All Starfield materials, resources, and where to find them

How do you get Starfield materials and resources? There’s a long list of the goods below, and just like space itself, it’s likely far from being fully documented. Crafting recipes and research requirements are laid bare for all to see, which makes naming the lot much easier. Finding them? That’s a whole other story. We’re trying our best out here.

However, before you’re knee-deep in lists and tables, why not load up a couple of other Starfield guides while you’re here? You’re going to want the latest on Starfield planets for this one. Checking out the Starfield weapons and Starfield research projects will give you plenty more reasons to seek out special materials, too.

All Starfield materials and resources so far

The following Starfield materials have been discovered spread across dozens of planets throughout the galaxy. Their listed locations are not exhaustive by any stretch. They’re merely guidelines set from the places we first discovered them:

How do I find Starfield materials?

You can find Starfield materials simply by selecting a planet or moon from the map screen. If you’re close enough, you can scan the surface, populating the list on the left with the resources natural to it.

Once scanned, you’ll be able to use the ‘Show Resources’ prompt to get a topographical view of the big space rock. The colors of the planet’s terrain will match the color of the resource listed in the scan results.

Where can I buy Starfield materials?

Believe it or not, buying many rare Starfield materials is the simplest way to get hold of some easy resources. You need to talk to Wen Tseng at the UC Distribution Center in Starfield New Atlantis, which is relatively close to both the Commercial District and MAST stations. Becoming a UC citizen by completing the Vanguard Starfield missions will also get you a discount on these base prices. After selling out of a particular resource, you’ll need to wait an in-game week for Wen’s supply to restock.

Here are the Starfield materials you can buy at the UC Distribution Center:

How do I gather Starfield materials?

The cheapest way to gather Starfield materials is through the method the game teaches you at the very beginning — mining with the Cutter.

Once you’ve found a planet harboring the material you want and flown close enough, you can use the Scan feature to create a terrain map showing exactly where those materials can be found. The color of the planet’s terrain from the map screen will match the color of the resource listed in the scan results.

All you have to do then is land as close as you can, look for the rocky material outcrop, and use your Cutter to crack it open. This won’t work for any gas elements as you need to build Starfield outposts to extract them, but it will for smaller solid minerals.

What are the dots about Starfield materials on the map?

You’ll notice that some planets include materials like Titanium and Antimony. These also have small dots above their symbols, ranging from one dot to three.

These dots depict the material’s rarity, which inadvertently dictates the level of skill you need to harvest them. Starfield materials on the map screen always go from left to right in terms of rarity: Rare, Exotic, and Unique.

Rarer materials (those with more dots) are always featured on the right side. Knowing that will make scanning the galaxy for them much easier. Scanning a planet’s terrain won’t show the location of rare materials without the appropriate Starfield skills like Scanning.

How can I get more rare Starfield materials?

You can unlock and upgrade certain Starfield skills to increase your yield when harvesting materials like organic and inorganic materials. If you want more minerals, aim for Geology. Harvesting flora for medicines? Go for Botany. 

What are Starfield materials used for?

Starfield materials like Copper, Aluminum, and Silver are used to craft items and complete research projects. Precious metals are often used on the Industrial Workbench to make Outpost equipment, with a selection of minerals, materials, and items used to discover and apply mods for use in armor and weapon crafting.

For more Starfield guides, check out the best Starfield crew you can bring along for your grand material-gathering efforts. The best Starfield builds can also come in handy if you’re looking at this before finalizing your character. And lastly, learning more about Starfield ships can help make your gathering adventures go a little more smoothly.

Still looking for more? While a good Starfield wiki can be a handy source of information, our new Starfield Database goes further, offering you daily news, searchable databanks, and even interactive tools.