Pixel behavior
Sand
The starting material and the game's namesake: mine it, move it, sift it and keep it from burying the factory.
Material reference
Sandustry Resources & Pixel Physics
In Sandustry, the material is also the machine input, the transport problem and sometimes the environmental hazard. This page keeps the first resource relationships in one place while leaving exact patch-sensitive recipes for in-game verification.
Materials to learn first
Pixel behavior
Water
Water can be absorbed by sand and becomes part of the planning problem when reservoirs are limited.
Pixel behavior
Ice & steam
Heat can melt ice into water; boiling can turn water into steam that rises and may return as rain.
Pixel behavior
Seeds & spores
The official description highlights growth, ignition and biological materials as part of the wider resource web.
A reaction-first mental model
- Observe first: watch a small sample interact with heat, water, gravity or a machine.
- Contain second: build walls, channels or spacing before scaling the reaction.
- Transport third: decide whether the material belongs on a belt, in a pipe or with a drone.
- Record the result: production notes are more reliable than a recipe copied from an older build.
Sources
Material behavior on this page is summarized from the Steam description and the official itch.io page; check patch notes before treating any exact reaction or recipe as permanent.