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v0.34:Magma-safe
| This article is about an older version of DF. |
Magma-safe materials are materials which will not melt, burn, evaporate, or otherwise take damage when in close contact with magma. Most frequently, this comes into play when using floodgates operated by mechanisms.
For reactions and custom buildings using the [MAGMA_BUILD_SAFE] token, only a material which is solid and stable at the temperature 12000 °U (i.e. MELTING_POINT/BOILING_POINT/IGNITE_POINT/HEATDAM_POINT greater than 12000 and COLDDAM_POINT less than 12000) is considered magma-safe. Furthermore, only bars, blocks, stone, logs, and anvils can be recognized as magma-safe - all other item types are considered unsafe, even if they are made of magma-safe materials.
In order to construct mechanisms from a magma-safe stone, simply ensure that they are the closest available stone to your mechanic, ideally by placing a stockpile around your mechanic's workshop that is set to "Give To A Pile/Workshop" (g). As long as that stockpile is the only one set for the corresponding workshop, your dwarves will only take from stones in that pile to complete jobs queued for that particular workshop. Burrows can also be of assistance here, as dwarves will not attempt to pick up stone outside of their burrow assignments. However, if you have an active metalworking industry and have access to iron or steel, constructing metal mechanisms is much more straightforward.
When linking a trigger to an object, the first mechanism selected is attached to the object, and the second is attached to the trigger. Unless the trigger itself will be submerged in magma (as could be the case with a pressure plate), only the first mechanism (attached to the object that will be submerged) need be magma-safe. If you do not have any magma-safe stones available, you can also work around floodgate-based flow control by using screw pumps to pump the magma over wall-barriers, or using water to form obsidian to plug flows and channel through them to reopen them (necessity and invention and all that).
This property is also relevant when choosing the appropriate method for disposing of unneeded items, which can impact FPS when in large numbers. Items made of non magma-safe materials can be simply dumped into magma, which is the easiest disposal method; however, magma-safe items will need more drastic measures.
Constructions that resist magma are:
- Constructions (Wall, Floor, Ramp, and Stairs) of any material can never melt or burn - there is nothing wrong with a wooden magma reservoir. Natural (i.e. non-constructed) ice walls/floors/ramps/stairs will melt if exposed to sufficient heat.
- Fortifications will allow the passage of magma; however, if fortifications fill up to 7/7 depth, magma creatures will be able to swim freely through them.
- If not submerged (that is, not opened to let magma flow over/past/around them), doors, floodgates, and raised bridges (provided that there is no magma on the space the bridge would occupy when lowered) of non-magma-safe stone or metal are safe. So long as they are just in contact with magma, only acting as a passive "wall", they are fine. If opened, they will melt.
- Raised drawbridges have a notable exception, in that allowing magma to flow over the center of the area that the bridge would normally occupy when lowered will cause the bridge's components to heat up and potentially melt.
- A pump made with magma-safe material for pipes, screws and and blocks is fully magma-safe, and will not melt even when submerged in magma. Pumps containing any item that is not magma safe will be destroyed after prolonged operation.
Game calculations
In the game, magma's temperature is exactly 12000 °U .
The chance of striking a magma-safe stone is roughly around 32%, not including the natural abundance of certain stone. It is important to note whether or not your fortress may already have access to magma-safe resources before attempting to deliberately find some.
Magma-safe material
The following materials will not melt when submerged in magma. Although true for any item/construction, it's worth specifically mentioning that this includes doors, floor hatches, floodgates, bridges, screw pumps, and mechanisms.
