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:

MaterialSymbolLocation (planet/moon) Water H20 Jemison, Zamka Chlorine Cl Jemison Lead Pb Jemison Argon Ar Jemison, Chawla Chrlorosilanes SiH3Cl Jemison, Gamow Helium He-3 Kurtz, Grissom Aluminium Al Kurtz Nickle Ni Bondar, Zamka Tungsten W Bondar Platinum Pt Bondar Xenon Xe Bondar Iron Fe Grissom, Zamka Copper Cu Zamka Vanadium V Zamka Cobalt Co Zamka Uranium U Zamka Dysprosium Dy Zamka Benzene C6Hn Niira Beryllium Be Magnar Silver Ag Magnar Fluorine F Coulomb Ytterbium Yb Volt Lithium Li Gamow Alkanes HnCn Gamow Neodymium Nd Bode Tetraflourides xF4 Augur Ionic Liquids IL Niira Europium Eu Andraphon Cesium Cs Dalvik Plutonium Pu Grimsey  Iridium Ir Grimsey Neodymium Nd Gryphus Neon Ne Kreet Carboxylic Acids R-COOH Codos Gold Au Stellis A Palladium Pd Stellis D Mercury Hg Skink Titanium Ti Helio Antimony Sb Muphrid VI-d Cesium Cs Muphrid VIII-b Tantalum TA Nesoi

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:

Material Credit value per unit Starting unit quantity Aldumite 68 4 Argon 4 22 Benzene 15 23 Beryllium 9 22 Carboxylic Acids 9 16 Chlorine 4 24 Copper 8 24 Dysprosium 45 13 Fluorine 9 21 Helium-3 4 23 Ionic Liquids 18 15 Iridium 11 22 Lead 8 23 Lithium 11 20 Mercury 17 20 Neodymium 16 20 Neon 12 14 Palladium 20 14 Platinum 19 17 Plutonium 51 16 Silver 16 20 Tantalum 18 19 Tetrafluorides 14 19 Titanium 9 18 Uranium 11 20 Vytinium 93 6 Water 3 28 Xenon 21 15 Ytterbium 30 13

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.