How to get coal in Dwarf Fortress

Dwarf Fortress contains a variety of resources that you’ll be able to collect as you progress through your journey. A particular resource that you can acquire as you play the game is Coal. Unfortunately, how you can obtain this material isn’t exactly specified so you may have some trouble gathering it. Luckily, we’re here to make your job easier by showing you where you can find this item in the game.

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Where to find coal in Dwarf Fortress

You’ll be able to get coal by crafting it through the Wood Furnace, which you’ll need to build using Limestone. Getting the Limestone necessary to construct the Wood Furnace, however, is no easy task as it can only be found by digging deeper into the earth. 

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Once you’ve built the Wood Furnace, you will then need to use one piece of wood to make coal. Any type will suffice so you’ll easily be able to gather some by chopping up one of the stumps on the surface. 

Keep in mind that one of your Dwarves must also have the Wood Burner Labor Skill enabled. You’ll be able to check a unit’s list of Skills by clicking on a character and selecting the Skills tab on the pop-up window.

You will then be able to use the coal you created as a source of fuel for various structures within your fortress. This includes using it as fuel in the creation of various types of weapons and armor at the Metalsmith’s Forge. It can also be used to power the different kinds of furnaces in the game such as the Glass Furnace and the Kiln.

Another type of fuel that you can use to power your structures is Coke. However, you’ll have to dig into the sedimentary layer in order to find Lignite and Bituminous Coal, which are the resources you’ll need to produce Coke.