BEGINNER FIELD GUIDE
Sandustry Guide
Sandustry becomes much easier once you stop thinking about resources as individual items and start thinking in production chains. This guide covers the core systems a new player needs to understand first: Gold, Research, material reactions, logistics, Water, Lava, and automation.
Your First Important Production Chain
Sand + Water ↓ Wet Sand ↓ Shaker ├── Residue └── Gold (~25% chance)
Sand is created from Dirt and reacts with Water to become Wet Sand. Wet Sand can then be processed by a Shaker. Every Wet Sand produces Residue, while roughly one in four also produces Gold.
Gold matters because Research is one of Sandustry's main progression systems and is used to unlock new Buildings and Tools.
What Comes After the Shaker?
Wet Sand
↓
Shaker
↓
Residue
↓ fire
Burnt Residue
↓ 25+ block drop
Kinetic Press
├── Gold
└── Seed
↓ + Water
Wet Seed
↓
Planter Box
↓
FlowerBurnt Residue can be processed by a Kinetic Press. If it falls onto the press from at least 25 blocks above, one Burnt Residue produces one Gold and one Seed.
Seeds react with Water to create Wet Seeds, and Wet Seeds grow into Flowers when placed on a Planter Box.
Gold Unlocks More Ways to Build
Research unlocks new Buildings, Tools, and other progression systems. Early research includes the Shaker, Conveyor Belt, Launcher, Hover mode, Map, Flare Gun, and Filter.
Do not treat Research as a separate menu from your factory. Your factory exists to produce the resources that unlock Research, and Research gives your factory new ways to move, process, and control those resources.
Moving Materials Is Half the Game
Conveyor Belts
Use Conveyor Belts to continuously move solid resources horizontally.
Launchers
Launchers can move solid materials vertically or diagonally and are useful when a production line needs to gain height.
Filters
Filters separate solid materials using Allow or Block rules. Advanced Filters can later work with solids, liquids, and gases.
Fluids
Most fluids can be transported with a Pump, Pipes, and a Liquid Vent. The official Beginner's Guide specifically notes Lava as an exception.
Water Is More Than a Liquid
Water is used to wet Sand and Seeds, making it an important part of several production chains.
Sources include surface lakes, underground deposits, melting Ice, and rain created when Steam reaches the sky.
Later, the Cryoblaster can generate Snow indefinitely. Because Snow can ultimately become Water, the official Wiki describes this as a slow but infinite Water source.
You Cannot Move Lava Like Normal Water
Lava appears naturally deep underground. Instead of pumping it like a normal fluid, you can freeze it into Scoria, destroy the Scoria to obtain Cinder, transport the Cinder, and ignite it again where you want Lava.
Lava ↓ freeze Scoria ↓ destroy Cinder ↓ transport Cinder at destination ↓ ignite Lava
Lava can also become part of automation. The official Wiki documents setups where trapped Lava is used to ignite Residue moving through a production line.
Tips & Tricks
- Copy Repeated Factory Sections: Press `C` to select a structure, then use `Ctrl+C` and `Ctrl+V` to copy and paste repeated factory layouts.
- Upgrade the Grabber Early: The official Beginner's Guide recommends improving the Grabber early because moving larger quantities of material manually is especially useful before your factory is fully automated.
- Separate Fluid Lines: Pipes can carry multiple fluid types, but Liquid Vents cannot selectively filter what comes out. Separate fluid networks are easier to control.
- Use Filters for Byproducts: When several materials share one production line, Filters are one of the key tools for isolating specific outputs.
Guide FAQ
What should a new Sandustry player learn first?
Start with the relationship between Sand, Water, Wet Sand, Shakers, Gold, and Research. Once that loop makes sense, logistics and later production chains become much easier to understand.
What is Gold used for?
Gold is one of the currencies used to unlock Research and progression.
Why does my Kinetic Press not process Burnt Residue?
Burnt Residue needs to hit the Kinetic Press after falling from at least 25 blocks above. If it falls from too little height, it can remain on top and block the machine.
Can Pipes move Lava?
The official Beginner's Guide specifically excludes Lava from normal Pump-and-Pipe fluid transport.
Related Guides
Your Factory Starts With One Production Loop
Master the first material chain, then expand one system at a time. Sandustry's complexity becomes much easier to manage once every input, output, and reaction has a clear purpose.