Sandustry Beginner Guide — Production Chains, Gold & Research

New players who struggle in Sandustry usually share the same habit: treating every resource as a loose item on the ground. The game clicks the moment you read your factory as a set of connected production chains. This guide walks through the systems that matter in your first hours — your first Gold chain, Research, material reactions, logistics, Water, and the Lava exception.

The Chain That Changes Everything: Sand to Gold

The reaction at the heart of the early game is simple. Sand, made from Dirt, turns into Wet Sand when it touches Water. Feed that Wet Sand into a Shaker and every unit comes out as Residue — with roughly a one-in-four chance of producing Gold on top.

Sand  +  Water
        ↓
     Wet Sand
        ↓
      Shaker
    ├── Residue
    └── Gold (~25% chance)

Gold is not a trophy. It is the fuel for Research, one of Sandustry's main progression systems, and Research is what unlocks new Buildings and Tools. In practice this means the Shaker is rarely optional: it converts dirt you are standing on into long-term factory capability.

Chaining Further: Residue Into Seeds and Flowers

Residue does not have to be a dead end. Ignite it into Burnt Residue, then drop it onto a Kinetic Press from at least 25 blocks of height. A successful drop converts one Burnt Residue into one Gold and one Seed.

Residue
   ↓ ignite
Burnt Residue
   ↓ 25+ block drop
Kinetic Press
   ├── Gold
   └── Seed
         ↓ + Water
      Wet Seed
         ↓
    Planter Box
         ↓
       Flower

Seeds meet Water to become Wet Seeds, and a Wet Seed placed on a Planter Box grows into a Flower. This is your first example of a multi-stage chain where one machine's output becomes the input of a completely different system.

Spend Gold Deliberately: How Research Fits the Loop

Early Research targets include the Shaker, Conveyor Belt, Launcher, Hover mode, Map, Flare Gun, and Filter. The important mental model: Research is not a separate menu you visit between factory sessions. Your factory produces the Gold that buys Research, and every Research purchase hands your factory new ways to move, process, and control materials. The loop feeds itself in both directions.

Logistics: Four Ways to Move Things

Conveyor Belts

The default answer for moving solid resources horizontally in a continuous flow.

Launchers

When a line needs to gain height, Launchers throw solid materials vertically or diagonally — essential once Burnt Residue needs its 25-block drop.

Filters

Filters separate mixed solid streams using Allow and Block rules. Advanced Filters extend this to solids, liquids, and gases later in the game.

Fluids

Most liquids travel through a Pump, Pipes, and a Liquid Vent. One famous exception exists, and it is where many new factories stall.

Water: the Multi-Chain Resource

Water appears in more chains than almost any other material because it wets both Sand and Seeds. You will find it in surface lakes and underground deposits, get it by melting Ice, and catch it as rain when Steam rises high enough to reach the sky.

Later, a Cryoblaster produces Snow indefinitely, and Snow ultimately converts back into Water — which is why the official Wiki calls it a slow but infinite Water source.

The Lava Exception

Lava generates naturally deep underground, and no Pump-and-Pipe setup will move it. The reliable method is a conversion round-trip:

Lava
 ↓ freeze
Scoria
 ↓ destroy
Cinder
 ↓ transport
Cinder at destination
 ↓ ignite
Lava

Freeze Lava into Scoria, break the Scoria into portable Cinder, carry the Cinder wherever you need it, and ignite it to recreate Lava on site. Lava can even participate in automation: the official Wiki documents setups where trapped Lava ignites Residue flowing through a production line.

Beginner FAQ

What should I learn first?

The Sand → Wet Sand → Shaker → Gold → Research loop. Every other system gets easier to read once that cycle is second nature.

What is Gold for?

Unlocking Research and progression content. It is the currency that turns factory output into new capability.

Why won't my Kinetic Press process Burnt Residue?

Height. Burnt Residue must fall at least 25 blocks before hitting the press; a shorter drop leaves it sitting on top of the machine, blocking the input.

Can Pipes move Lava?

No. The official Beginner's Guide explicitly excludes Lava from normal Pump-and-Pipe transport — use the freeze-carry-ignite route instead.