Iron is a refined resource in Astroneer. It might be a common resource on earth and one of the first metals you get in Minecraft. In Astroneer, you will need to do quite a bit of travelling through the stars before you are able to start making use of it.
How Do You Get Iron?
Iron is created by smelting hematite. This is a resource that you can only find on Novus and Glacio. This means you will not be able to build anything with it for some time. Those nice printer recipes you are looking at will have to wait.
Once you have some Hematite, you will be able to get Iron by adding the ore to the furnace.
| Structure | Input | Output |
| Smelting Furnace | 1 Hematite | 1 Iron |
What Is Iron Used For?
Iron is used for crafting a lot of late-game structures and items. Early in the game, all of these structures will be really attractive. Unfortunately, you will have to travel through the stars to other planets before you can start making use of iron.
The table below contains a full list of structures and items that you can create using Iron.
| Creation Method | Input | Output Item/Structure |
| Small Printer | 2 Iron | Medium Shredder |
| Medium Printer | 1 Plastic, 1 Glass, 1 Iron | Atmosphere Condenser |
| 1 Tungsten Carbide, 2 Iron | Large Shredder | |
| 1 Resin, 1 Ceramic, 1 Iron | Large Platform C | |
| 1 Aluminium Alloy, 1 Ceramic, 1 Iron | Large Curved Platform | |
| 1 Iron, 1 Tungsten, 1 Compound | Trade Platform | |
| Large Printer | 2 Iron, 2 Ceramic | Extra Large Platform A |
| 4 Iron | Extra Large Platform B | |
| 2 Iron, 2 Resin | Extra Large Platform C | |
| 4 Iron | Figurine Platform | |
| Chemistry Lab | 1 Carbon, 1 Argon, 1 Iron | Steel |