Charcoal
Charcoal is the primary smelting fuel for Furnace I in Starsand Island, produced at the Charcoal Kiln by burning Softwood and Fiber. Charcoal is also a base ingredient in many crafting and cooking recipes, making the Kiln one of the most-used stations in the early and mid game.
How to Unlock
The Charcoal Kiln blueprint comes free with the Equipment Blueprint Pack at Zerine's General Store once you begin the Apprentice Crafter Profession questline. The pack also includes Furnace I, Cutter I, and Separator blueprints. Build the Kiln itself at Worktable I from the materials below.
Material | Quantity | Source |
|---|---|---|
Stone | 15 | Mine stone deposits on the surface or in the Moonlit Forest |
10 | Chop common trees with any Axe | |
3 | Mine copper veins on the island or early Moonlit Forest |
Production Recipe
Detail | Value |
|---|---|
Station | |
Ingredients | |
Output | 2 Charcoal |
Alternate Output | Burning Hardwood at the Kiln produces Coal, the higher-tier smelting fuel used by Furnace II |
Charcoal vs Coal
Charcoal and Coal are not interchangeable. Charcoal is used at Furnace I to smelt early-tier ores like Copper Ore, Tin Ore, and to alloy Bronze Ingot. Coal, produced from Hardwood or mined in mid-tier forest zones, is required by Furnace II for Iron Ingot, Gold Ingot, and Alloy smelting. Always read the recipe to confirm which fuel a station expects.
Major Uses
Furnace I smelting fuel. Every Copper and Tin Ingot smelt costs 1 Charcoal. Bronze Ingot needs an additional Charcoal on top of its component ingots.
Glass Brick. 4 Quartz Ore + 1 Charcoal -> 1 Glass Brick at Furnace I, the first step to producing Glass Pane.
Fine Salt. Salt Brick + Fiber at the Kiln produces Fine Salt, a base cooking ingredient.
Carbon Line. 4 Fiber + 1 Charcoal at the Spinning Wheel produces Carbon Line, used in upgraded Fishing Rods.
Building and station materials. Building Materials recipes that include Stone Brick or Glass list Charcoal for the smelting steps.
Tips
Run multiple Charcoal Kilns. Charcoal demand is constant. Two or three Kilns producing in parallel is the standard mid-game setup.
Buy Fiber from Zerine when in a hurry. Fiber sells for 5 Coins each at the General Store with infinite stock. Buying is faster than bushwhacking when you need a Charcoal batch.
Place Kiln next to the Furnace. An efficient layout has the Charcoal Kiln, Furnace, and Cutter within a few steps of each other so you can chain ore -> ingot -> sheet without running across your farm.
Switch to Hardwood for Coal as you reach Junior Crafter. Once Furnace II is online, all your smelting fuel demand shifts toward Coal. Keep one Kiln running Hardwood batches at all times.