If you’ve spent even 10 hours wandering planets in No Man’s Sky, you’ve probably hit a wall when crafting advanced tech or base parts that require chromatic metal. A lot of new players get stuck asking how do you get chromatic metal in No Man's Sky, especially when they don’t have access to high-end gear yet. This resource is non-negotiable for everything from hyperdrive upgrades to base teleporters, so figuring out a reliable way to farm it early will save you hours of frustration down the line. I’ve spent over 200 hours testing different gathering methods across all game modes, so I’m breaking down the best options for every playstyle and progression level.
How Do You Get Chromatic Metal in No Man’s Sky as a New Player?
If you’re still in the first few hours of gameplay and haven’t unlocked a hyperdrive yet, refining regular copper is the easiest way to get your first stack of chromatic metal. You’ll get a portable refiner as part of the opening “Awakening” main quest, so you don’t have to spend extra resources crafting one from scratch to get started. All you need after that is a small amount of carbon to power the refiner, and copper ore mined from surface deposits.
Copper shows up as bright orange nodes on your personal scanner, so you won’t have to wander aimlessly to find it. If your starting planet doesn’t have copper, fly to the nearest moon — 9 times out of 10, it will have large, easy-to-mine copper deposits scattered across its surface. Every 2 units of copper refined will turn into 1 unit of chromatic metal, so you only need to mine 100 copper to get 50 units of the resource, which is enough for your first hyperdrive and base teleporter.
You can also find small amounts of chromatic metal in abandoned crates, damaged cargo pods, and crashed ship storage holds while you explore. It’s not a reliable source for bulk stock, but looting these spots as you pass them can save you a lot of mining time early on. Just make sure you don’t waste your first few units on decorative base parts — save them for critical upgrades first.
Efficient Bulk Farming Methods for Mid to Late Game
Once you unlock a hyperdrive and can travel to different star systems, you can start farming chromatic metal way faster using activated ores. Activated versions of copper, cadmium, emeril, and indium all refine into 4 units of chromatic metal per 1 unit of ore, which is 4 times more efficient than regular copper. Activated indium is the most profitable and efficient of these ores, since it’s found in the highest quantities on planets orbiting blue stars, and sells for a high price if you ever have extra stock to trade.
To set up a permanent chromatic metal farm, first unlock the indium drive upgrade for your hyperdrive so you can access blue star systems. Scan planets in these systems until you find one with large activated indium deposits, then build a small base with a power source right next to the largest deposit you can find. Place 5 to 10 medium refiners at the base, hook them up to power, and add a steady supply of oxygen or condensed carbon for fuel. You can process 1000 units of activated indium into 4000 units of chromatic metal in less than 15 minutes with this setup.
If you already have a small stock of chromatic metal to work with, you can use a medium refiner to duplicate it for even faster gains. Combining 2 units of chromatic metal with 1 unit of ferrite dust will produce 3 units of chromatic metal, so you can double your stock in under an hour if you have enough ferrite dust saved up. There are a few common mistakes you’ll want to avoid when setting up your farm though:
- Forgetting to bring extra fuel for your refiners, which can leave you stranded mid-farm with half a stack of unprocessed ore and no way to turn it into usable metal
- Building your farm on a planet with extreme weather or frequent sentinel attacks, which will interrupt your gathering constantly and force you to stop processing to defend yourself or take shelter
- Mining only small deposits instead of scanning for large, concentrated nodes that give 1000+ units of ore per deposit, which cuts your farming time in half for the same amount of resource
Alternative Ways to Get Chromatic Metal Without Mining or Refining
If you hate spending hours mining ore or waiting for refiners to process resources, there are several other ways to stock up on chromatic metal that fit combat or trade-focused playstyles. The first option is buying it directly from trade terminals or NPC pilots at space stations and planetary settlements. High-tech economies have the most consistent stock of chromatic metal, and it usually sells for around 120 units per piece, so you can buy a stack of 500 for 60,000 units if you have extra cash saved up from trading other resources.
Another low-effort method is earning chromatic metal through frigate expeditions, if you own a freighter. Send your frigates on industrial or exploration-focused expeditions with a 90% or higher success rate, and they’ll often return with 200 to 500 units of chromatic metal as a bonus reward, alongside other rare resources. You don’t have to do any work once you send the expedition out, so you can go explore or work on other projects while you wait for your frigates to come back.
If you prefer combat gameplay, you can loot chromatic metal from pirate freighters and crashed pirate ships. Attacking a pirate freighter and boarding it will usually net you 100 to 300 units of chromatic metal per ship, plus other valuable resources like nanites and upgrade modules. Just make sure you have a decent ship weapon like a photon cannon before you start attacking pirate ships, and don’t engage if you already have a high wanted level, since more pirates will spawn to attack you mid-raid.
Smart Uses for Chromatic Metal to Avoid Wasting Your Stock
Once you have a steady supply of chromatic metal, it’s easy to waste it on unnecessary items before you have enough saved for critical upgrades. Prioritize spending it on hyperdrive upgrades, hazard protection upgrades, and your base teleporter first — these are all non-negotiable for smooth exploration, and you won’t be able to progress far without them. Don’t waste your first few hundred units on decorative base parts or low-tier upgrades that you’ll replace in a few hours anyway.
You should always keep a stack of at least 50 units of chromatic metal in your personal inventory when you’re exploring. Upgrade modules for multi-tools and ships almost always require chromatic metal to install, so having it on hand means you can equip new rare upgrades right away instead of having to travel back to your base to process more ore. It’s also used to repair damaged tech on crashed ships you find, so if you’re hunting for S-class ships to add to your collection, you’ll need a stock to fix their broken components before you can claim them.
If you play multiplayer, chromatic metal is one of the most commonly traded resources between players, so having extra stock to share or swap for rarer resources like storm crystals or larval cores is always a good idea. You don’t need to hoard thousands of units unless you’re planning a massive base or freighter build — 200 to 300 units is more than enough for regular exploration and casual crafting needs for most players.
At the end of the day, the best method for how do you get chromatic metal in No Man's Sky depends entirely on your playstyle and how far you are in the game. New players can stick to refining copper for their first few hours, while mid-game players will get way more value out of setting up an activated indium farm. If you hate mining, buying it or earning it through expeditions works just as well. Don't stress too much about stocking up right away, once you have a consistent method set up, you'll never run out again for all your crafting and upgrade needs.
