Thorium

Thorium is an industrial resource and ore in Mindustry used primarily for advanced crafting and power generation. It appears as a pinkish ore on the world maps and as an item in the player inventory. Thorium is available in campaign sectors on both Serpulo and Erekir, and is used in mid- to late-game production chains and constructions that require a high-tier radioactive material.

On Serpulo, Thorium is consumed to produce high-end materials and to fuel reactors: it is an ingredient for Surge Alloy and Phase Fabric and is used directly for power generation via the Thorium Reactor. Thorium is also required for building several advanced blocks and units introduced across major updates. The resource was officially added in version 2.0 and later had its list of uses expanded in subsequent updates.

Practical notes for locating and using Thorium:

• Thorium ore appears in distinct veins on multiple campaign sectors; the precise sector list varies with the campaign map, but Thorium is present across both Serpulo and Erekir maps. Ore nodes are visually pink on the item sprite; on Erekir the ore uses the same hues as the item sprite, while on Serpulo the ore tends to be slightly more purple and darker.
• Use Thorium primarily in advanced crafting chains such as Surge Alloy and Phase Fabric production; integrating these chains into your factory requires steady Thorium input once unlocked.
• Thorium powers the Thorium Reactor when used as fuel; reactors provide a substantial energy output but require appropriate cooling and infrastructure to operate safely.
• In earlier versions (v4.0 and before), a small number of units (notably the Tau Mech and the Glaive) could mine Thorium directly at very slow rates. Starting from version 6.0, no units are permitted to mine Thorium for balance reasons, so extraction relies on dedicated mining drills and conveyors.
• Thorium ore art and screenshots are available in the game gallery to help identify veins and to visualize reactor setups; example images include Thorium Ore and sample Thorium Reactor layouts.

Trivia and real-world connection:

• In real life, thorium (Th) is a radioactive, fertile metal considered as an alternative nuclear fuel to uranium; unlike the game’s pink depiction, terrestrial thorium is a silvery-gray metal. The in-game Thorium item evolved from an earlier resource named “uranium” in older builds and has been tied to earlier reactor mechanics that used liquid coolants; inadequate cooling could cause reactor explosions in past versions, mirroring concerns from the game’s historical mechanics.