Editing 23a:Metal

{{quality|Exceptional|15:17, 18 April 2011 (UTC)}}{{av}}

'''Metal''' is a [[material]] extracted from [[ore]] at a [[smelter]], turning the ore into '''bars'''* of pure metal. It is sometimes combined with other materials to form an '''alloy''' metal, which is also measured by the bar. An alloy usually improves on the properties of its components to give more uses and/or [[Item value|value]].

There are 7 ores in Dwarf Fortress (plus [[raw adamantine]]).  While all but [[sphalerite]] can be smelted directly into metal bars, 3 special combinations can be smelted together to form the '''alloys''' [[bronze]], [[brass]], and [[electrum]].  While brass has higher value than its components and bronze has both higher value and increased attack/defense power than its ingredients, using electrum results in no overall increase in utility or [[Wealth|created wealth]].

:''(* except [[adamantine]], which produces "wafers" instead of bars)''

Metals can be used to make a wide variety of objects. All metals (except pig iron) can be used to [[forge]] [[furniture]] or [[crafts]], or to [[decorate]] (stud) other objects. Copper, bronze, iron, and steel can be used to forge [[weapon]]s, [[armor]], crossbow [[bolts]], [[ballista|ballista bolts]], and [[trap]] components. Silver can be used to forge bolts and all weapons except [[pick]]s and [[crossbow]]s (although silver weapons do little damage and have no special effects at this time). All metals can also be fashioned into coins, although only copper, silver, gold, electrum, and platinum are used as currency.

Iron, gold, platinum, and [[bituminous coal]] are only found beyond the [[chasm]], but the other metals are abundant throughout the mountain. Raw ore is not usable directly (except sometimes by dwarves in [[strange mood]]s) but must be made into [[bar]]s at a [[smelter]], a process requiring [[fuel]]: [[charcoal]], [[coke]], or [[magma]].

{{Metal table row|name=[[Adamantine]]|color={{Tile|≡|3:1}}{{Tile|‼|3:3:1}}|ore=[[Raw adamantine]]|wpn=x 5.00|other=Everything except beds|dens=1/8|val=300|valinc=}}

{{Metal table row|name=[[Copper]]|color={{Tile|≡|6:0}}{{Tile|‼|4:6:0}}|ore=[[Malachite]]|wpn=x 0.66|other=|dens=1|val=2|valinc=}}

{{Metal table row|name=[[Gold]]|color={{Tile|≡|6:1}}{{Tile|‼|6:6:1}}|ore=[[Native gold]]|wpn=|other=|dens=1|val=30|valinc=}}

{{Metal table row|name=[[Iron]]|color={{Tile|≡|0:1}}{{Tile|‼|0:7:1}}|ore=[[Hematite]]|wpn=x 1.00|other=[[Anvil]]s|dens=1|val=10|valinc=}}

{{Metal table row|name=[[Platinum]]|color={{Tile|≡|7:1}}{{Tile|‼|7:7:1}}|ore=[[Native platinum]]|wpn=|other=|dens=1|val=40|valinc=}}

{{Metal table row|name=[[Silver]]|color={{Tile|≡|7:1}}{{Tile|‼|7:7:1}}|ore=[[Galena]] |wpn=x 0.50*|other=No [[pick]]s or [[crossbow]]s|dens=1|val=10|valinc=}}

{{Metal table row|name=[[Tin]]|color={{Tile|≡|7:0}}{{Tile|‼|7:7:1}}|ore=[[Cassiterite]]|wpn=|other=|dens=1|val=2|valinc=}}

{{Metal table row|name=[[Zinc]]*|color={{Tile|≡|7:1}}{{Tile|‼|0:0:0}}|ore=[[Sphalerite]]|wpn=|other=|dens=1|val=2|valinc=}}

{{Metal table row|name=[[Brass]]|color={{Tile|≡|6:1}}{{Tile|‼|6:6:1}}|ore=[[Malachite]] + [[Sphalerite]]|wpn=|other=|dens=1|val=7|valinc=+5}}

{{Metal table row|name=[[Bronze]]|color={{Tile|≡|6:0}}{{Tile|‼|4:6:0}}|ore=[[Malachite]] + [[Cassiterite]]|wpn=x 0.75|other=|dens=1|val=5|valinc=+3}}

{{Metal table row|name=[[Electrum]]*|color={{Tile|≡|6:1}}{{Tile|‼|6:6:1}}|ore=[[Galena]] + [[Native gold]]|wpn=|other=|dens=1|val=20|valinc=+0}}

{{Metal table row|name=[[Pig iron]]|color={{Tile|≡|0:1}}{{Tile|‼|0:7:1}}|ore=[[Iron]] bars + [[limestone]] + [[refined coal]]|wpn=|other=Only used to make steel|dens=1|val=10|valinc=+0}}

{{Metal table row|name=[[Steel]]|color={{Tile|≡|7:0}}{{Tile|‼|0:7:1}}|ore=[[Hematite]] + [[Pig iron]] bars + [[limestone]] + [[refined coal]]|wpn=x 1.33|other=[[Anvil]]s|dens=1|val=30|valinc=+20}}

:*'''Reaction''' indicates the basic recipe for an alloy - this does not include the [[fuel]] used in that creation.  See the article for that alloy or [[smelting]] for possible alternatives.

::''*Zinc cannot be smelted from sphalerite under normal conditions.''

::''*Electrum cannot be smelted until the [[Dungeon master]] arrives.''

::''*Silver has a 50% armor multiplier, but can't voluntarily be used to make armor.''

:*'''Density''' is used to determine the different weight of finished objects. All standard metals have the same [[Weight#Weight Calculation|density multiplier]] of 1, while Adamantine has a multiplier of 1/8 (the same as [[silk]]).

:*'''[[Material value]]''' is what the base value of an object made of this metal is multiplied by to determine its worth.

:*'''Difference''' indicates the difference between the average [[value]] of the alloy versus the value of the individual bars that would have been produced from smelting the ores directly.