Official sources cited

Sandustry Guide: From First Sand to Automation

Begin by breaking Dirt into Sand, combine each Sand pixel with Water to make Wet Sand, and feed the mixture through a Shaker. Route Gold into a Collector so it becomes spendable, keep Residue separate, and use early research to unlock logistics before extending the line toward Burnt Residue and the Kinetic Press.

Connection schematic: shakerOriginal explanatory diagram based on the sources below. Not to scale; not a gameplay screenshot or measured blueprint. Separate side outletSandWaterWet Sand on topShakerSeparate side outletGold → CollectorResidue
Original explanatory diagram based on the sources below. Not to scale; not a gameplay screenshot or measured blueprint.
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Build the first production loop

Start beside an accessible Water deposit and keep a dry work area for the Shaker. Breaking Dirt supplies Sand. Bring a limited amount into contact with Water: each pair becomes 2 Wet Sand pixels. Dry Sand placed on the machine is not the input it processes. Keep the wetting pocket separate from the Gold collection space so you can see where a failed conversion begins.

Place Wet Sand on top of the Shaker. The official machine page distinguishes two exits: Gold falls through the bottom; Residue stays above and moves slowly toward the side. Give those outputs separate destinations. Start with a small batch before extending the feed so an overflowing Residue pocket cannot conceal the Gold route.

Bank Gold and choose research

Route the falling Gold into a Collector. Check the currency display after collection; a visible pile elsewhere is not the same as spendable Gold. If the balance stays unchanged, follow the Gold exit before buying more processing capacity. Once it arrives reliably, open Research and choose the logistics or access tool needed by the next obstruction in your own layout.

The Shaker has a 25% chance of Gold per Wet Sand input. That does not promise one successful result in every four inputs. A short empty output is different from a blocked exit. Inspect Residue production to confirm processing, then observe a larger batch before deciding the machine is broken.

Extend without rebuilding

Use the diagram as a routing plan, not a scale drawing. Keep the wetting inlet, the upper Residue route and the lower Gold collection area visible. A diagonal Shaker arrangement is documented on the official machine page, but the required dimensions depend on terrain and feeding conditions. Copy only a section whose two output paths you have checked in your world.

Keep Residue for later burning and pressing rather than mixing it back into the Water source. Before connecting that next stage, read the Press height requirement. If Water falls while the rest of the line works, the Sand reaction is consuming it; expanding the Shaker array alone cannot repair a depleted supply.

Production chain

  1. ResourceSand
  2. ResourceWater
  3. ResourceWet Sand
  4. MachineShaker
  5. ResourceGold + Residue
  6. ResourceBurnt Residue
  7. MachineKinetic Press

Troubleshooting

  • Gold does not increase the research balance

    Move the Gold into a Collector; loose Gold elsewhere in the factory is not counted as spendable currency.

  • The Shaker output backs up

    Give dense Wet Sand a clear feed path and route lower-density Residue away separately before adding more input.

  • The wet-sand line stops over time

    Sand consumes Water. Refill the source or plan a renewable Snow-and-Steam loop before increasing throughput.

Sources

Official references used for this field guide.