Editing v0.34:Grate

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A '''grate''' is a [[furniture]]-type item. It is used as a construction material for wall grates and floor grates. Grates can be constructed from [[stone]] or [[ore]] (with the [[masonry]] [[labor]] at a [[mason's workshop]]), wood (with the [[carpentry]] labor in a [[carpenter's workshop]]), [[Metal|metal bar]]s (with the [[blacksmithing]] labor at a [[forge]]), or [[glass]] (with the [[glassmaking]] labor at a [[glass furnace]]).

== Wall Grate ==

A wall grate is basically a [[fortification]], but with two differences:
* It is a [[building]] instead of a [[construction]]. It doesn't overwrite the tile below it, and it can be smashed by building destroyers.
* It can be linked to a [[lever]] or [[pressure plate]]. Once linked, it works like a linked [[door]] which doesn't stop fluids, [[arrow]]s or [[Miasma]] when closed.
Wall grates set the boundary for the room being resized, but they do not provide support for the doors construction.  
Unlike a constructed wall, the grate has some quality level and can be decorated.

== Floor Grate ==
A floor grate is similar to a floor or a closed [[floor hatch]] in that it can be walked upon and blocks [[creature]] and item movement between Z-levels. However, it lets [[water]] and [[magma]] through like an open tile. Floor grates blocks projectiles, unlike wall grates. They do not block line of sight. Floor grates can be linked to a [[lever]] or a [[pressure plate]]. Triggered, a floor grate opens like a hatch, but with a 100-tick delay.

Floor grates must be attached [[orthogonal]]ly (i.e. not diagonally) to firm ground or some solid construction (a [[wall]], [[floor]], etc.) if they are to be supported over empty space, not (just) other grates.  Floor grates can also be placed directly on top of a non-constructed floor or [[stair]]case, rather than empty space, in which case it doesn't need any support next to it.

A floor grate does NOT count as solid construction. It will not support any buildings or constructions. However, you can designate a construction to be built orthogonally to it with no other supports. This will cause the construction to [[cave-in]] immediately after being completed. This can be useful for controlled cave-ins.

[[Stockpile]]s cannot be placed over floor grates.

Like [[bridge]]s and [[floor hatch]]es, floor grates will mark areas beneath them as being "inside", even if they are retracted.

If a floor grate is placed right on top of a [[soil]] floor or [[mud]]dy floor it will prevent [[grass]], [[shrub]]s and [[tree|saplings]] from growing.

Floor grates do not block [[fishing]] or taking water directly from a [[activity zone#Water_Source|water source]], nor do they block collecting [[sand]] or [[clay]], though they do prevent [[well]]s from working if between the well and the water.

Floor grates over empty space block [[miasma]] from rising through them (miasma will normally flow upward through empty space).

== Bars vs. Grates ==

Vertical/horizontal [[bars]] seem to be functionally identical to wall/floor grates. The only notable difference between grates and bars is that grates are finished goods (which must be produced from raw materials) and have [[quality]] levels (and thus boost your fortress's architecture value significantly), while bars are simply raw materials that can be thrown into place at a moment's notice and then deconstructed later should they be needed later for other jobs.

One other important difference is that Grates can be made from stone, which is generally much more plentiful than the materials for bars.

== Notes ==
* If you wish to remove a floor piece that is linked to a grate, make sure that the dwarf that carries out the job does not stand on the grate, or remove all grates first. The grate will not be supported, and fall (with your uncareful dwarf on it), and you will experience the famous idiom: "It's not the fall that kills you, it's the sudden stop at the end."

== Bugs ==

* Creatures and dwarves pushed by water flow can be pushed through wall grates.  {{Bug|5458}}

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