Cobalt Ore

Cobalt Ore is a raw metal ore used to produce Cobalt and can also be fed to certain critters for useful byproducts. It appears as a harvestable resource on rocket missions to renewable space POIs, specifically in Swampy Ore Fields, where it can be collected at a rate of 54–162 kg per cycle.

Its most direct use is as feedstock for metal processing. A Metal Refinery converts Cobalt Ore into Cobalt at a 1:1 ratio, making it the most efficient refinement method. A Rock Crusher can also process Cobalt Ore into Cobalt, but it is much less efficient: 100 kg Cobalt Ore becomes 50 kg Cobalt and 50 kg Sand. Both machines require Duplicant operation, so using a Metal Refinery is the preferred option whenever power, heat handling, and staffing allow it.

Cobalt Ore also has several creature interactions that can be used for food, materials, or egg-laying management:

• Stone Hatches can eat Cobalt Ore and excrete Coal. Feeding them Cobalt Ore also increases the chance that they will lay Smooth Hatch eggs.
• Smooth Hatches can eat Cobalt Ore and excrete Cobalt at 75% mass.
• Plug Slugs can eat Cobalt Ore, generate power, and excrete Hydrogen Gas.

Because Cobalt Ore can be turned into a refined metal, it is useful for early or midgame metal production when Cobalt is needed for construction or industry. When available, refining it through the Metal Refinery avoids the Sand loss associated with the Rock Crusher. If your colony maintains Hatches or Plug Slugs, the ore can also be diverted into ranching setups, where it serves as a resource input rather than being fully consumed by industrial processing.