Tungsten

Tungsten is a refined metal with an exceptionally high melting point, which makes it valuable anywhere ordinary metals would fail under extreme heat. Its primary late-game use is as an ingredient for Thermium in the Molecular Forge: 5 kg Niobium and 95 kg Tungsten produce 100 kg Thermium. Because Thermium outperforms Tungsten in almost every respect except melting point, Tungsten is usually saved for situations where heat resistance matters more than material efficiency or decor.

It is especially useful for construction and infrastructure exposed to extreme temperatures, such as power wires and automation wires near rocket exhaust, rocket loaders and unloaders in Spaced Out!, and piping in very hot environments like liquid steel systems. Tungsten can also be used for Metal Tiles, Tempshift Plates, Liquid Pipes, and Insulated Liquid Pipes, but these are generally niche choices. For pipes, its thermal conductivity makes it a poor option for insulation, and Radiant Liquid Pipes made from other materials are usually better unless Tungsten is simply the available stopgap before better smelting options are researched.

Tungsten can be produced in several ways, most commonly by processing Wolframite. A Metal Refinery converts Wolframite into Tungsten at 100% efficiency, making 100 kg of Wolframite into 100 kg of Tungsten. A Rock Crusher can also process Wolframite, but only at 50% efficiency, yielding 50 kg of Tungsten and 50 kg of Sand from 100 kg of Wolframite. Smooth Hatches can consume Wolframite and excrete Tungsten at about 75% efficiency. In addition, Abyssalite can be melted at 3421.85 °C into Liquid Tungsten, which can then be cooled back into solid Tungsten, though this is an extremely demanding method.

• Tungsten Volcanoes exist on one planet and can provide continuous Tungsten production.
• It can also be collected from renewable Space POIs on rocket missions, including Glimmering Asteroid Fields, at a rate of 60–180 kg per cycle as molten liquid.
• When building near rocket exhaust, Tungsten is preferred for exposed power and automation wires because it will not melt in the hot exhaust gases.
• In high-temperature builds, it is one of the safest refined metal choices, but it is still usually reserved for specialized roles because Thermium is the superior endgame material.