Get Scrap by recycling Metal Junk
Get Scrap by recycling Metal Junk from Damaged Cars at the free Dismantle Bench inside House Camp's Church, or collect it from loose pickups, loot containers and traders. Each Metal Junk produces 2 Scrap; Plastic Junk produces 2 Processed Plastic, which you also need for Scrap tools.
Find the free bench inside House Camp's Church
The Way Home sends you to House Camp, where the Church contains the free Dismantle Bench. Look for the Local Church sign on the lawn and enter through the double doors above the front steps. Inside the main hall, find the bench against the side wall beside an arched window and hymn board; shelves and red toolboxes help identify it.
The Church is a No Build Zone, so you cannot place your own crafting stations inside it. Use the existing bench for recycling and do your tool crafting at a Workbench elsewhere. If you plan to bring back more junk, unlock the Church's fast travel point in the snow before the front steps.
Collect junk and run the Dismantle Bench
- Loot Damaged Cars around House Camp for Metal Junk. Keep it for the Dismantle Bench when your goal is Scrap.
- Break the area's Trash piles with a suitable pickaxe to obtain Plastic Junk. Collect this alongside Metal Junk so you can prepare both materials needed for Scrap tools.
- Approach the Church's Dismantle Bench and press F when its Open prompt appears. Put your junk into the recycling slots and let it process.
- Use several recycling slots together when materials are scarce. Each piece takes 5 seconds to process, and the bench keeps working while you are away.
Metal Junk and Plastic Junk produce different materials, so choose what to collect by checking the recipe you want to make. Metal Junk supplies Scrap, while Plastic Junk supplies Processed Plastic. Load the bench before handling other errands around House Camp, then return to check your materials.
Recycled materials and the full Scrap Tools Set
| Item | Materials or output | How to get it |
|---|---|---|
| Metal Junk | Recycles into 2 Scrap | Loot Damaged Cars around House Camp. |
| Plastic Junk | Recycles into 2 Processed Plastic | Break House Camp's Trash piles with a suitable pickaxe. |
| Scrap | Crafting material for tools and other recipes | Recycle Metal Junk, collect loose Scrap, loot containers or buy from traders. |
| Processed Plastic | Required alongside Scrap for Scrap tool recipes | Recycle Plastic Junk at the Dismantle Bench. |
| Copper Ingot | 3 Copper + 5 Coal; used to craft Wire | Smelt at a Stone Furnace. |
| Scrap Axe | 8 Scrap + 15 Processed Plastic | Unlock the Scrap Tools Set, then craft at a Workbench. |
| Scrap Pickaxe | 7 Scrap + 15 Processed Plastic | Unlock the Scrap Tools Set, then craft at a Workbench. |
| Scrap Shiv | 5 Scrap + 10 Processed Plastic | Unlock the Scrap Tools Set, then craft at a Workbench. |
| Scrap Sledgehammer | Check its Workbench recipe before collecting materials. | Unlock the Scrap Tools Set, then craft at a Workbench. |
Unlock Scrap tools and craft the tool you need
- Open Blueprints with U and find the Scrap Tools Set in the crafting tree. Unlock it for 2 blueprint points.
- Use a Workbench for the finished tools. If you need your own, construct it through the Building menu's Utilities section for 10 Wood.
- Select the desired Scrap tool and compare your Scrap and Processed Plastic amounts with the recipe's requirements. Red ingredient amounts indicate a shortage and prevent crafting.
- Choose the crafting amount and press Craft once you have the required materials. Pin the recipe if you want to keep it in view while gathering.
Blueprint unlocks, world recipe notes and quest rewards are different ways of learning recipes. Scrap tools use the blueprint tree, so collecting materials alone does not unlock them. The Scrap Pickaxe can break Iron and Gold boulders, while a Flint Pickaxe cannot break Gold boulders.
Get Scrap directly from pickups, containers and traders
Loose Scrap is marked at 7 spots on the map: 3 at Bunker Checkpoint, 2 at Crow's Nest and 2 away from named places. Scrap also appears in frozen bodies, Insulated Crates, lockers, quality crates, safes and toolboxes. Map-listed placements additionally include Military crates, Office cabinets, Suitcases and Wooden crates, so inspect those containers during your route.
Anna, Eric Hirsch and Logan Boyce stock Scrap. Find Anna at the Church, Eric Hirsch at Technocrats Colony and Logan Boyce at Solar Power Plant. Choose a nearby source when you only need to finish a recipe, and keep collecting junk when you also need Processed Plastic.
Other crafting recipes that use Scrap
Scrap also goes into ammunition, equipment, lighting and materials. Decide what you need next before spending the supply reserved for your tools. Use each item's recipe to check its other ingredients and unlock requirements.
| Item | Scrap's role | How to get it |
|---|---|---|
| .45ACP Ammo | Recipe ingredient | Craft using its ammunition recipe. |
| 12 gauge Ammo | Recipe ingredient | Craft using its ammunition recipe. |
| 12ga flare ammo | Recipe ingredient | Craft using its ammunition recipe. |
| 5.56x45mm Ammo | Recipe ingredient | Craft using its ammunition recipe. |
| 9x19mm ammo | Recipe ingredient | Craft using its ammunition recipe. |
| 9x39mm Ammo | Recipe ingredient | Craft using its ammunition recipe. |
| Batteries | Recipe ingredient | Craft at a Workbench. |
| Components | Recipe ingredient | Craft at a Workbench. |
| Compound Bow | Recipe ingredient | Craft at a Workbench. |
| Gunpowder | Recipe ingredient | Craft using its own recipe. |
| IZG | Recipe ingredient | Craft using its own recipe. |
| Moon Rock Scrap Standing Lamp | Recipe ingredient | Craft at a Workbench. |
| Oil Lamp | Recipe ingredient | Craft at a Workbench. |
| Quality Metal | Recipe ingredient | Craft at a Professional Smelter. |
| SG9 | Recipe ingredient | Craft using its own recipe. |
| Technocrats Boots | Recipe ingredient | Craft at a Tailoring Bench. |
Fix material shortages without mixing up metals
If a Scrap tool remains unavailable, check that the Scrap Tools Set is unlocked and that you are using a Workbench. Then inspect both recycled ingredients rather than only your Scrap supply. Return to Damaged Cars for Metal Junk or Trash piles for Plastic Junk according to which ingredient is short.
Copper Ingots come from smelting Copper in a Stone Furnace, while Scrap and Processed Plastic come from recycling junk. These materials are not interchangeable, so gathering Copper will not solve a Scrap tool's recycled-material shortage. Collect and process the missing ingredient instead of spending resources on the wrong production chain.