If you’ve spent any time chasing late-game upgrades or building elaborate bases in No Man's Sky, you’ve almost certainly run into a roadblock when you realize you don’t know how to get carbon nanotubes in No Man's Sky. These versatile, high-tech components are required for dozens of critical recipes, from advanced life support modules to long-range teleporters. I spent my first 20 hours of gameplay skipping over the recipe for these, assuming they’d only drop from rare space stations or high-level combat encounters, so I know how frustrating it is to get stuck mid-craft waiting for them. This guide breaks down every reliable way to get them, plus tips to farm them efficiently without wasting hours running around random planets.
How to Get Carbon Nanotubes in No Man's Sky via Crafting (Most Reliable Method)
The most consistent way to get carbon nanotubes is to craft them yourself, and you’ll unlock the blueprint almost automatically as you work through the early game base building quests. If you somehow missed it, you can pick it up from the construction research terminal on the Space Anomaly for just 2 salvaged data, which you can get by digging up buried technology modules on any planet. To craft one carbon nanotube, you only need 50 Carbon and 10 Iron, two of the most common resources in the entire game.
That seems too easy right? I thought the same thing when I first found the recipe, I’d been hoarding rare resources thinking I’d need them for this high-tech component, and it turns out it’s made from stuff I pick up every time I run through a forest. But there’s a catch: you have to craft them at a medium or large refiner, you can’t make them in your personal inventory crafting menu. That’s why so many new players miss this method, they haven’t built their first refiner yet when they first run into a recipe that needs nanotubes. If you’re making components like advanced mining lasers, you’ll need multiple carbon nanotubes per craft, so having a steady supply makes a huge difference.
Alternative Ways to Find Pre-Made Carbon Nanotubes
If you’re mid-exploration without access to a refiner, or you just don’t feel like gathering resources to craft them, there are a few reliable places to find pre-made carbon nanotubes for free or for cheap. I’ve tested all of these methods on dozens of playthroughs, and they work regardless of what galaxy you’re in or how far you are in the main story.
I usually keep a stack of 10 pre-made nanotubes in my exosuit inventory for emergency repairs when I’m out exploring uncharted planets, so I don’t have to set up a refiner in the middle of a storm just to fix my life support. These methods are perfect for topping up your stock without going out of your way.
Efficient Farming Tips for Mass Carbon Nanotube Production
If you’re planning a big base build or a full set of endgame exosuit upgrades, you’ll need way more carbon nanotubes than you can get from random drops or small crafting batches. These tips will help you farm enough to make hundreds of nanotubes in less than an hour. First, pick a planet with dense, forested biomes and abundant iron deposits. You can spot these easily from space by looking for planets with green or brown surface coloring and descriptions that mention lush vegetation or heavy mineral deposits. I once found a planet covered in giant glowing trees that gave me 200 carbon per tree, I farmed 10,000 carbon in 15 minutes flat there.
Next, set up a small, portable base near both a large iron deposit and a dense forest area. Drop a large refiner (it processes resources 2x faster than a medium one) and a few storage containers so you don’t have to run back to your main base every time your inventory fills up. If you have a nutrient processor, you can also plant carbon-producing crops like Star Bramble or Frostwort in indoor planters to get an infinite, passive supply of carbon without leaving your base. That’s my go-to method for long-term production, I have 20 Star Bramble plants growing at my main base that give me enough carbon to make 50 nanotubes every time I log in. Just don’t forget to stock up on ferrite dust to make iron, you’ll need a lot of it if you’re making hundreds of nanotubes at once.
Common Mistakes to Avoid When Getting Carbon Nanotubes
I’ve made almost every mistake possible when farming these components, so I can save you a lot of wasted time by pointing out the most common pitfalls new players fall into. First, don’t waste your rare resources buying nanotubes from settlement merchants. Settlement vendors almost always charge 2x as much for nanotubes as space station vendors, so it’s never worth it unless you’re stuck on a remote planet with no other option. Second, don’t try to craft nanotubes in a personal refiner if you have a lot to make. Personal refiners are super slow, and they use your exosuit power supply, so you’ll end up wasting a bunch of oxygen or plutonium just to keep them running. Stick to medium or large stationary refiners for bulk production.
Third, don’t forget that carbon nanotubes are a required component for building base teleport modules. I’ve had to abandon two half-built outposts because I forgot to bring enough nanotubes to build a teleporter back to my main base, so I had to hike 20 minutes back to my ship to get more. Keep at least 3 nanotubes in your inventory any time you’re scouting locations for new outposts. The last mistake I see all the time is ignoring salvaged technology crates for other resources. Most buried tech crates have at least 1 nanotube in them, and they’re super easy to find with your analysis visor. If you’re already digging up salvaged data for base blueprints, you might as well grab the free nanotubes while you’re at it.
At the end of the day, once you know how to get carbon nanotubes in No Man's Sky, they stop being a frustrating roadblock and become just another easy-to-source component you keep stocked in your inventory. Whether you prefer crafting them from common resources, looting them from random drops, or buying them cheap from space stations, there’s a method that fits every playstyle. I’ve used all of these methods at different points in my playthroughs, and they’ve all saved me hours of unnecessary grinding. Next time you’re stuck waiting for nanotubes to finish that exosuit upgrade or base module, give one of these tricks a try, you’ll have a full stock in no time.
