Sandustry steam rises from burnt Water or Snow and from Water meeting Lava. It pools under ceilings and a Condenser or the Sky returns it as Water.
Steam is what Water or Snow becomes under Fire, and also what you get for free wherever Water meets Lava. As a gas it rises until it hits a ceiling and pools there, so blocks are the usual way to steer it. With no ceiling above, it climbs to the Sky, condenses, and comes back down as rain - which makes it a genuine water-recycling loop rather than a loss. A Condenser turns it back into Water directly.
How to get Steam
3 routes produce Steam in the current build, and they are not interchangeable — each one carries a different cost and a different upstream dependency. The machines involved are Flamethrower / Rocket Launcher and Fire.
| Method | From | Machine | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heat Water with Fire | Water | Flamethrower / Rocket Launcher | — |
| Burn Snow | Snow | Fire | — |
| Water contacting Lava | Water | — | Evaporates without consuming the Lava. |
What Steam is used for
Steam feeds exactly one output, Water, which makes planning around it unusually simple.
| Produces | Machine or process | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Water | Condenser | Also condenses at the Sky and falls as rain. |
Conversions
No published ratios exist for Steam. The conversions below are confirmed to happen; how much you get per pixel is not documented.
| Input | Output | Process | Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water or Snow | Steam | Fire | Not published |
| Steam | Water | Condenser or Sky | Not published |
Steam properties
Steam has a density of 25, and density is what decides where a pixel ends up in a mixed pile — heavier material sinks, lighter material floats or drifts.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Density | 25 |
| Matter type | Gas |
| Burnable | No |
| Wettable | No |
| Launchable | No |
Related machines and materials
Steam touches 4 machines and 3 other tracked materials. Following those links is usually faster than rebuilding a line from scratch.
- Condenser
- Flamethrower
- Rocket Launcher
- Pipe
Tips
- Steam pools under ceilings; use blocks to direct it, or let it reach the Sky to return as rain.
Version notes
Patch history matters here: 1 update changed how Steam behaves, and community guides written before them can be misleading.
- Demo Hotfix 7 (2025-02-10): Snow vaporizes into Steam when burned.
FAQ
How do you make steam in Sandustry?
Heat Water with a Flamethrower or Rocket Launcher, burn Snow, or simply let Water fall onto Lava, which evaporates it without consuming the Lava.
What is steam used for in Sandustry?
It is the return leg of the water cycle. A Condenser turns it straight back into Water, and steam that reaches the Sky condenses and falls as rain.
How do you contain steam in Sandustry?
Steam rises until it hits a ceiling and pools there, so blocks are the usual way to steer it into a Condenser or a pipe run.
Is steam a water loss in Sandustry?
No, if you let it climb. With no ceiling above, it reaches the Sky and comes back down as rain, making it a genuine recycling loop rather than a leak.
Sources
- wiki.hoodedhorse.com/Sandustry/Steam
- wiki.hoodedhorse.com/Sandustry/Water
- wiki.hoodedhorse.com/Sandustry/Snow
- store.steampowered.com/news/app/2764460
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.