How to Get Plasteel in RimWorld — Every Source, Scanner Math & Budget Planner

If you searched how to get plasteel rimworld: buy from the next orbital trader, mine any visible compacted plasteel, and push toward a ground-penetrating scanner + deep drill or a long-range mineral scanner for steady supply.

This page uses RimWorld 1.6.4633 Core defs. Every number below is pulled from game XML files.

Value: 9 silver Mass: 0.25 kg Per vein tile: 40 plasteel Armor sharp: 1.14x Flammability: 0 HP multiplier: 2.8x

Emergency Plasteel Triage

Do this right now if your project is stalled:

Search the map for compacted plasteel — mark every reachable vein.
Pause low-priority plasteel builds before they consume the last stack.
Check orbital and settlement trade options before spending a week on research.
Shred eligible mechanoid corpses after raids instead of letting them rot.
If scanner tech already exists, activate the route you have.
Spend the next batch only on bottleneck projects that unlock progress.

Orbital bulk goods and exotic goods traders carry 100-400 plasteel each. That single trade can solve most mid-game shortages instantly.

Emergency workflow: check visible ore and trade first, then build toward scanners for long-term supply.

Fastest Routes by ETA

Method	ETA	Reliability
Mine visible vein	Immediate	High (if map has it)
Orbital trader	Immediate	Very high
Shred mech corpses	Immediate	Medium
Settlement trade	Short	High
Ground scanner + drill	Medium	Very high (long-term)
Long-range scanner	Medium	High & targeted
Odyssey asteroids	Medium	Medium-high

Plasteel is not fancy steel

Treat it like aircraft fuel — spend only on projects that unlock real progress. Ship parts, critical bionics, and key research upgrades deserve it first.

Every Vanilla Way to Get Plasteel (1.6 Core Defs)

Plasteel

Ground Scanner

LR Scanner

Deep Drill

Comms Console

Machining Table

Source	Speed	Control	Tech Required	Typical Yield	Best For
Compacted plasteel (surface mining)	Fast	Low-Med	None	40/tile, veins of 2-8 tiles = 80-320	Early game, mountain maps
Orbital trade (bulk/exotic goods)	Fast	High	Comms + beacon	100-400 per trader	Mid-late game emergencies
Settlement / caravan trade	Medium	High	Travel ability	Up to ~200	Early-mid game buying
Ground scanner + deep drill	Medium start	Medium	Research + 700W + 200W	~2,100 avg per deposit	Settled base steady income
Long-range mineral scanner	Medium	High	Research + 700W + travel	400-600 per site	Targeted refills
Mechanoid shredding	Fast (post-fight)	Low	Machining research	10-20 per corpse	Passive supplement
Quest rewards	Variable	Low	Colony strength	Varies widely	Opportunistic bonus
Odyssey asteroids	Medium	Medium	Odyssey DLC + travel	Variable (pockets, not solid)	Late-game orbital economies
Anomaly Transmute steel	Variable	Low	Anomaly DLC	Random output	Niche support only

Myth busted: Normal ship chunks give steel + components, not plasteel. Odyssey mechanoid ship chunks give steel + gravlite panels — also no plasteel.

Ship Chunk = 0 Plasteel

Slag Chunk = 0 Plasteel

Plasteel Material Properties (Core Def)

Market Value

9 silver

Mass

0.25 kg

Armor (Sharp)

1.14x

Armor (Blunt)

0.55x

Armor (Heat)

0.65x

Max HP Multiplier

2.8x

Flammability

0 (fireproof)

Work Multiplier

2.2x (slower to craft with)

Crafting Commonality

0.05 (rare)

Deep Mining Yield

10 per portion, lumps 2-10

Scanner Comparison (Core Defs)

Side-by-side: Ground-Penetrating Scanner (local deposits) vs Long-Range Mineral Scanner (targeted remote sites).

Attribute	Ground-Penetrating Scanner	Long-Range Mineral Scanner
What it does	Creates local underground deposits on home map	Finds targeted remote deposits 6-25 tiles away
Build cost	150 steel + 4 components + 1 adv. component	200 steel + 6 components + 2 adv. components
Work to build	12,000 ticks	10,000 ticks
Power	700W	700W
Roof rule	Must remain unroofed	Must remain unroofed
Mean scan time	3 days	4 days (any resource)
Max scan time (guaranteed find)	6 days	8 days
Scan speed stat	ResearchSpeed	ResearchSpeed
Plasteel control	Medium — resource is randomized	High — can target plasteel specifically
Typical plasteel yield	~2,100 avg per deposit (300/cell)	400-600 per remote site
Travel required	No	Yes (caravan/shuttle)
Site expiry	N/A	30 days if not entered
Sea ice	Blocked in 1.6	Works (need travel)
Research prereq	GroundPenetratingScanner	LongRangeMineralScanner

Scanner Timing Calculator

Estimate how many scans your colony gets per quadrum (15 days).

