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Direct answer

Sandustry lava cannot be piped or grabbed. Freeze it to Scoria with Snow, dig that into portable Cinder, and re-melt it with a direct Flamethrower.

Lava sits in natural underground caverns and, later on, can be manufactured by the Volcanizer. It cannot be picked up by grabbers or sent through pipes, so moving it means converting it: freeze it with Snow into solid Scoria, dig that into portable Cinder, and re-melt the Cinder with a Flamethrower where you want the heat. Lava pools throw off Fire sparks on their own, which makes trapping a little in a Filter a cheap way to auto-ignite Residue or Flowers passing overhead.

There is a full walkthrough for this material as well: read the Lava guide.

How to get Lava

You can reach Lava 3 different ways, which matters because the cheapest route early is rarely the one that scales. It comes out of Cinder.

MethodFromMachineNotes
Find natural underground caverns——Occurs naturally underground.
Produce at higher tiers—Volcanizer—
Re-melt CinderCinderFlamethrowerRequires direct flame; passive heat will not do it.

What Lava is used for

Downstream of Lava you have Scoria, Steam, Fire ignition source and Heat. Deciding the split between them is a layout question as much as a recipe one.

ProducesMachine or processNotes
ScoriaCryoblaster / SnowFreezing Lava produces Scoria.
SteamDirect contactWater contacting Lava evaporates into Steam without consuming the Lava.
Fire ignition sourceFilterLava trapped in Filters ignites burnable material passing over, replacing burner setups.
HeatThermal BufferLava gradually transfers substantial heat energy to a Thermal Buffer.

Conversions

Lava has documented conversions but no stated yields, so test a small batch before sizing a permanent line around any of them.

InputOutputProcessRatio
Lava + SnowScoriaCryoblaster / Snow contactNot published
CinderLavaFlamethrowerNot published
Water + LavaSteamDirect contactNot published
  • Steam: Lava is not consumed.

Lava properties

At density 75, Lava sorts itself relative to everything else in the pile, which is often cheaper than filtering it deliberately.

PropertyValue
Density75
Matter typeLiquid
BurnableNo
WettableNo
LaunchableNo
Interacts withIce/cold, Water

The machines below are the ones that produce, consume or transform Lava; the material links point at the steps either side of it in the chain.

  • Cryoblaster
  • Volcanizer
  • Flamethrower
  • Thermal Buffer
  • Filter
SolidCinderTerrainScoriaWispSnowGasSteamLiquidWater

Tips

  • Trap Lava in a Filter to automate burning Residue or Flowers without a dedicated burner.
  • Lava cannot be grabbed or piped - convert it to Scoria and Cinder to transport it.

Version notes

The changes below are the reason a Lava layout copied from an older video may not work in the current version.

  • Update #3 (2025-04-03): Lava density increased to 200; Lava now destroys Fluxite, Redsoil and Strataform terrain; with a cold Thermal Buffer, Lava converts to Cinder instead of being fully consumed.
  • Demo Hotfix 7 (2025-02-10): Water no longer deletes Lava.
  • Demo Hotfix 8 (2025-02-20): Embers from Lava ignite Moss and Flowers.

The wiki infobox lists a density of 75; the Update #3 notes say Lava density was increased to 200. The wiki value appears to be stale, so both are recorded here.

FAQ

How do you get lava in Sandustry?

Find it in natural underground caverns, produce it with a Volcanizer at higher tiers, or re-melt Cinder with the direct flame of a Flamethrower.

How do you move lava in Sandustry?

You convert it. Snow freezes Lava into solid Scoria, digging Scoria gives portable Cinder, and a Flamethrower melts Cinder back into Lava at the destination.

Why can't I pump lava in Sandustry?

Grabbers and pipes do not accept Lava at all. The Scoria and Cinder cycle is the intended transport route.

What is lava used for in Sandustry?

Trapped in a Filter it becomes a free ignition source for Residue or Flowers passing above, and it transfers substantial heat into a Thermal Buffer.

What changed for lava in Update #3?

Lava now destroys Fluxite, Redsoil and Strataform terrain, its density was raised to 200, and against a cold Thermal Buffer it converts back to Cinder instead of being consumed.

Sources

Checked on September 4, 2026 against Early Access – Update #3 (v0.5.6). Values the sources do not publish are left out rather than estimated. Browse the other 20 materials or the patch notes archive.