How to Get Steel in RimWorld (1.6) — Emergency Fix + Calculators
If you searched how to get steel rimworld: mine compacted steel, deconstruct ship chunks, smelt steel slag, and buy steel from bulk goods traders. Then stabilize with scanners + deep drills.
This tool uses RimWorld 1.6.4633 rev1266 Core defs (see the Data tab for exact XML paths).
Compacted steel: 40 / tile
Smelt slag: 15 / chunk
Ship chunk (deconstruct): ~20 steel
Steel mass: 0.5 kg
Orbital bulk goods: 500–800 steel
Smelt
Steel Crisis Card (Next 1–3 Days)
Goal: stop the bleed, convert nearby sources into carried stacks, and buy time for scanners/trade.
Fast Steel Sources (Core)
Mine compacted steel
Deconstruct ship chunk
Smelt slag chunk
Buy (orbital bulk)
If steel < 150:
1) Cancel optional builds/bills.
2) Mine nearest safe compacted steel.
3) Deconstruct ship chunks + steel ruins.
4) Smelt slag (if smelter exists).
5) Buy steel (bulk goods) if timing matters.
6) Start scanner + deep drill plan if recurring.Steel You Can Get Right Now
Uses Core yields: compacted steel (40/tile), ship chunk deconstruct (~20), slag smelt (15).
Carry Planner (Steel is Heavy)
Steel mass is 0.5 kg per unit (ThingDef Steel → Mass).
Scanner Ladder (What to Build Next)
Ground scanner → deep drill is the midgame “steel engine”. Long-range scanner is big bursts, but hauling-heavy.
Ground scanner cost
150
4
1
Ground scanner find speed
Deep drill cost
100
2
Long-range scanner cost
200
6
2
Build Cost Calculator
Long-Range Steel: What “A Lump” Means
Long-range finds use a PreciousLump site part with a total value budget.
Stop Wasting Steel (Fastest “Invisible” Fix)
If steel is your bottleneck, treat it like “machine material”, not “wall material”.
| Steel Spend That Hurts | Swap To | Why It Works |
|---|---|---|
| Steel walls & big shells | Stone blocks (bulk), wood (temporary) | Steel is needed for benches, power, scanners, repairs; walls eat hundreds fast. |
| Decorative steel floors | Stone/wood floors (or wait) | Comfort is cheaper than industry; floor steel rarely accelerates progress. |
| Battery sprawl “just in case” | Tighter grid + build only what you need | Power projects often arrive in clusters; budget steel for the whole project chain. |
| Turret spamming early | Chokepoints + traps + stone cover | Turrets are a steel promise (build + repair + grid). Don’t buy a defense doctrine you can’t fund. |
The 30-Second Steel Audit
[ ] Mine safe compacted steel
[ ] Deconstruct ship chunks & steel ruins
[ ] Smelt slag (if smelter exists)
[ ] Keep a silver buffer for bulk steel
[ ] Start/maintain scanner + drill lane
[ ] Pause vanity builds when steel dipsExact Values (From Core Defs)
These are the numbers this page uses. Click any def link to open the site’s entity page.
| Fact | Value | Def |
|---|---|---|
| Steel mass | 0.5 kg | ThingDef:Steel |
| Compacted steel yield | 40 steel / tile | ThingDef:MineableSteel |
| Slag smelt output | 15 steel / chunk | RecipeDef:ExtractMetalFromSlag |
| Electric smelter build cost | 170 steel + 2 components | ThingDef:ElectricSmelter |
| Ground scanner build cost | 150 steel + 4 components + 1 advanced | ThingDef:GroundPenetratingScanner |
| Deep drill build cost | 100 steel + 2 components | ThingDef:DeepDrill |
| Long-range scanner build cost | 200 steel + 6 components + 2 advanced | ThingDef:LongRangeMineralScanner |
| Orbital bulk goods trader steel | 500–800 steel | TraderKindDef:Orbital_BulkGoods |
| Outlander bulk caravan steel | 250–400 steel | TraderKindDef:Caravan_Outlander_BulkGoods |
Core XML Paths
These are from /game/Data/Core/Defs in this build.
Steel: ThingDefs_Items/Items_Resource_Stuff.xml
MineableSteel: ThingDefs_Buildings/Buildings_Natural.xml
ShipChunk: ThingDefs_Buildings/Buildings_Exotic.xml
ElectricSmelter + DeepDrill: ThingDefs_Buildings/Buildings_Production.xml
ExtractMetalFromSlag: RecipeDefs/Recipes_Production.xml
Scanners: ThingDefs_Buildings/Buildings_Misc.xml
PreciousLump: Sites/Parts/PreciousLump.xml
Orbital bulk goods: TraderKindDefs/TraderKinds_Orbital_Misc.xml
Outlander bulk caravan: TraderKindDefs/TraderKinds_Caravan_Outlander.xml
Outlander settlement: TraderKindDefs/TraderKinds_Base_Outlander.xml