If you’ve ever spent 20 minutes stuck at a crashed freighter because you don’t have the right parts to repair your launch thrusters, you know how critical basic building components are in No Man’s Sky. Learning how to make metal plating in No Man's Sky is one of the first core crafting skills every player needs to master, whether you’re just starting your first playthrough or coming back after a long break to explore new updates. This component is used for everything from fixing your starship’s basic systems to building entire base structures, crafting exploration tools, and even assembling parts for freighter upgrades. I’ve put in over 400 hours across three different saves, so I’ve got all the tricks to make this process as painless as possible, even if you’re still learning the game’s sometimes confusing resource and crafting systems.
What You Need to Make Metal Plating in No Man’s Sky
First, you don’t need any fancy equipment to make metal plating, unlike more advanced components like Hermetic Seals or Wiring Looms. The only required material is 50 units of Ferrite Dust, one of the most common resources you’ll find on nearly every planet in the game. That means you never have to go out of your way to hunt for rare elements if you run low on this part mid-exploration.
I usually keep a stack of 200 Ferrite Dust in my exosuit inventory at all times specifically so I can make metal plating on demand, no matter where I am. Ferrite Dust can be collected by mining any type of rock, stone formation, or large mineral deposit on the surface of a planet, even the most toxic or frozen worlds. You don’t need a high-tier mining laser either; the basic starting tool will collect Ferrite Dust just fine, though upgraded lasers will speed up gathering significantly.
One small note: you don’t need to process Ferrite Dust in a refiner to use it for metal plating. Raw Ferrite Dust works directly for this recipe, so you can skip the extra processing step entirely for this component.
Step-by-Step Process to Craft Metal Plating
Once you have your Ferrite Dust gathered, the actual crafting process takes less than 10 seconds, no matter if you’re on foot, in your starship, or even floating in space. Follow these simple steps every time:
- Open your exosuit, starship, or freighter inventory menu
- Navigate to the crafting tab, marked with a small hammer icon
- Scroll to the “Basic Building Components” section and select metal plating
- Confirm the craft, and the component will be added directly to your active inventory
If you don’t see the metal plating recipe available, that’s almost always because you don’t have enough Ferrite Dust in the inventory you’re currently accessing. Double check that you’re not trying to pull resources from a storage container you don’t have linked, or that your stack of Ferrite Dust isn’t stored in a different inventory tab. One common mistake new players make is trying to craft from their starship inventory when all their Ferrite Dust is in their exosuit, so make sure to transfer resources first if that’s the case.
You don’t need to unlock the metal plating recipe either – it’s available from the very start of the game, right after you finish the initial tutorial for repairing your damaged starship. That’s part of why it’s such a useful core component for new and experienced players alike.
Practical Uses for Metal Plating in Your Playthrough
You might think metal plating is only useful for your first few hours of play, but you’ll keep coming back to this component for hundreds of hours if you stick with the game. Some of the most common uses I rely on it for include base building, repairs, and advanced crafting.
Almost every basic structural part, from walls and floors to doors and ramps, requires at least one piece of metal plating to build. If you’re putting together a large outpost on a new planet, you can easily go through 50+ pieces of metal plating in a single building session. I always stock up before I start any big base project, so I don’t have to stop halfway to go mine more Ferrite Dust.
Launch thrusters and damaged starship hulls almost always require metal plating to fix, which is why I keep at least 5 pieces in my exosuit at all times. There’s nothing worse than landing on a remote, storm-battered planet with no Ferrite Dust and realizing you can’t take off again because your thrusters are damaged. I’ve been stuck in that exact position more than once, and it’s not a fun way to spend an hour of playtime.
Metal plating is also a required ingredient for dozens of more complex parts, including Carbon Nanotubes, Hydraulics, and even Freighter Warp Core components. You’ll need it for upgrading your exosuit slots, adding new weapons to your multi-tool, and building trade terminals for your base. One lesser known use is for quick emergency sales: if you’re short on units and have a stack of extra metal plating lying around, you can sell it at any space station trading terminal for a small but reliable profit. It’s not the fastest way to make money, but it’s a good way to offload extra resources you don’t need if you’re short on inventory space.
Pro Tips to Make Metal Plating Faster and More Efficient
After years of playing, I’ve picked up a few tricks to cut down on the time I spend gathering materials and crafting this component, so I can spend more time exploring and less time mining rocks.
First, prioritize mining large Ferrite Dust deposits marked on your scanner instead of picking up small rocks scattered across the surface. A single large deposit can give you 500+ units of Ferrite Dust in just a few minutes, which is enough to make 10 pieces of metal plating. You can find these deposits by using your analysis visor to scan for resource markers when you land on a new planet. Look for the blue icon marked with “Ferrite Dust” to locate these rich deposits fast.
Second, set up a small Ferrite Dust farm at your main base if you build a lot. You can place a mineral extractor on a Ferrite Dust deposit, link it to a storage container, and it will automatically gather resources for you while you’re off exploring. I have one of these set up at my home base, and every time I come back I have thousands of units of Ferrite Dust waiting for me, so I never run out. It takes less than 10 minutes to set up, and it saves me hours of mining time over the course of a playthrough.
Third, craft metal plating in bulk when you’re waiting for something else. If you’re sitting in your starship waiting for a warp drive to charge, or waiting for a trade mission to finish, take 30 seconds to craft a stack of 20 metal plating and store it in your freighter inventory. You’ll be grateful you have it on hand when you need it for a last minute repair or build project.
You can also deconstruct unused base parts to get back 100% of the metal plating used to build them, so if you change your mind about a base layout, you don’t have to waste resources crafting new parts for your next design. I redesign my bases all the time, and this trick has saved me hundreds of units of Ferrite Dust over the years. Just don’t craft more metal plating than you can store unless you have a specific use for it. It takes up one inventory slot per 5 pieces, so a full stack of 50 takes up 10 slots, which can eat into your limited inventory space fast if you’re not careful.
At the end of the day, metal plating is such a basic part of No Man’s Sky gameplay that most long-time players don’t even think about the crafting process anymore, but it’s the foundation of almost everything you’ll build and repair in the game. Now that you know how to make metal plating in No Man's Sky, you’ll be able to avoid those annoying moments where you’re stuck without the parts you need to keep exploring, building, and upgrading your gear. Don’t forget to keep a small stack on you at all times, and prioritize gathering Ferrite Dust whenever you have a spare minute during your travels. You never know when you’ll need to patch up a damaged starship or throw together a quick shelter on a hostile planet, and having metal plating on hand will make those moments far less stressful.