Scanner type

Operator research speed multiplier

Days available (default: 15 = 1 quadrum)

Adjusted mean scan time—

Adjusted max scan time—

Expected scans in period—

If plasteel each time (ground ~33%)—

Deep Drill Yield Calculator

Estimate plasteel from a scanned deep deposit.

Deposit cells (typical: 7)

Plasteel per cell (default: 300)

Mining yield multiplier (1.0 = 100%)

Base plasteel—

After yield modifier—

Market value (@ 9 silver each)—

Deep Drill (Core Def)

Deep Drill

100 Steel

2 Components

Build Cost

100 steel + 2 components

Power

200W

Construction Skill

4 minimum

Research Prereq

DeepDrilling

Pro tip: Both scanners use ResearchSpeed as their scan stat. Your best researcher doubles as your best prospector — protect their schedule.

Mechanoid Shredding Yield (Core Defs)

Shred mechanoid corpses at a machining table or crafting spot. These are the plasteel-yielding mechanoids:

Machining Table

Plasteel

Steel

Slag (no plasteel mechs)

Plasteel yield per mechanoid type. Heavy mechs (centipede, tunneler, termite) = 10 each. Boss-tier (diabolus, centurion, war queen) = 20 each.

Mechanoid	Steel	Plasteel	Total Value (plasteel only)	Difficulty
Centipede	30	10	90 silver	Heavy combatant
Tunneler	30	10	90 silver	Burrower
Termite	30	10	90 silver	Breacher
Diabolus	40	20	180 silver	Boss-tier
Centurion	40	20	180 silver	Late-game
War Queen	40	20	180 silver	Boss-tier

Important: Lancers, scythers, and pikemen do NOT yield plasteel — only slag chunks (steel). Focus salvage on the heavy mechanoids above.

Post-Raid Salvage Calculator

Centipedes killed

Tunnelers killed

Termites killed

Diaboli killed

Centurions killed

War Queens killed

Total plasteel from shredding—

Total steel from shredding—

Plasteel market value—

Salvage Discipline

Make salvage automatic

Set a "Do until you have X" bill for shredding at the machining table.
Haul mech corpses to a dedicated dump zone near the table.
10-20 plasteel per fight adds up — 5 centipede fights = 50 free plasteel.
Do not let corpses rot outdoors while you rebuild.

Zero plasteel myths

Normal ship chunks = steel + components (no plasteel)
Odyssey mech ship chunks = steel + gravlite panels (no plasteel)
Lancers, scythers, pikemen = slag only (no plasteel)

Plasteel Budget Planner

Enter your planned projects to see if current supply + income can cover them.

Current plasteel stock

Expected income (next 15 days)

Planned projects (enter plasteel cost for each)

Project 1 name

Cost

Project 2 name

Cost

Project 3 name

Cost

Project 4 name

Cost

Total available (stock + income)—

Total project demand—

Surplus / Deficit—

Verdict—

Trade Value Calculator

How much silver to buy the plasteel you need?

Plasteel to buy

Negotiation price factor (1.0 = base, lower = better)

Base value (9 silver each)—

Estimated buy price (with markup)—

Mass to haul—

Traders typically charge ~1.4x-1.8x base value. The calculator uses your negotiation factor applied to a 1.5x base markup estimate.

Spending Priority

Comms Console

Trade Beacon

Silver

Plasteel

Priority	Spend On
Highest	Ship parts, key research upgrades, critical bionics
High	Combat gear upgrades, key work-speed improvements
Medium	Nice bench upgrades, backup advanced gear
Low	Vanity builds, duplicate luxury equipment

What Should Your Colony Do Right Now?

Pick the colony state that matches yours. Each card gives concrete actions.

State 1: Early colony, no scanners, small visible vein

Do: Mine the vein. Buy from nearest settlement. Keep spending narrow.

Don't: Queue more plasteel recipes than the current haul can support.

State 2: Midgame, decent cash, orbital trade online

Do: Buy what you need first. Use breathing room to build scanner infrastructure.

Don't: Spend the bought batch on vanity work. Build scanners without staffing plans.

