Metal
Metal is a stored material used for construction, ships and defenses. Each station has its own stock; transporting materials or completing a delivery changes the receiving station's inventory.
Production and storage
Build a Metal Mine to produce more. Completed levels, temperature, position, energy, resource settings and research affect the rate. Basic income is separate from mines and does not receive position bonuses.
Upgrade Metal Storage before production reaches capacity. Check Resource Settings for current hourly production and storage instead of relying on an old season's output table.
Spending and trading
Buildings and ships need Credits as well as materials. Research Constellation levels use RP, not direct material payments. Materials can still be needed to build the Research Labs that earn RP.
Buy or sell at the Credit Market. Purchased materials wait in My Deliveries until a pickup trip brings them home. Review the quote and keep enough cargo capacity and fuel.
Planning tips
Middle positions favor Metal. Compare your next build cost before prioritizing it over Crystal or Deuterium.
Protect valuable stocks with a fleet and transport plan. Materials carried away are unavailable for local construction until they return; Credits and G cannot be loaded as cargo.