Going Medieval Steel Production Guide

Steel is not a single building or a universal late-game priority. It is a chain: metal input, fuel, research, smelting capacity, and a workshop that can turn the output into equipment. This guide explains how to plan that chain and marks the exact recipe values that still require a current-version game check.

Version boundary: Steam News Hub entries include the 1.1.x patch line. The old version of this page contained exact costs, yields, HP, heat, stack sizes, and research totals without a page-level source. Those values are intentionally removed until they are recorded from the current panel or a reproducible save.

The Steel Chain at a Glance

Step	Role	What to record	Evidence
Iron supply	Provide the metal input for later processing.	Confirm the resource name, deposit behavior, and current source in the map before quoting yield or HP.	Current save required
Fuel supply	Keep the smelting chain running.	Separate ordinary smelting fuel from any coal requirement shown by the current steel recipe.	Current recipe required
Smelting	Convert the raw input into workable metal.	Record the workstation, input, output, and research node from the current panel.	Wiki + current panel
Steel node	Unlock the steel branch when the colony can support it.	Treat Steel as a goal-based research choice, not a universal rush order.	Research page + current panel
Forge / armourer	Turn steel into equipment.	Verify each weapon or armour prerequisite before promising a specific item.	Current panel required

When Steel Is Worth Prioritizing

Steel becomes a reasonable project when the colony has a stable food reserve, enough labor to keep mining and fuel tasks from starving other work, and a combat or equipment problem that iron gear cannot solve. It is usually a poor first response to a food shortage, an unfinished shelter, or a research bottleneck caused by missing books.

Start the chain when...

the research prerequisite is visible in the current panel;
iron and fuel can be supplied without stopping food or defense;
you have a clear equipment goal rather than stockpiling steel for its own sake.

Delay it when...

the colony is still missing basic food or winter storage;
the fuel source is unconfirmed or too far from the workshop;
the next raid can be handled by existing weapons and a better layout.

Build an Evidence Table Before Publishing Numbers

For every recipe, create one row with the exact item names shown in the current game. Record the version, workstation, inputs, outputs, research node, book type, production time, and whether the result was observed once or reproduced. This prevents a 1.0 recipe or an old community table from becoming a false current fact.

Field	Example record format
Version	1.1.x patch or current save date
Recipe	Exact in-game recipe name
Inputs / outputs	Exact quantities, or “not recorded”
Research	Node and book requirements as displayed
Test status	Official / Direct play / Community lead / No access

Production Layout

Place raw-material storage where miners and haulers can reach it without crossing the defensive route.
Keep the smelting station, fuel storage, and output storage close enough to expose logistics problems.
Separate the steel project from ordinary fuel consumption so a basic task does not consume the reserve needed for the steel recipe.
Put the forge or armourer station on the same production plan only after its research and material prerequisites are confirmed.
Track the chain for one complete batch before deciding whether additional stations are justified.

What This Revision Removes

This revision does not publish the previous fixed values for deposit yields, coal HP, wood-to-coal conversion, smelting inputs, furnace HP or heat, steel stack size, weapon costs, research totals, or skill-speed multipliers. Those values can return after they are verified in the current version and recorded with their conditions.

Sources and Verification Boundary

Last reviewed: August 3, 2026. Exact recipes and production statistics require current-version testing.