one mixed pile.

Filters & Logistics

Use Filters when a production line needs to isolate a by-product. Conveyors move solids through a repeatable path, while pipes and pumps give liquids their own route; keep those routes distinct before you increase throughput.

Machines & Automation

Five core machines: the Shaker turns Wet Sand processing into a Gold route; the Kinetic Press converts properly dropped Burnt Residue into Gold and Seed; Filters keep the wrong material away from a machine input; Conveyors move a controlled solid stream; and Collectors receive completed outputs.

Build each one with clear input and output space. For the 25-block drop rule and output behavior, read the Kinetic Press output guide.

Sand and Wet Sand

Mine Sand for the first processing loop. When 1 Sand contacts 1 Water, it produces 2 Wet Sand; feed that predictable result toward the Shaker rather than letting dry Sand accumulate at the edge of the conversion area.

Water

Water is a liquid input for Wet Sand and a material that needs its own route. Keep it separate from solids until the planned contact point, then use an Advanced Filter when the line must block Water while other material continues.

Gold

Gold is the early Research resource. Collect it from the Shaker branch and later Kinetic Press branch, then use it to unlock the machines that turn a hand-built loop into a scalable factory.

Fluxite

Fluxite is found in small underground deposits early and supports tool, weapon, and drone upgrades. Later progression can convert Voidbloom into Fluxite, giving an established factory a renewable upgrade resource.

Lava

Lava is found deep underground and supplies heat for automated burning and Steam generation. Freeze it into Scoria, break it into Cinder for transport, then reignite it at the factory when heat is needed.

Residue and Burnt Residue

Burn Residue with a Flamethrower or Lava-based heat setup to make Burnt Residue. This is the direct input for the Kinetic Press, so reserve a clean route between the burner and the vertical Press shaft.

Artifacts

Artifacts reward deliberate underground exploration. Push past the areas your current tool can handle, keep a route back to your factory, and use the Locator after its Research unlock to narrow the search in your own world. Start with the Sandustry artifact locations guide when you are ready to turn exploration into a repeatable goal.

Ancient Puzzles & Crackstone

Some ancient puzzles sit behind Crackstone or require a more advanced tool. Build the next mining option, clear the obstacle, and return to the puzzle with the resource or tool that the route demands.

Exploration Tools

Exploration tools open blocked terrain and protect the material loop from becoming your only progression path. Carry the tool that matches the obstacle, keep inventory space free, and mark a safe return route before digging deeper.

How to separate Wet Sand and Water

Set an Advanced Filter to Block Water, then keep the Wet Sand route separate from the liquid route. Test the filter with a small mixed flow before you connect the rest of the factory.

How to remove Haulers

Open the Drone management interface, select the Hauler that is causing the route problem, and remove it before assigning a replacement route. Solve routing and deletion as separate tasks so a new Hauler does not inherit the same mistake.

Why is my factory clogging?

Check whether the intended input reaches the machine, whether material is resting on top of the working surface, and whether the output side is open. Filters, clear exit space, and a controlled feed prevent the common clogging patterns.