Almost every item in Ark: Survival Evolved has its use, and while early-game players may not value Charcoal particularly highly, it is in fact one of the most essential reagents in your technological progression, and should not be overlooked.

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This guide will cover what items can be crafted with Charcoal, how you can best produce it, and any alternative methods of acquisition. So let's start with the beginning, exploring everything that you can make using Charcoal in Ark: Survival Evolved.

What Is Charcoal Used For?

Charcoal can be utilized for crafting various items, some of which are integral to your Ark progression:

• Gunpowder
• Smoke Grenade
• Poison Grenade
• All Dyes

By far the most useful creation is Gunpowder, as it is a very important component for crafting advanced weapons and defensive structures. The Grenades can see some use but are not nearly as necessary to progression as Gunpowder is, and the majority of your Charcoal will be spent on crafting Gunpowder in your Mortar and Pestle or Chemistry Bench.

When combined with Sparkpowder at a 1:1 ratio, Charcoal will produce six units of Gunpowder, and you can start creating it very early via the Level 6 Mortar and Pestle engram.

• Some Dyes will require extra Charcoal to craft, depending on their color.

Best Ways To Farm Charcoal

Charcoal is only produced via one method: burning Wood. In almost all cases, you will receive Charcoal at a 1:1 ratio, and you cannot increase the speed via which it burns. Wood can be burned in the following structures:

• Campfire
• Standing Torch
• Wall Torch
• Cooking Pot
• Stone Fireplace
• Refining Forge

The only exception to the base production speed is via the use of an Industrial Forge. This will produce Charcoal at a rate of one per second, a significant step up from all other methods. You will need to power the Forge with Gasoline, but with a sizable supply of Wood, you are able to mass-produce Charcoal in incredible quantities.

Charcoal Locations

Other than producing it yourself, Charcoal can be farmed from various locations:

• On the Center Map, Charcoal can be gathered from Burnt Trees in Lava Biomes.
• On the Ragnarok Map, Charcoal is also gathered from Burnt Trees, found in the Volcano Plains.
• On the Valguero Map, Charcoal is also gathered from Burnt Trees on The Great Trench.

On all three maps, the efficiency of harvesting Charcoal will be the same, regardless of which tool is used.

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