Refined Carbon

Refined Carbon is a refined resource produced by heating Coal past its melting point. It is notable for having the highest melting point of any solid material, which makes it extremely resistant to accidental melting and useful as a high-temperature material in advanced production chains. It can also be found as a harvestable resource on certain renewable space points of interest in Spaced Out!, including Carbon Asteroid Fields and Gilded Asteroid Fields.

Refined Carbon is primarily obtained by processing Coal in a Kiln. The conversion is fixed at 125 kg Coal → 100 kg Refined Carbon. Once Coal is heated to 278.85 °C or higher, it becomes Refined Carbon. Because of this, heat can be used as a refinement pathway rather than treating Coal only as fuel or solid debris.

Its most important uses are in late-game crafting. Metal Refinery consumes it to produce Steel, with the recipe 20 kg Refined Carbon + 70 kg Iron + 10 kg Lime → 100 kg Steel. Diamond Press also uses it to produce Diamond, with the recipe 100 kg Refined Carbon + 1000 Radbolts → 100 kg Diamond. These two recipes make Refined Carbon a key intermediate for both high-strength construction material and advanced industrial products.

Despite its extreme thermal resistance, Refined Carbon has a major limitation: it cannot be used for construction, not even for Tempshift Plates. This makes it unlike many other solid resources that can double as building materials. However, heating Coal debris into Refined Carbon can still create natural tiles of Refined Carbon, which can then serve as walls for high-temperature gas or liquid storage. That makes it relevant for players who want naturally formed barriers that withstand extreme heat without being built by Dupes.

• Refined Carbon is the highest-melting-point solid resource.
• It is made in a Kiln from Coal.
• It is required for Steel in the Metal Refinery.
• It is required for Diamond in the Diamond Press.
• It cannot be used for construction jobs, including Tempshift Plates.
• Natural Refined Carbon tiles can be created by heating Coal debris, making them useful for hot fluid or gas containment.
• In Spaced Out!, it can also be harvested from Carbon Asteroid Fields and Gilded Asteroid Fields.