Materials
Materials are chemical elements that can be found on the surfaces of planets and moons.
They do not take up space in cargo racks.[1] Materials have a separate inventory, and are only stored in tiny quantities. The maximum that can be carried at once is 300 units.
Materials remain available when switching between vehicles, and in the case of vehicle destruction they are saved by the pilot's escape system.
Synthesis
Crafting
In a future expansion during the Elite Dangerous: Horizons season, materials will also be used in a crafting system.
Material Sources
Material sources on planets and moons can be located by use of the Wave Scanner of an SRV. When they are shot with the Scarab SRV's dual plasma repeater they explode into chunks of Materials, which can be scooped using the SRV's Cargo Scoop. Note: it is possible to scoop materials with your ship as well.
The type of materials vary depending on the geology of the body, the type of world it is and where it is situated.[2] As well as sources which are natural parts of the body, there are meteorites which fell from space, cargo racks of downed ships, and perhaps other more mysterious sources to be found.
Material sources discovered so far are:
List of Materials
| Name | Found in | Grade | Used In |
|---|---|---|---|
| Antimony | |||
| Arsenic | |||
| Cadmium | Rare | ||
| Carbon | Very common | ||
| Chromium | Common | ||
| Germanium | Common | ||
| Iron | Very common | ||
| Manganese | Common | ||
| Mercury | |||
| Molybdenum | Rare | ||
| Nickel | Very common | ||
| Niobium | Rare | ||
| Phosphorus | Very common | ||
| Polonium | Very rare | ||
| Ruthenium | |||
| Selenium | Common | ||
| Sulphur | Very common | ||
| Tellurium | |||
| Tin | Rare | ||
| Tungsten | Rare | ||
| Vanadium | Common | ||
| Yttrium | Very rare | ||
| Zinc | Common | ||
| Zirconium |