# Scrap metal equivalence in recipes

**URL:** <https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/scrap-metal-equivalence-in-recipes/10194>\
**Category:** The Drawing Board\
**Created:** [July 28, 2015, 10:37pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/scrap-metal-equivalence-in-recipes/10194 "2015-07-28T22:37:51Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![jaked122](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/jaked122/32/473_2.png) [@jaked122](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/jaked122)\
**Post date:** [July 28, 2015, 10:37pm UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/scrap-metal-equivalence-in-recipes/10194/1 "2015-07-28T22:37:51Z")

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I don’t really understand the reasoning behind being able to make a lump of steel out of whatever size scrap metal, or a chunk of steel out of rebar and scrap, but requiring me to butcher a bunch of chunks of steel into scrap metal to make sheets seems a bit unwieldy(It bothers me at least).

Look, these recipes are calling for a specific amount of metal, but when a lump is specifically asked for it should be possible to use the smaller grades as well.  
[table]  
[tr]  
[td][/td]  
[td]Scrap metal[/td]  
[td]Chunk of steel[/td]  
[td]lump of steel[/td]  
[/tr]  
[tr]  
[td]Scrap metal[/td]  
[td] 1[/td]  
[td] 1/3[/td]  
[td]1/12[/td]  
[/tr]  
[tr]  
[td]chunk of steel [/td]  
[td]3[/td]  
[td]1][/td]  
[td]4[/td]  
[/tr]  
[tr][td]lump of steel[/td]  
[td]12[/td]  
[td]3[/td]  
[td]1[/td]  
[/tr]  
[/table]  
The recipes requiring one kind or another should be amended to allow for interchangeability(or a requirement to produce more if you only have one variety available).

I’m not sure if this was a decision based on realism or not, but it seems like varying the amount of metal required (or the amount of product produced) would more realistic.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Coolthulhu](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/discourse.cataclysmdda.org/coolthulhu/32/2446_2.png) [@Coolthulhu](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/u/Coolthulhu)\
**Post date:** [July 29, 2015, 4:42am UTC](https://discourse.cataclysmdda.org/t/scrap-metal-equivalence-in-recipes/10194/2 "2015-07-29T04:42:37Z")

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Most recipes allow using larger chunks. Some may lack that.

However that would result in recipes offering more expensive choices for no gain. You could make a metal sheet from a lump, but you wouldn’t gain any compensation, just lose the lump and gain a sheet.  
I guess that’s why most recipes for smaller items offer only scrap and sometimes chunks.