Materials

Materials are processed materials collected and used by Sam to craft tools or equipment and to build structures.

Overview

Materials are necessary for the player to craft equipment and tools but also for construction and rebuilding structures and roads. Materials Cargo are influenced by the size and the weight of the material itself, and can be classified as either small (S), medium (M), large (L) or extra-large (XL), with weight and size affecting deliveries. Materials can be collected in a number of ways:

• as a Lost Cargo, by simply recovering them when exploring or on the way to deliver an order. Scanning the environment with the Odradek Scanner will highlight lost resource containers on the map. Since these technically have no owner, they can be delivered and recycled for later use to any Bridges' facility or Prepper shelter of one's choosing. When playing Online, Resources can appear as other player's Lost Cargo;
• by raiding MULE camps, since these generally stockpile large amounts of one or multiple types of materials, leaving them both lying around their tents, while also keeping many larger containers in their postboxes. The MULEs also keep a few smaller packs on their person, on higher difficulties these may be High-Density or Lightweight Versions.;
• by Materials Deliveries, orders that appear in most all of the Knot Cities, Bridges' facilities and Prepper Shelters. Completing these orders, that often require a lot of cargo to be moved, will automatically boost the facility stores of those materials for immediate use;
• by claiming materials in the aforementioned facilities, selecting the desired amount. When the materials in the facilities are exhausted, they will recover on their own, albeit slowly.

Two variants exists: "Lightweight" and "High-Density" materials which will respectively weight less or fit into a smaller package. Those variants become available as regular "tokens of gratitude" from Preppers and Bridges employees, for subsequent standard deliveries once Sam gets a 5-star rating from them. They are also carried by Human Enemies on higher difficulties.

Types of Materials

Ceramics

Ceramics Icon

A batch of ceramics, for use with a chiral printer. Recycling ceramics at facilities allow them to be used as materials for fabricating equipment. They can also be used to repair and upgrade roads.
– Ceramics description in Death Stranding

Ceramics material are needed in large quantities to develop the Highway using Auto-Pavers. They are also used in creating basic Armor plate.

Chemicals

Chemicals are the rarest material, needed to create special items, and used to upgrade Zip-line structures. Since they are rare and unlocked during the midgame, Chemicals can be found in small amounts in MULE and terrorist camps all over the map, as well as in the form of Lost cargo.

Chiral Crystals

Chiral Crystal Icon

Chiral Crystals are a common material and widely used to construct almost everything, including weapons, items, equipments; buildings, repair and upgrading of structures, and restoring Highways with Auto-Pavers.

Metals

Metals Icon

A batch of various metals, for use with a chiral printer. Recycling metals at facilities allow them to be used as materials for fabricating equipment. They can also be used to repair and upgrade postboxes, bridges, and other structures.
– Metals description in Death Stranding

Metals are needed in large quantities to build, upgrade and maintain most PCC Structures, and also in moderate-to-high quantities for developing and restoring Highway using Auto-Pavers.

Resins

Resins Icon

A batch of various resins, primarily used in the fabrication of tools. Includes rubber, silicone, plastic, polymeris, and more.
– Resins description in Death Stranding

Resins are a common material used mainly in the fabrication of vehicles and personal equipment.

Special Alloys

Special Alloys Icon

A batch of special alloys, for use with a chiral printer. Recycling these alloys at facilities allow them to be used as materials for fabricating equipment. They can also be used to repair and upgrade safe houses and other structures.
– Special Alloys description in Death Stranding

Special Alloys are needed to create and upgrade Safe Houses, advanced items and structures.

Table of Materials

This is a table with the respective weight and size of the materials

Type	S	L	M	XL	XL1	XL2	XL3
Ceramics	40	80	160	320	480	640	800
Chemicals	30	60	120	240	360	480	600
Metals	50	100	200	400	600	800	1000
Resins	40	80	160	320	480	640	800
Special Alloys	60	120	240	480	720	960	1200

Farming

Since the materials which spawn in any given hostile environment or camps are not random, it is possible to repeatedly loot these locations to generate large amounts of materials at once, with the exception of Chyral Crystals. The following Table should list locations with usual Material yields.

This is a table of the MULE and Homo Demens camps and their respective stockpiled materials

Location	Stockpiled Material	Postboxes
MULE Camp North of Ludens Fan	Resins	1
MULE Camp East of Musician	Metals	1
MULE Camp Northeast of Engineer	Metals	2
MULE Camp North of Elder	Ceramics	3
MULE Camp Northwest of Distro Center South of Lake Knot	Metals and Ceramics	3
MULE Camp Northeast of Collector	Special Alloys and Chemicals	3
MULE Camp North of Timefall Farm	Resins and Metals	3
Homo Demens Camp West of Waystation North of Mountain Knot	Ceramics	2
Homo Demens Camp Northeast of Photographer	Special Alloys	3
Homo Demens Camp South of Evo-Devo Biologist	Chemicals	3