Sandustry Lava Guide: Cinder, Filters, Water & Steam

About this guideLava is a deep-world liquid that can be frozen into a solid handling loop. Cinder can be moved, reignited, and used in a controlled filter setup for automation.

Short answer

Lava is a hot liquid found in underground caverns. It cannot be picked up with the ordinary Grabber or moved through Pipes. To relocate it, combine it with Snow to make Scoria, break the Scoria into Cinders, move the solid Cinders with a Grabber, Conveyor Belt, or Launcher, and ignite them where you need Lava.

A verified relocation route

Verified Lava relocation route showing Snow, Scoria, Cinders, solid transport, and ignition at the destination

Find an underground Lava cavern and make a safe work area.
Bring Snow to the Lava. A Cryoblaster is one documented way to make Snow.
Let the Lava become solid Scoria.
Destroy the Scoria with a weapon so it drops Cinders.
Collect and route the Cinders as a solid resource.
Ignite the Cinders at the destination to turn them back into Lava.

The developer-pinned Steam FAQ describes the same sequence and notes that the Hydro Sponge upgrade changes how above-surface Lava can be moved. Check the current upgrade wording before relying on that last step.

Lava as a heat and ignition source

Thermal processing scene showing contained heat, liquids, gases, and ignition routes

The official Lava page says that Water landing on Lava evaporates into Steam without reducing the amount of Lava. Lava can also be trapped in Filters to ignite pixels that pass over it, including Residue and Flower automation examples. Use a contained test area and keep the heat boundary visible.

When Residue is ignited, it may become Burnt Residue; the official Burnt Residue page warns that the conversion is not guaranteed. The current Kinetic Press route is Burnt Residue into Gold and Seed, so keep those names separate from older Slag/Spores terminology.

Troubleshooting

Lava will not enter a pipe: this is expected; the official page marks Lava as not transportable by Pipes.
Scoria will not form: check that Snow reaches the Lava and that the work area is not blocked.
Cinders disappeared: verify that a weapon actually destroyed the Scoria and that the Cinders have a receiving space.
A heat line burns the wrong input: isolate the Filter or Lava pocket and feed one test material before reconnecting the chain.
Water vanished: Water touching Lava becomes Steam; separate lines when preserving Water is the goal.

Common mistakes

Treating Lava like an ordinary liquid before unlocking the relevant handling upgrade.
Using an old chart to infer where Lava must appear or how much a cavern contains.
Publishing a fixed throughput or burner footprint when the sources only document the interaction.
Confusing Burnt Residue with Burnt Slag or claiming that the Kinetic Press outputs Spores.
Building a large heat loop before testing one Cinder-to-Lava conversion in isolation.

FAQ

Can I move Lava with Pipes?

No. The official Lava page says Lava cannot be transported through Pipes. Convert it to Scoria and then Cinders first, or verify the current Hydro Sponge behavior for above-surface handling.

Does Water consume Lava?

The current official page says Water evaporates into Steam when it lands on Lava and the amount of Lava does not decrease.

Is there a universal Lava location?

No. The source describes underground caverns, not a universal coordinate or map. Record the location in your own save and re-check after world or game changes.

Sources checked 2026-08-24: official Lava page, official Water page, official Burnt Residue page, official Research page, and the developer-pinned Steam FAQ.

Continue to Water, Materials, Beginner Tips, and Shaker Setup.