40d:The Non-Dwarf's Guide to Rock

Wondering what that new kind of rock your dwarves just struck is good for? Possibly nothing, but when you're just getting started it can be tough to tell the trash from the treasure. The following table summarizes the types of stone and ore found in Dwarf Fortress (note that it does not include gems).

The Uses column lists any special uses or properties of this particular stone type; if no uses are listed, you can always use the stone for general construction and crafting. Note that many "low value" materials are still very useful in a Dwarf Fortress. "Colors" are useful for color coding or creative aesthetic uses.

For more detailed and expanded information, see the Stone, Ore, Metals & Alloys, Veins & Clusters, and Smelting pages, or the article on any particular stone, metal or ore.

Table of Rocks

(Some materials are worth an additional comment; these are numbered, with notes below table.)

Name	Type	Uses	Appearance*
Adamantine, raw	THE highest value "ore"1	Becomes Adamantine1, by far the most valuable substance	£ *
Alabaster	stone	Low value stone	^ ●
Aluminum, native	a high-value ore	Smelt into Aluminum, a highest-value metal	^ *
Alunite	stone	Low value stone	` ●
Andesite	layer stone	Low value stone	∞ ●
Anhydrite	stone	Low value stone	v ●
Basalt	layer stone	Low value stone	# ●
Bauxite	stone	The only magma-safe stone2; only source of some high-value gems	+ ●
Bismuthinite	rare/obscure ore	Ingredient of Bismuth Bronze	% *
Bituminous coal	stone	Smelt into Fuel, flammable	☼ ☼
Borax	stone	Low value stone	` ●
Brimstone	stone	Low value stone	% ●
Calcite	stone	Flux, mid-value stone	" ●
Cassiterite	uncommon ore	Smelt into Tin, a low-value metal; ingredient of Bronzes	£ *
Chalk	layer stone	Flux, mid-value stone	░ ●
Chert	layer stone	Low value stone	= ●
Chromite	stone	Low value stone	= ●
Cinnabar	stone	Low value stone	£ *
Claystone	layer stone	Low value stone	, ●
Cobaltite	stone	Low value stone	£ *
Conglomerate	layer stone	Low value stone	∞ ●
Copper, native	common low-value ore	Smelt into Copper, a low-value metal	£ *
Cryolite	stone	Low value stone	- ●
Diorite	layer stone	Low value stone	░ ●
Dolomite	layer stone	Flux, mid-value stone	` ●
Felsite	layer stone	Low value stone	. ●
Flint	layer stone	Low value stone	▓ ●
Gabbro	layer stone	Low value stone; only source of some ores & gems	▒ ●
Galena	ore	Smelt into Lead, a low-value metal, w/ a 50% chance3 for Silver	£ *
Garnierite	uncommon ore	Smelt into Nickel, a low-value metal, magma-safe	£ *
Gneiss	layer stone	Low value stone	= ●
Gold nuggets	ore	Smelt into Gold, a high-value metal	£ *
Granite	layer stone	Low value stone; only source of some ores; relatively rich in content	▓ ●
Graphite	stone	Flammable	o ●
Gypsum	stone	Low value stone	# ●
Hematite	ore	Smelt into Iron, a mid-value metal; ingredient for Steel	£ *
Horn silver	ore	Smelt into Silver, a mid-value metal	£ *
Hornblende	stone	Low value stone	" ●
Ilmenite	stone	Low value stone	. ●
Ice4	stone/water4	Frozen Water	. ●
Jet	stone	Low value stone	░ ●
Kaolinite	stone	Low value stone	= ●
Kimberlite	stone	Low value stone; only source of Diamonds	% ●
Lignite	stone	Smelt into Fuel, flammable	* ●
Limestone	layer stone	Flux, mid-value stone	▓ ●
Limonite	high-value ore	Smelt into Iron, a mid-value metal; ingredient for Steel	£ *
Magnetite	high-value ore	Smelt into Iron, a mid-value metal; ingredient for Steel	~ *
Malachite	low-value ore	Smelt into Copper, a low-value metal	£ *
Marble	layer stone	Flux, mid-value stone	▓ ●
Marcasite	stone	Low value stone	% ●
Mica	stone	Low value stone	v ●
Microcline	stone	Low value stone	% ●
Mudstone	layer stone	Low value stone	≈ ●
Obsidian	layer stone	Highest value stone; used to create stone short swords; signifies nearby magma if not a layer	▒ ●
Olivine	stone	Low value stone; may contain Platinum	% ●
Orpiment	stone	Low value stone	- ●
Orthoclase	stone	Low value stone	% ●
Periclase	stone	Low value stone	, ●
Petrified wood	stone	Low value stone	% ●
Phyllite	layer stone	Low value stone	- ●
Pitchblende	stone	Low value stone	* ●
Platinum nuggets	highest-value ore	Smelt into Platinum, a highest-value metal	£ *
Puddingstone	stone	Low value stone	Θ ●
Pyrolusite	stone	Low value stone	% ●
Quartzite	layer stone	Low value stone	- ●
Realgar	stone	Low value stone	% ●
Rhyolite	layer stone	Low value stone	, ●
Rock salt	layer stone	Low value stone	# ●
Rutile	stone	Low value stone	` ●
Saltpeter	stone	Low value stone	x ●
Sandstone	layer stone	Low value stone	# ●
Satinspar	stone	Low value stone	- ●
Schist	layer stone	Low value stone	` ●
Selenite	stone	Low value stone	; ●
Serpentine	stone	Low value stone	≈ ●
Shale	layer stone	Low value stone	. ●
Siltstone	layer stone	Low value stone	% ●
Silver nuggets	ore	Smelt into Silver, a mid-value metal	£ *
Slate	layer stone	Low value stone	% ●
Sphalerite	uncommon ore	Smelt into Zinc, a low-value metal; ingredient for Brass	£ *
Stibnite	stone	Low value stone	% ●
Sylvite	stone	Low value stone	= ●
Talc	stone	Low value stone	| ●
Tetrahedrite	low-value ore	Smelt into Copper, a low-value metal, w/ a 20% additional chance3 of Silver; smelt into Billon	£ *

