Sandustry Sandstone Guide: Sand, Wet Sand & Gold

Quick Answer

Players searching for Sandustry sandstone are usually looking for the game's starting sand-processing loop. In the current Early Access terminology, the terrain is Dirt: destroying Dirt drops Sand. When one Sand pixel touches one Water pixel, both are replaced by two Wet Sand pixels. A Shaker consumes Wet Sand, always produces one Residue pixel, and has about a 25% chance to also produce Gold.

The practical chain is:

Dirt → Sand + Water → Wet Sand → Shaker → Residue + possible Gold

For machine placement, continue with the Shaker setup guide. For the next refining stage, see the Kinetic Press guide.

Sandstone vs. Sand in Sandustry

“Sandstone” is a useful search phrase, but it is not the official name used for the basic resource chain. The official wiki lists Dirt as the terrain that produces Sand. Keeping the in-game names straight makes the Material Scanner, filters, and research descriptions much easier to follow.

Verified Sand-to-Gold Process

1. Mine Dirt to obtain Sand

Start by clearing Dirt close to the place where you want to build. Sand is a launchable solid, so conveyors and launchers can move it through a normal logistics line.

2. Add Water

The official Sand page gives the exact reaction:

1 Sand + 1 Water → 2 Wet Sand

Water is therefore part of the conversion, not merely a machine coolant. Keep the wetting area contained so Wet Sand forms where your conveyor can collect it.

3. Feed Wet Sand onto a Shaker

Wet Sand must sit on top of a Shaker. The Shaker periodically consumes it, sends Gold through the bottom when the probabilistic Gold roll succeeds, and pushes Residue from the top in the direction the Shaker faces.

Each Wet Sand pixel always outputs one Residue pixel. Gold is not guaranteed: the official wiki describes the chance as around 25% per Wet Sand pixel. Do not treat a small test batch as a fixed production ratio.

4. Separate Gold from Residue

Give the two outputs independent routes:

• Leave clearance below the Shaker for Gold.
• Give Residue room to leave from the Shaker's facing side.
• Add a Filter where mixed solids share a conveyor.
• Send Gold toward research or collection.
• Keep Residue for the later burn-and-press chain.

Residue can be ignited to attempt production of Burnt Residue. Burnt Residue can then pass through a Kinetic Press to make Gold and Seed, so dumping every early byproduct sacrifices a later production input.

What Density Does—and Does Not—Tell You

Sandustry materials have density values, but the old “sandstone density chart” overstated what players can infer from them. The official Sand and Wet Sand pages currently list both at density 150. Density affects how pixels settle in mixed piles; it does not replace a correctly configured Filter or establish a universal machine recipe.

The official Filter documentation gives the useful operational rule: filter the densest target first because it tends to sit at the bottom of a mixed pile. It specifically uses Gold and Sand as an example—allowing Gold through improves the chance of separating it because Gold sits below Sand.

Tall piles can still defeat an otherwise correct filter setup. A permitted pixel near the top may not reach the Filter when denser material blocks it. For reliable sorting:

1. Keep mixed piles shallow.
2. Filter the densest target first.
3. Leave space below the Filter for accepted pixels.
4. Prevent Water from entering the sorting point, where Sand can change into Wet Sand mid-filter and become stuck.

Starter Layout

Use this compact order before attempting a large factory:

1. Mine Dirt above or beside a Sand collection belt.
2. Route Sand into a contained wetting chamber.
3. Add controlled Water input.
4. Move Wet Sand onto the top of a correctly oriented Shaker.
5. Collect Gold below.
6. Carry Residue away from the Shaker's facing side.
7. Add a Gold Filter only where the streams can mix.

If Water routing is the bottleneck, use the Water guide. If you are redesigning the whole line, the factory setup guide covers layout planning.

Common Problems

The Shaker runs but Gold output looks low

Gold is probabilistic at this stage. First confirm that Wet Sand is actually sitting on the Shaker and that there is open space below for Gold. Observe a larger batch before concluding that the machine is broken.

Residue covers the Shaker

Check the Shaker's facing direction and clear its top-side output. A backed-up Residue route can obstruct fresh Wet Sand even when the Gold path below is open.

Sand reaches the Filter but does not separate

Check whether the pile is too tall, the Filter mode targets the wrong pixel, or Water is changing Sand into Wet Sand while it passes through. The Filter guide explains Allow and Block behavior.

I cannot find “sandstone” in the Material Scanner

Look for Dirt, Sand, and Wet Sand. “Sandstone” is the search wording used in this guide, not the current official material name.

Knowledge graph

Sand relationships

verified · high

A material obtained from Dirt that combines with Water to create Wet Sand.

Requires

Waterverified · highSource

Produces

Wet Sandverified · highSource

Version note: Hooded Horse Sandustry Official Wiki snapshot accessed 2026-08-24. Last evidence review: 2026-08-24.

Verified Sources

• Sandustry on Steam — developer, publisher, Early Access date, and the official description of Sand absorbing Water and Wet Sand being sifted for Gold.
• Official Wiki: Sand — Dirt as the source of Sand and the exact 1 Sand + 1 Water → 2 Wet Sand reaction.
• Official Wiki: Wet Sand — Shaker behavior, guaranteed Residue, and the approximate 25% Gold chance.
• Official Wiki: Burnt Residue — the later Residue burn and Kinetic Press chain.
• Official Wiki: Filter — Allow/Block behavior, tall-pile limitations, and filtering denser pixels first.
• Official Wiki: Beginner's Guide — official overview of Gold production and early logistics.

Because Sandustry is in Early Access, exact machine behavior may change. Recheck the linked official pages after major patches.