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Metals: what each one is good for.
Metals give you tools, suits, alloys and machines. Here is every metal you can actually find, how hard it is, how hot it melts and where it comes from.
How to read this page
- Hardness sets how long it takes to dig, and with density and toughness it sets how good a tool, suit shell or weapon barrel it makes.
- Melts at is in degrees. A metal smelts out of its ore at 85 per cent of this. See Smelting and fuel.
- To dig it is the tool tier needed to break the metal block, where one exists in the ground. See Tools and tiers.
- Conductivity is electrical, in MS/m.
The early metals
| Metal | Hardness | Density | Melts at | Conducts | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Copper | 3 | 8.96 | 1085 | 59.6 | Smelt Malachite, Azurite or Chalcopyrite |
| Tin | 1.5 | 7.3 | 232 | 9.2 | Smelt Cassiterite |
| Zinc | 2.5 | 7.14 | 420 | 16.6 | Smelt Sphalerite |
| Lead | 1.5 | 11.34 | 327 | 4.8 | Smelt Galena. Toxic, and good at shielding. |
| Iron | 4.5 | 7.87 | 1538 | 10 | Smelt Hematite, Magnetite or Rust; also native in the Upper Mantle. Magnetic. |
| Gold | 2.5 | 19.3 | 1064 | 45 | Smelt Auriferous Quartz; Sand Raiders drop it too. A noble metal. |
| Silver | 2.5 | 10.5 | 962 | 63 | Smelt Acanthite. A noble metal. |
| Aluminium | 2.75 | 2.7 | 660 | 37.7 | Smelt Bauxite |
| Magnesium | 2.5 | 1.74 | 650 | 22.6 | Smelt Olivine or Dolomite. Burns readily. |
The early metals are in the crust. Copper, tin and iron take you from the Kindling Age through Tinmelt and Anvil. Tool tiers: Copper is tier 2 as a head, Iron tier 4. Tin and Lead heads only reach tier 0, no better than bare hands.
Mantle and core metals
| Metal | Hardness | Density | Melts at | Conducts | To dig it | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Titanium | 6 | 4.5 | 1668 | 2.4 | Steel (5) | Smelt Rutile or Ilmenite (Upper Mantle) |
| Nickel | 4 | 8.9 | 1455 | 14.3 | Bronze (3) | Native in the Upper Mantle and Outer Core; smelt Pentlandite |
| Cobalt | 5 | 8.9 | 1495 | 17 | Iron (4) | Smelt Cobaltite. Magnetic. |
| Chromium | 8.5 | 7.19 | 1907 | 7.9 | Plasma (7), Coreforged only | Native in the Lower Mantle; smelt Chromite |
| Tungsten | 7.5 | 19.3 | 3422 | 18 | Tungsten (6) | Native in the Lower Mantle; smelt Wolframite |
| Vanadium | 6.7 | 6 | 1910 | 5 | Steel (5) | Lower Mantle veins |
| Molybdenum | 5.5 | 10.2 | 2623 | 20 | Steel (5) | Lower Mantle veins |
| Tantalum | 6.5 | 16.7 | 3017 | 7.6 | Steel (5) | Lower Mantle pockets |
| Platinum | 4 | 21.45 | 1768 | 9.4 | Bronze (3) | Native in the Outer Core; smelt Sperrylite. A noble metal and a catalyst. |
| Palladium | 4.75 | 12 | 1555 | 9.5 | Iron (4) | Lower Mantle pockets. A noble metal and a catalyst. |
| Iridium | 6.5 | 22.56 | 2446 | 21 | Steel (5) | Lower Mantle pockets. A noble metal. |
| Osmium | 7 | 22.59 | 3033 | 12 | Tungsten (6) | Lower Mantle pockets |
| Beryllium | 5.5 | 1.85 | 1287 | 25 | Steel (5) | Smelt Emerald (a trace) |
Radioactive metals
| Metal | Hardness | Density | Melts at | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Uranium | 6 | 19.1 | 1132 | Smelt Uraninite (80% yield). Radioactive and toxic. |
| Thorium | 3 | 11.7 | 1750 | Smelt Monazite (10% yield). Radioactive. |
Digging 60 blocks of these metals or their ores begins the Corelight Age: see The eight ages.
Liquid and non-metal elements
- Mercury: a toxic liquid metal. It comes from Cinnabar but cannot be smelted in a furnace.
- Sulfur: hardness 1.8, melts at 115. Smelt Pyrite. It is flammable. Used in Gunpowder, acid and plasma cells.
- Graphite: hardness 1.5, melts at 3600. Found in the crust. It goes into Steel and Tungsten Carbide.
- Diamond: hardness 10, the hardest natural thing. Found in the Lower Mantle, or smelt Kimberlite at 3018 degrees (2% yield).
- Red Phosphorus: smelt Apatite (15% yield). Flammable fertiliser.
What makes a good tool head?
Toughness matters as much as hardness. Copper out-performs flint. The best natural heads (tool score) are:
| Metal | Tool score | Tier |
|---|---|---|
| Tungsten | 6.02 | 6 |
| Chromium | 5.82 | 6 |
| Titanium | 5.43 | 5 |
| Cobalt | 4.37 | 4 |
| Iron | 3.93 | 4 |
| Platinum | 3.73 | 3 |
| Nickel | 3.64 | 3 |
| Copper | 2.80 | 2 |
| Aluminium | 2.53 | 1 |
| Gold | 2.40 | 1 |
Better still are the alloys: Steel (5.10), Titanium Alloy (5.75) and the Coreforged alloy. See Alloys and the Forge.
Metals for suits and armour
Dense metals block radiation, and hard, tough ones take pressure. The heaviest are Platinum, Iridium, Osmium and Tungsten. Their full ratings for suits are in Suits and armour.
Deep and strange metals
The metals of the deep core and of space have their own page: Rare, deep and exotic materials.
← Back to the wiki · Last updated 25 October 2026. Mantlenaut is in alpha, so things change.