Editing Clay

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'''Clay''' is one of the many types of [[soil]] that can be found in [[soil layer]]s. [[Aquifer]]s are never present in clay layers.

== Ceramics ==
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Five different soil types are classified as clay: clay, [[clay loam]], [[sandy clay]], [[silty clay]], and [[fire clay]], each of which can be gathered for use in [[Ceramic industry|ceramics]]. If your [[embark]] site has at least one type of clay, it will be shown as ''Clay'' in the embark screen's biome viewer.

The gathering and use of clay is done from a [[kiln]] or [[magma kiln]] and behaves similarly to most material production, but includes elements similar to [[glass]] production. In order to gather clay, a [[activity zone#Clay Collection|gathering zone]] must first be designated over a clay-bearing tile (note that clay can be collected from adjacent clay walls, even diagonally), much like with [[sand]]; however, gathering clay creates a clay "boulder" (the same as raw stone) and does not require a bag. These clay boulders are stored in a stone stockpile and may be used to build [[workshop]]s and [[construction]]s, but constructed clay floors '''cannot''' be used in place of natural soil. As with sand, clay can be gathered indefinitely from a single tile - any dwarf with the item hauling [[labor]] enabled can collect clay.

Clay can be made into pots, [[block|bricks]], [[statue]]s, [[hive]]s and [[Finished goods|craft]]s. Small pots, called [[jug]]s, function similar to bags and waterskins, while large pots are treated like barrels. Creating any object from clay requires a unit of fuel, or a magma kiln. 

Before an [[earthenware]] pot (large or small) can hold liquids, it must be '''glazed'''. Glazing is performed at a [[kiln]] and requires either a unit of [[ash]] or a unit of [[cassiterite]] ([[tin]] ore), plus a unit of fuel. [[Stoneware]] and [[porcelain]] pots do not need to be glazed.

When an underground plant ([[tree|trees]], [[shrub|shrubs]], [[grass]] or moss) grows on a muddy stone floor tile (after discovering a [[Caverns|cavern]]) and is either trampled, gathered, cut down or removed via building a dirt road on top of it, the floor tile turns into a soil type appropriate to the [[biome]] - for biomes which lack soil layers altogether (such as mountains and glaciers), a random soil type will be selected, which might sometimes be clay. 

[[Grass]], [[tree|sapling]]s and [[shrub]]s can grow on clay soil, which causes the underlying clay to be temporarily unavailable for collection, giving the message "Urist McBagger cancels Collect Clay: Clay vanished" if the job is in progress, or "Urist McBagger cancels Collect Clay: Need valid, active clay collection zone" if the job is new. You can easily remove the grass ''and'' prevent it from growing back by building a dirt [[road]] ({{K|b}}-{{K|o}}) over the grass.  You can also put a floor [[grate]] over a clay floor to prevent growth while allowing clay to be collected, but you must first remove the grass/sapling/sapling; you can do this by placing a dirt road ({{K|b}}-{{K|O}}) over it.

Occasionally it is possible to cultivate clay by channeling down into the lowest normal layer of the cavern, revealing a "[[Semi-molten rock|magma flow]]" above a floor [[semi-molten rock]] (and a [[ramp]] on the level below, if the square had not previously been revealed).  If a [[floor]] is constructed over the flow, then deconstructed, a natural floor of clay or [[sand]] may be left behind.  In some cases this may be the sole domestic source of clay for a fortress.

Clay cannot be used in jewelcrafting unlike any other stone or ore. Furthermore, clay cannot be fired from a [[catapult]], loaded into a [[stone-fall trap]], or used in place of stone at a [[mason's workshop]].

== Tips ==
Designation of a clay collection tile will repeatedly gather clay while the kiln has the job on repeat. This clay can then be used as a fire-safe building material for exterior walls. Using this strategy allows you to build a fort quickly without hauling heavy stone or using burnable wood. Placing the collection zone near the main stairway increases efficiency - remember to forbid clay from your stone stockpiles to avoid wasted hauling and valuable storage for real rocks.


[[File:Clay-ss-2005.jpg|thumb|300px|center|Naturally occurring clay.]]

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