| Type | Material | Appearance1 | Melting Temperature °U (°F, °C)2 | Found in | Uses / Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stone | Alunite | ` • | 13,690°U (3722°F/2051°C) | All Igneous extrusive(L), Kaolinite(L) | |
| Stone | Anhydrite | v • | 12,610°U (2642°F/1450°C) | Gypsum(S), Satinspar(1), Alabaster(1), Selenite(1) | |
| Stone | Basalt | # • | 12,160°U (2192°F/1200°C) | Igneous extrusive layer stone | |
| Stone | Bauxite | + • | 13,600°U (3632°F/2000°C) | All Sedimentary(L) | dark red |
| Stone | Calcite | " • | 12,902°U (2934°F/1613°C) | Limestone(S), Marble(S) | flux stone |
| Stone | Chert | = • | 13,101°U (3133°F/1723°C) | Sedimentary layer stone | |
| Stone | Chromite | = • | 13,645°U (3677°F/2026°C) | Olivine(V) | |
| Stone | Dolomite | ` • | 16,507°U (6539°F/3619°C) | Sedimentary layer stone | Flux |
| Stone | Gabbro | ▒ • | 12,160°U (2192°F/1200°C) | Igneous intrusive layer stone | |
| Stone | Ilmenite | . • | 12,457°U (2489°F/1365°C) | Gabbro(S) | |
| Stone | Kaolinite | = • | 13,150°U (3182°F/1751°C) | All Sedimentary(L) | dark red, porcelain |
| Stone | Mica | v • | 12,295°U (2327°F/1275°C) | All Metamorphic(L), Granite(L) | |
| Stone | Obsidian | ▒ • | 13,600°U (3632°F/2001°C) | Igneous extrusive layer stone | value 3, can be "manufactured" |
| Stone | Olivine | % • | 13,168°U (3200°F/1761°C) | Gabbro(L) | green |
| Stone | Orthoclase | % • | 12,250°U (2282°F/1250°C) | All Igneous intrusive(L), All Metamorphic(L) | yellow |
| Stone | Periclase | , • | 15,040°U (5072°F/2803°C) | Marble(S) | |
| Stone | Petrified wood | % • | 12,970°U (3002°F/1650°C) | All Sedimentary(S) | bright red |
| Stone | Pitchblende | * • | 12,070°U (2102°F/1149°C) | Granite(S) | purple |
| Stone | Quartzite | - • | 12,970°U (3002°F/1650°C) | Metamorphic layer stone | |
| Stone | Rutile | ` • | 13,285°U (3214°F/1826°C) | All Metamorphic(S), Granite(S) | purple |
| Stone | Sandstone | # • | 12,070°U (2102°F/1149°C) | Sedimentary layer stone | |
| Stone | Talc | | • | 12,700°U (2732°F/1500°C) | Dolomite(L) | |
| Metal | Adamantine | X ≡ | 25,000°U (15,032°F/8333°C) | Highest value/utility material in game | |
| Metal | Iron | X ≡ | 12,768°U (2800°F/1538°C) | ||
| Metal | Nickel | X ≡ | 12,619°U (2651°F/1455°C) | ||
| Metal | Pig iron | X ≡ | 12,106°U (2138°F/1170°C) | used in steel making process | |
| Metal | Platinum | X ≡ | 13,182°U (3214°F/1768°C) | High value metal | |
| Metal | Steel | X ≡ | 12,718°U (2750°F/1510°C) | Armor/weapons | |
| Ore | Cassiterite | £ * | 12,025°U (2057°F/1124°C) | Granite(V) | Ore of tin |
| Ore | Galena | £ * | 12,005°U (2037°F/1113°C) | All Igneous extrusive(V), All Metamorphic(V), Granite(V), Limestone(V) | Ore of lead and silver |
| Ore | Hematite3 | £ * | 12,736°U (2768°F/1520°C) | All Sedimentary(V), All Igneous extrusive(V) | Ore of iron3 |
| Ore | Magnetite3 | ~ * | 12,768°U (2800°F/1538°C) | All Sedimentary(L) | Ore of iron3 |
| Ore | Native platinum | £ * | 13,182°U (3214°F/1768°C) | Olivine(V), Magnetite(V), Chromite(S) | Ore of platinum |
| Ore | Sphalerite4 | £ * | 12,133°U (2165°F/1185°C) | All Metamorphic(V) | Ore of zinc4 |
| Wood | Nether-cap5 | ♠ ▬ | N/A | Cavern (depth 3) | Naturally cold5 |
| Special | Raw adamantine | £ * | 25,000°U (15,032°F/8333°C) | The depths | Ore of adamantine |
| Leather | Fire imp | 15,000°U (5032°F/2780°C) | |||
| Leather | Dragon | 55,000°U (45032°F/25,044°C) | Dragon scales actually cannot be tanned | ||
| Bone | Fire imp | 15,000°U (5032°F/2780°C) | |||
| Bone | Dragon | 55,000°U (45032°F/25,044°C) | |||
| Glass | Green glass | X ■ | 13,600°U (3632°F/2001°C) | ||
| Glass | Clear glass | X ■ | 13,600°U (3632°F/2001°C) | ||
| Glass | Crystal glass | X ■ | 13,600°U (3632°F/2001°C) |
Notes:
- 1. Each stone is one of 16 colors in the game. Different un-mined stone of the same color have a different symbol to distinguish between them. Once mined, the individual stones themselves can sometimes look identical if the color is the same. Use k to look at items or the terrain for specific information.
- 2. °U = degrees in Urist, the measure of temperature within the Dwarf Fortress world. As far as is known, there is no functional difference between a material that melts at 12005 °U or 55000 °U — they are both equally "magma safe".
- 3. There are three iron ores in the game (four if you count Goblinite). Of these, only hematite and magnetite are magma safe.
- 4. Sphalerite has no melting point, but sublimates at 12133 °U . This still qualifies as being magma-safe.
- 5. Nether-cap logs have a fixed temperature of 10000 °U , rendering them fully magma safe, except that nether-cap products dumped into magma are destroyed.