Editing v0.34:Material

{{av}}{{Quality|Fine|23:45, 4 February 2013 (UTC)}}
:''For information on the physical properties of materials, see [[Material science]]


'''Materials''' are the wide array of base resources from which objects can be created.  Different materials have different base properties, including [[Value#Material_multipliers|value multipliers]] which can significantly affect the value of the item.  A [[gold]] [[throne]] is worth more than an identical quality [[lead]] throne, and so on.

Not every end-product can be made of all materials, and similar materials may have very different properties.  For instance, [[obsidian]] is the only [[stone]] that can be used to make stone-based [[weapon|weapons]], only [[magma-safe]] stones will not melt when immersed in [[magma]], and [[fire imp]] [[leather]] will not burn. While nearly all metals can be made into furniture and crafts, only a select few can normally be made into [[weapon|weapons]] and [[armor]]. These metals are generally called weapon grade metals. This (alone) doesn't necessarily give these materials a higher base value, but it may make them worth more to you and your fortress in a practical sense.

Some dwarves have [[preference|preferences]] for one material over another - they receive a happy [[thought]] when working with the material, tend to produce higher [[quality]] results, and perceive items (or rooms) made of that material as higher [[quality]], which can also give them more happy [[thought|thoughts]].

General groups of materials include, but are not limited to,

:* [[Stone]]
:* [[Wood]]
:* [[Metal]]
:* [[Glass]]
:* [[Leather]]
:* [[Cloth]]
:* [[Bone]]
:* [[Shell]]
:* [[Gem]]
:* [[Wax]]

Certain materials tend to be geared toward making certain items. While stones, wood, metal, and glass can be made into similar furniture, there are some items which are normally restricted to certain materials.  For example, [[bed|beds]] can only be made out of wood, and [[bin|bins]] and [[bucket|buckets]] cannot be made out of stone.  Cloth and leather can both be made into clothing, but leather can also be used to make [[armor]]. Gems are largely for [[decoration|encrusting]] finished items made from other materials.  Of over 2 dozen different [[metal|metals]] and [[alloy|alloys]], only a handful are usable to make [[weapon|weapons]].

In all cases, each group of material is divided into many possible sub-types of material; there are, for instance, 10 pure [[metal|metals]], another 15 [[alloy|alloys]] from those, scores of different types of [[stone]] and well over 100 different types of [[gem]].  It is best to look up each individual category or material to become familiar with its value, and what it can and cannot be used for.

'''See Also:'''
:* [[The Non-Dwarf's Guide to Rock]]
:* [[Value#Material multipliers|Value/Material Multipliers]]

{{Category|Materials|*}}