Scrap

Scrap is a currency resource used for trading and a common reward from shredding unwanted items. It is produced by placing most player-made items, or wreckage marked as Debris, into a Shredder. When an item is shredded, it contributes a specific amount of Scrap based on the item’s size, type, and in some cases how complete it is.

A Scrap nugget is made from 50 Scrap. Partial piles remain inside the Shredder until enough has been accumulated to form a full nugget. Once complete, the nugget is stored on the same vehicle or platform as the Shredder if storage is available. If there is no free storage, the Shredder stops operating until the Scrap is removed.

Scrap is one of the most flexible resources in the game because it can be generated from many sources. Most debris pieces can be shredded directly, including broken vehicles, broken platforms, broken power and utility parts, abandoned platforms, and wrecked delivery crates. Some debris produces very little Scrap, while larger salvage can yield several nuggets from a single object. Smaller debris items such as tethers, extenders, and research-related wreckage usually yield only a fraction of a nugget, while larger wreckage such as broken generators, solar arrays, and rover parts can yield much more.

Scrap can also be farmed indirectly through the trade system. By gathering Soil and converting it into Resin, then smelting that into Glass and printing items that can be shredded, it is possible to create a net gain of Scrap. One commonly used loop yields 3 Scrap for 2 canisters of Soil. This makes Scrap a practical mid-to-late game resource for players who want a repeatable exchange loop rather than relying only on wreckage.

Scrap has several important uses:

• It is the currency used with the Trade Platform to buy other resources.
• It can be researched for 275 Bytes at the Research Chamber.
• It was also used to print event items for the Project CHEER Delivery LTE.

Not every item can be shredded. Resources, item pedestals, smoothing blocks, and Terrain Anchors cannot be shredded directly. Dynamite, fireworks, and other listed non-shreddable items are also excluded. Vehicles and extra-large items that are too large for a Shredder can be broken down with Dynamite first, allowing the resulting debris to be shredded afterward.

The amount of Scrap gained from an item is not always fixed in the same way. Some objects have values that depend on how “full” they are, including certain printable items and tools that can be used up or emptied. Empty Terrain Analyzers produce no Scrap. A few older or previously broken objects were reclassified over time, and platforms became shreddable in patch 1.9.8.

A notable exploit existed in patch 1.25.146.0, where QT-RTG and a Medium Shredder could be used to produce Scrap indefinitely.