The Non-Dwarf's Guide to Rock

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Wondering what that new kind of rock your dwarves just struck is good for? The following table summarizes the types of stone and ore found in Dwarf Fortress; gems are covered in their own article.

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 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.

During the game, you can press z and then navigate to "stone". The list there covers all types of rocks and ores, and tells you what rocks can be smelted into.

Table of Rocks

Name	Type	Value	Uses	Appearance (ASCII)*	Color (Tileset)
Adamantine, raw	ore, special1	x250	Becomes Adamantine (x300 value)1 (spoilers!), by far the most valuable substance	£ *	64px
Alabaster	stone	x1	Used for making plaster	^ •
Aluminum, native	ore	x40	Smelt into Aluminum (x40 value)	^ *
Alunite	stone	x1	magma-safe	` •
Andesite	layer stone	x1		∞ •
Anhydrite	stone	x1	magma-safe	v •
Basalt	layer stone	x1	magma-safe	# •
Bauxite	stone	x1	magma-safe stone; only source of some high-value gems	+ •
Bismuthinite	ore, rare	x1	Smelt into bismuth (x2 value), ingredient of bismuth bronze (x6 value)	% *
Bituminous coal	stone	x1	Smelt into Fuel. Flammable	☼ ☼
Borax	stone	x1		` •
Brimstone	stone	x1		% •
Calcite	stone	x2	Flux, magma-safe	" •
Cassiterite	ore, uncommon	x2	Smelt into Tin (x2 value), ingredient of Bronzes; magma-safe	£ *
Chalk	layer stone	x2	Flux	░ •
Chert	layer stone	x1	magma-safe	= •
Chromite	stone	x1	magma-safe	= •
Cinnabar	stone	x1		£ *
Claystone	layer stone	x1		, •
Cobaltite	stone	x1		£ *
Conglomerate	layer stone	x1		∞ •
Copper, native	ore	x2	Smelt into Copper (x2 value); ingredient of Bronzes	£ *
Cryolite	stone	x1		- •
Dacite	layer stone	x1		. •
Diorite	layer stone	x1		░ •
Dolomite	layer stone	x2	Flux, magma-safe	` •
Gabbro	layer stone	x1	magma-safe; only source of some ores & gems	▒ •
Galena	ore	x5	Smelt into Lead (x2 value), with a 50% chance2 for Silver (x10 value); magma-safe	£ *
Garnierite	ore, uncommon	x2	Smelt into Nickel (x2 value)	£ *
Gneiss	layer stone	x1		= •
Gold, native	ore	x30	Smelt into Gold (x30 value)	£ *
Granite	layer stone	x1	Only source of some ores; relatively rich in content	▓ •
Graphite	stone	x1	Flammable	o •
Gypsum	stone	x1	Used for making plaster	# •
Hematite	ore	x8	Smelt into Iron (x10 value). Ingredient for Steel (x30 value). magma-safe	£ *
Horn silver	ore	x10	Smelt into Silver (x10 value)	£ *
Hornblende	stone	x1		" •
Ilmenite	stone	x1	magma-safe	. •
Ice3	stone/water3	N/A	Frozen Water	█ •	64px
Jet	stone	x1		░ •
Kaolinite	stone	x1	magma-safe, used for making porcelain	= •
Kimberlite	stone	x1	Only source of diamonds	% •
Lignite	stone	x1	Smelt into Fuel. Flammable	* •
Limestone	layer stone	x2	Flux	▓ •
Limonite	ore	x8	Smelt into Iron (x10 value); ingredient for Steel (x30 value)	£ *
Magnetite	ore	x8	Smelt into Iron (x10 value); ingredient for Steel (x30 value); magma-safe	~ *
Malachite	ore	x2	Smelt into Copper (x2 value); ingredient of Bronzes	£ *
Marble	layer stone	x2	Flux	▓ •
Marcasite	stone	x1		% •
Mica	stone	x1	magma-safe	v •
Microcline	stone	x1		% •
Mudstone	layer stone	x1		≈ •
Obsidian	layer stone	x3	magma-safe, Sharpenable hard rock used to create stone short swords; signifies nearby magma if not a layer	▒ •
Olivine	stone	x1	magma-safe, may contain native platinum (x40 value)	% •
Orpiment	stone	x1		- •
Orthoclase	stone	x1	magma-safe	% •
Periclase	stone	x1	magma-safe	, •
Petrified wood	stone	x1	magma-safe	% •
Phyllite	layer stone	x1		- •
Pitchblende	stone	x1	magma-safe	* •
Platinum, native	ore	x40	Smelt into Platinum (x40 value)	£ *
Puddingstone	stone	x1		Θ •
Pyrolusite	stone	x1		% •
Quartzite	layer stone	x1	magma-safe	- •
Realgar	stone	x1		% •
Rhyolite	layer stone	x1		, •
Rock salt	layer stone	x1		# •
Rutile	stone	x1	magma-safe	` •
Saltpeter	stone	x1		x •
Sandstone	layer stone	x1	magma-safe	# •
Satinspar	stone	x1	used for making plaster	- •
Schist	layer stone	x1		` •
Selenite	stone	x1	used for making plaster	; •
Serpentine	stone	x1		≈ •
Shale	layer stone	x1		. •
Siltstone	layer stone	x1		% •
Silver, native	ore	x10	Smelt into Silver (x10 value)	£ *
Slade	stone, special	N/A	Not workable by dwarves	░ *	64px
Slate	layer stone	x1		% •
Sphalerite	ore, uncommon	x2	Smelt into Zinc (x2 value); ingredient for Brass (x7 value)	£ *
Stibnite	stone	x1		% •
Sylvite	stone	x1		= •
Talc	stone	x1	magma-safe	| •
Tetrahedrite	ore	x3	Smelt into Copper (x2 value); ingredient of Bronzes; has a 20% additional chance2 of Silver (x10 value); smelt into Billon (x6 value)	£ *

(* 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. Point the mouse at items or the terrain for specific information.)

Notes:

1. Adamantine is not like other metals. See (spoilers!) adamantine for a full discussion of this unusual and wondrous material.
2. % chance for additional metals: when Galena and Tetrahedrite are smelted, they produce (respectively) four lead or copper bars, 100% of the time. They also produce 0-4 additional bars of the second metal, with the percent chance to produce each additional bar listed above.
3. Ice has some very unusual properties in Dwarf Fortress, and can be disastrous if misused. See the article on ice for a more complete discussion.

The Value of Rocks & Metals

See Item Value

The lowest stones value multiplier is x1, equal to wood. Flux stones are x2, and obsidian is x3.

Ore is treated as stone, but can then be smelted into metal. Raw ore and its smelted metal may have different value multipliers from each other.

The lowest metal value multiplier is x2. For reference, silver and iron are x10, gold and steel are x30, and platinum and aluminum are x40.

Alloys are metals made from other metals, like brass or bronze, and often create additional value. Any metal can be crafted into decorations, furniture, or buildings. Only copper, bronzes, iron, steel, and adamantine can make weapons, armor, and picks. Silver can only be forged into melee weapons.

The final worth of a construction is found by taking the base value and multiplying by the material value. A statue's base value is 25, but a statue made of gold has a value of 25*30 (750). The easiest way to create higher value is to use better materials. Factors such as quality also factor into the final product value.

See also:

• Exploratory mining