The Shovel and Gun cannot damage Crackstone. Use a more advanced digging tool; the Rocket Launcher is the clearest officially confirmed option.
To break Crackstone in Sandustry, use an advanced digging tool such as the Rocket Launcher. The Shovel and Gun do not affect Crackstone. The official wiki says other digging tools can destroy it, so the Rocket Launcher is a confirmed method rather than the only possible method.
Why your current tool does nothing
Crackstone is classified as a hard, naturally generated solid. It cannot be processed into another material, and nothing remains after it is destroyed. If a Shovel or Gun shot appears to have no effect, that is the intended material behavior rather than a positioning problem.
This distinction matters because the Gun is unlocked later than the Shovel but is still not strong enough for Crackstone. Do not spend time repeatedly firing at the same tile or rebuilding the approach around those two tools.
The confirmed Rocket Launcher method
The current official Rocket Launcher page explicitly says its explosions can destroy terrain that smaller digging tools cannot damage, including Crackstone. Aim at a solid surface near the Crackstone and allow the rocket to collide; the explosion affects a wide, roughly circular area.
The Rocket Launcher begins with three rockets and reloads them automatically over time. Because its blast covers an area, clear valuable resources or delicate factory structures away from the target before firing.
How to unlock the Rocket Launcher
The current Early Access Research page lists the Rocket Launcher in Tier 4 at a cost of 2,000 Gold. The separate Rocket Launcher page reports the same tier and cost. Older Demo-era references may show different values, but they do not match the current official pages used for this guide.
If you have found Crackstone before reaching Tier 4, mark the location and continue progressing through Research. Gold is the resource used to unlock this part of the research tree.
Other advanced digging tools
The official Crackstone page says that every digging tool other than the Shovel and Gun can destroy Crackstone. It does not provide a full ranked comparison of speed, energy use, or collateral damage on that page.
Use the Rocket Launcher when you want the method that is directly documented for Crackstone. If you later unlock another advanced digging tool, verify its current description before treating it as a better option for a specific factory layout.
Quick troubleshooting
- Shovel does nothing: expected; it cannot affect Crackstone.
- Gun does nothing: expected; it also cannot affect Crackstone.
- Rocket does not open the exact tile you wanted: account for the circular blast area and aim against a nearby solid surface.
- You cannot research the Rocket Launcher yet: continue Research progression until Tier 4 and prepare the current listed Gold cost.
Sources
- Crackstone — Sandustry Official Wiki
- Rocket Launcher — Sandustry Official Wiki
- Research — Sandustry Official Wiki
Tier and cost details were checked against the current Early Access wiki on August 15, 2026 and should be rechecked after major game updates.