Lead

Lead is a refined metal that appears naturally as tiles in the Oil Biome, making it the easiest refined metal to obtain once that biome is reachable. Unlike most refined metals, it does not have a raw ore form, so mining is the direct way to acquire it. Because of that, Lead is especially useful in the early and mid game for bases that can access oil areas without setting up a full metal refining chain.

Its main advantages are accessibility, thermal conductivity, and radiation shielding. Lead has one of the lowest thermal conductivities among refined metals, but it is still high enough to make it a practical and economical choice for low-temperature heat exchange. It works well for Radiant Liquid Pipe, Radiant Gas Pipe, Metal Tiles, and Tempshift Plates when the system is not exposed to very high temperatures. It is also the best readily available material for blocking radiation: Lead tiles provide 68% radiation absorption, the highest value among building materials, which makes them ideal for lining research reactor chambers, protecting sensitive equipment, or storing nuclear waste.

Lead is a poor choice for anything that runs hot. Its overheat penalty lowers a building’s overheat temperature by 20°C, so it is not suitable for many heat-generating buildings, especially power generators and batteries. It is, however, still good enough for wires of any type, as well as automation systems and other non-decor-sensitive buildings. In practice, Lead is best reserved for infrastructure that benefits from low cost rather than high temperature tolerance.

Lead can also be used in its molten form as a heat transfer fluid. Molten Lead has a wide liquid range and can remain useful in very hot environments, where it can serve as a medium for moving heat around. Care is required in extreme conditions, since exposure to volcanic magma can vaporize it into gas.

The Exosuit Forge can use Lead to produce a Lead Suit. The recipe is 200 kg Lead + 10 kg Glass = 1 Lead Suit, giving Duplicants and other workers a way to protect themselves against radiation.

Practical uses for Lead include:

• Early access to refined metal without needing metal refinery production
• Low-cost radiant pipes, tiles, and tempshift plates for moderate-temperature systems
• Radiation shielding for reactor rooms and waste storage
• Wires and automation for buildings that do not need high overheat resistance
• Lead Suits for radiation protection
• Molten Lead for specialized high-temperature heat-transfer setups

Because Lead is abundant, easy to mine, and versatile, it is one of the most efficient refined metals to spend on infrastructure that needs neither extreme strength nor extreme heat tolerance.