State 3: Settled mountain colony, scanner research close

Do: Finish scanner research. Lay out unroofed footprint + power. Plan haul routes.

Don't: Assume visible ore means scanners can wait forever.

State 4: Flat map, strong caravan, long-range scanner ready

Do: Use long-range scanner for plasteel spikes. Plan carrying capacity first.

Don't: Romanticize every site as mandatory. Send undersized teams.

State 5: Sea ice or extreme biome (1.6)

Do: Buy aggressively. Treat quests as serious opportunities. Lean on Odyssey travel if available.

Don't: Follow outdated advice about sea-ice ground scanning (blocked in 1.6).

State 6: Odyssey colony with functioning shuttles

Do: Compare asteroids, settlements, and traders as one travel menu. Pick best yield/downtime ratio.

Don't: Chase orbit because it feels advanced. Assume every asteroid is rich.

Biome Strategy Summary

Map Type	Best First Answer	Best Long-Term	Main Trap
Mountain / Large hills	Visible compacted plasteel	Ground scanner + deep drill	Overdigging unsafe tunnels
Flat temperate	Settlement trade + long-range scanner	Long-range scanner + orbital trade	Waiting for ore that may not exist
Boreal / Tundra	Trade + long-range scanner	Ground scanner if colony settles deep	Travel weather and seasonal drag
Desert / Arid	Trade + targeted scanner	Any route power and travel support	Assuming poor plants = poor trade
Sea ice	Trade, quests, Odyssey	Orbital trade or long-range scanner	Ground scanner is blocked in 1.6
Odyssey mobile	Settlement loops + asteroids	Odyssey mobility stack	Overvaluing asteroids as jackpots

Common Mistakes

Researching appetite before supply
Refusing to buy because silver "feels more real"
Ignoring small visible veins
Building scanners without the workflow around them
Not planning hauling for long-range sites

Letting mech salvage rot in the field
Spending plasteel like it is fancy steel
Following old sea-ice scanner advice
Overrating Odyssey asteroids
Not deciding what plasteel is for before acquiring it

Core Def Sources

Plasteel

Steel

Component

Adv. Component

Exact files from RimWorld 1.6 that define the numbers on this page:

ThingDefs_Items/Items_Resource_Stuff.xml
  ThingDef Plasteel:
    marketValue = 9
    mass = 0.25
    StuffPower_Armor_Sharp = 1.14
    StuffPower_Armor_Blunt = 0.55
    StuffPower_Armor_Heat  = 0.65
    MaxHitPointsFactor = 2.8
    Flammability = 0
    WorkToMakeFactor = 2.2
    commonalityMultiplier = 0.05
    deepCommonality = 1, deepCountPerPortion = 10

ThingDefs_Buildings/Buildings_Natural.xml
  ThingDef MineablePlasteel:
    maxHitPoints = 8000
    mineableYield = 40
    mineableScatterCommonality = 0.05
    mineableScatterLumpSizeRange = 2~8

ThingDefs_Buildings/Buildings_Misc.xml
  ThingDef GroundPenetratingScanner:
    costList: Steel 150, ComponentIndustrial 4, ComponentSpacer 1
    basePowerConsumption = 700
    scanFindMtbDays = 3
    scanFindGuaranteedDays = 6
    scanSpeedStat = ResearchSpeed

  ThingDef LongRangeMineralScanner:
    costList: Steel 200, ComponentIndustrial 6, ComponentSpacer 2
    basePowerConsumption = 700
    scanFindMtbDays = 4
    scanFindGuaranteedDays = 8
    scanSpeedStat = ResearchSpeed

ThingDefs_Buildings/Buildings_Production.xml
  ThingDef DeepDrill:
    costList: Steel 100, ComponentIndustrial 2
    basePowerConsumption = 200
    researchPrerequisites: DeepDrilling
    constructionSkillPrerequisite = 4

Open in This Site's Wiki

Plasteel Compacted Plasteel Ground Scanner Long-Range Scanner Deep Drill More guides

Related Guides

How to Get Cloth How to Make Kibble Map Reroll Guide

Useful Mods

Mod	What It Changes
Better Ground Scanner	Target specific underground resources
Craftable Plasteel 1.6	Direct plasteel recipes at workbenches
Rimefeller	Oil-to-industry pipeline for plasteel
Asteroid Mineral Scanner	Targeted orbital asteroid hunts

All mods listed are clearly non-vanilla. The rest of this page covers only base game + official DLC behavior.