(* 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.)

Value of rocks & metals

You won't find the terms "low-value" or "highest-value" used in the game, but they're handy here for rough comparison. "Values" are all relative to each other, on a common scale. The "material value" number multiplies any final product that is created with that material by that number. An average generic statue (base value 25) is worth much more than an average generic throne (base value 10), but a throne carved from raw gold nuggets (10 x 30 = 300) will be worth far more than a common-stone statue (25 x 1 = 25). (Note - "quality" also factors in to total value of a final product, as do some other considerations, but those are outside the scope of this intro article). Bottom line - when in doubt, go for the more valuable stuff.

Common stones (the vast majority) have a value multiplier of x1, mid-value (all flux stones) are x2, and high-value (obsidian only) is x3. This affects things like stone tables and doors, statues or stonecrafts - anything made from stone. Metal ores have varying values, from 2-40, and can either be treated as stone or smelted into bars of metal.

(To be complete and for comparison, all wood has a value of x1, equal to common stone.)

For metals, low-value (like copper or nickel) is x2. Mid-value (silver or iron) is around x10, high-value (gold, steel) is x30, and highest-value (platinum, aluminum) is x40. Note that the raw mined ore and the smelted pure metal often have different value multipliers, but not always. Alloys like brass or bronze are often more valuable than the sum of their pure metal ingredients, and have a true spectrum of values between 3-23. (Alloy values are not listed in this article.) Metal can be crafted into weapons, armour or tools, decorations, furniture or even buildings.

Notes:

1. Adamantine is not exactly like other metals, although it works almost the same. It has a value multiplier of x300 (yes, three hundred). It is also superior to steel for all combat purposes, and steel is clearly the best material otherwise available. See adamantine for a full discussion of this unusual and ultimate material.
2. Bauxite: Magma will melt most stone, and while there are some magma-safe metals, mechanisms can only be made from stone (or processed adamantine), not metal. Aside from raw adamantine, bauxite is the only stone that will not melt in magma (see magma-safe), and so is uniquely suited for that purpose.
3. % chance for additional metals - when Galena and Tetrahedrite are smelted, they produce (respectively) 1 lead or 1 copper bar, 100% of the time. They occasionally produce a second, additional bar of the second metal, with the % chance as listed above.
4. Ice has some very unusual properties in Dwarf Fortress, and can be disastrous if misused. See article on ice for a more complete discussion.

How to find a rock

Basically, you look under other rocks. The trick is to have a good guess which other rocks to look under to find the one type that you're looking for.

In the main article for every rock (many generic/low-value ones share another table on the stone page), there is information about where these stones can be found. Usually that's in a type of layer, or sometimes within another specific or general type of stone. Sometimes the rock is a layer stone. If it's found in sedimentary, igneous intrusive, igneous extrusive, metamorphic or soil, those are broad classifications that cover many different types of layer stone. A layer stone means it creates the dominant layer of that entire area, as defined by the "area block" (see next). By figuring out where the type of rock/ore you are looking for is found, you can dig in areas that have a better chance of having it.

Example:

Let's say you hope to find some cinnabar, because you want to make some levers and use its bright red color. So we look up cinnabar, and find that that stone is listed on the "generic" stone page. In that chart we see that cinnabar is found as veins in "All igneous extrusive (layers), shale, (and) quartzite". If you have some stones that are igneous extrusive layer (you'd have to look that up, too), or some shale or quartzite, then you know where to start your exploratory mining. If not, then you'll have to look for another red stone, and hope you get lucky with that.

Area Blocks

Okay, this is the "advanced basic" part of the lesson - then we're done.

When you first start a new game, and you're looking at the embark map, there is the World map on the right, the Region map in the middle, and the Local map on the left. The icons on the local map relate 1:1 to what are called "area blocks" on the game map, the map where your dwarves will move around. Each area block is 48x48 tiles square. The game is smart enough to make the borders a little fuzzy, but each area block defines the plant and animal life, the temperature and rainfall, and the layers of stones that can be found in that 48x48 area. These are clumped together in like types - using the F1, F2, F3 & etc. keys you can view them all.

If you pay attention to the pre-embark map (and make notes?), you can see what layers lie below each area block, in order as they go deeper. This will help you find stone/ore you might be looking for. You can also see where any underground pool or underground river or magma might be hiding - but that's another article.

See also:

• Exploratory mining