Editing Material

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:''For information on the physical properties of materials, see [[Material science]].
[[File:materials_sprites_preview.png|right]]
[[File:Dwarf_Fortress_material_cheatsheet_by_DeXoteric.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Material Cheatsheet showing small rooms made of stone, wood, metal, glass and ceramic.]]
[[File:material_floors_preview.png|thumb|200px|right|Most materials that can be made into floors.]]
[[File:Superblock.jpeg|thumb|200px|Walls and floors of every non-wood material]]

'''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]] one, for example).

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]]s, 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]]s 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 the player and their fortress in a practical sense.
{{catbox|Materials}}
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 the material as higher-[[quality]], which can also give them more happy [[thought]]s, e.g:

{{DFtext|Unib Rulushlikot likes [[rhyolite]], [[silver]], [[amber opal]], [[persimmon]] [[wood]] and [[giant emu]] [[leather]].|2:1|links=1|linkcolor=3:1}}

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 stone, wood, metal, and glass can be made into similar furniture, there are some items which are normally restricted to certain materials.  For example, [[bed]]s can only be made out of wood, and [[bin]]s and [[bucket]]s 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 two dozen different [[metal]]s and [[alloy]]s, only a handful are usable to make [[weapon]]s.

In all cases, each group of materials is divided into many possible sub-types of material; there are, for instance, 11 pure [[metal]]s, another 14 [[alloy]]s, scores of different types of [[stone]] and well over 100 different types of [[gem]]s.  It is best to look up each individual category, or particular 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]]

{{Template:V50 materials}}
{{Category|Materials|*}}
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