Quick Links
Survival games are packed with a wide variety of materials, and Astroneer is no exception. As you journey through the solar system and discover the planets, you will come across unique materials that can help you progress. One of the materials that you will gather early in the game is ceramic.
Ceramic is a useful material, especially when you are creating your first base on Sylva. This material is made from clay, which can be hard to get your hands on if you don't know where to look. First, let's go over how to get this earthy material.
Digging For Clay
Clay can be found on every planet within clay nodes. These are rock-like structures that appear reddish-brown on the surface of the planet. After walking around for a short amount of time, you should be able to find a cluster of these nodes.
By using your terrain tool to destroy the nodes, you can gather clay. In the image above, you can see a clay node that has yet to be harvested.
Using The Soil Centrifuge
Clay can also be created from the Soil Centrifuge. This is a piece of equipment that filters soil to give you a specific resource.
The blueprint for the Soil Centrifuge, which is created from the medium printer, can be unlocked for 750 bytes. To make the centrifuge, you will need the following materials.
- 2 Compound
- 1 Aluminum
Once the Soil Centrifuge is built and placed, you can add soil canisters to the top; this will unload the canister, allowing you to collect it again when empty. If you need soil, attach a canister to the side of the terrain tool and start terraforming. Soil will automatically be sucked into the canister.
With two full canisters of soil in the Soil Centrifuge, you can create six pieces of clay.
Trading Scraps For Clay
At the Trade Platform, you will be able to trade one piece of scrap for two pieces of clay. This is a simple way to obtain clay, but you will need to have the platform and scrap readily available. For more information, be sure to check out our guide on debris, which is used in the creation of scrap.
The Trade Platform can be crafted at the medium printer once unlocked for 2,500 bytes. You will need the following materials to craft this item.
- 1 EXO Chip
- 1 Tungsten
- 1 Iron
If you are running low on scrap or plan to save up for rarer items, such as wolframite and lithium, it's best to find clay manually rather than trading for it.
Turning Clay Into Ceramic
Now that you have clay, it's finally time to turn it into ceramic. To do so, you just need to place at least one piece of clay in the Smelting Furnace. After a short processing time, you will have ceramic.
The Smelting Furnace will unlock for 250 bytes and can be printed at the medium printer. To make it, you will need the following materials.
- 2 Resin
- 1 Compound
What To Make With Ceramic
Ceramic is used in several important items, which you can find below. These items are separated by the printer they can be made at.
Backpack
These items can be made directly from your backpack and do not require any printer.
|
Item |
Cost To Unlock |
Materials Needed |
|---|---|---|
|
Drill Mod 1 |
1,000 Bytes |
|
|
Small Wind Turbine |
300 Bytes |
|
Small Printer
The small printer can be crafted from your backpack with one compound, allowing you to easily set up a printing area.
|
Item |
Cost To Unlock |
Materials Needed |
|---|---|---|
|
Oxygenator |
1,800 Bytes |
|
|
Medium Wind Turbine |
2,500 Bytes |
|
|
Tall Platform |
750 Bytes |
|
|
Tall Storage |
400 Bytes |
|
|
Drill Strength 1 |
2,500 Bytes |
|
Medium Printer
This printer can be crafted from a small printer with two compounds.
|
Item |
Cost To Unlock |
Materials Needed |
|---|---|---|
|
Chemistry Lab |
1,600 Bytes |
|
|
EXO Request Platform |
1,000 Bytes |
|
|
Large Wind Turbine |
3,500 Bytes |
|
|
Large Platform C |
1,000 Bytes |
|
|
Large Curved Platform |
1,000 Bytes |
|
|
Large Storage |
2,000 Bytes |
|
Large Printer
This is the largest printer available and can be made from the medium printer with three compounds.
|
Item |
Cost To Unlock |
Materials Needed |
|---|---|---|
|
XL Wind Turbine |
4,500 Bytes |
|
|
Extra Large Platform A |
2,000 Bytes |
|
|
Extra Large Curved Platform |
2,000 Bytes |
|
|
Extra Large Storage |
2,000 Bytes |
|
|
Landing Pad |
750 Bytes |
|
|
Medium Shuttle |
3,750 Bytes |
|
|
Large Shuttle |
5,000 Bytes |
|
That's all there is to know about ceramic in Astroneer. The best way to obtain clay for ceramic is to process soil at the Soil Centrifuge, so don't forget to craft a few canisters and attach them to your terrain tool!