Survival Log Crafting Guide: Workbench, Crafting UI & New Recipes

Crafting Priorities

Crafting converts scavenged and dismantled materials into tools, repairs, defenses, Furniture, and production equipment. The right first item depends on the failure in front of you.

Exact quantities and proficiency bonuses are patch-sensitive. Use the current crafting panel rather than a launch-day table.

For specific ingredient combinations, cooking recipes, accepted substitutions, quantities, appliance requirements, and output effects, use the Survival Log Recipes database. Keep this Crafting guide for Workbench repair, crafting UI behavior, unlock decisions, and what to build next.

September 4 Current Changes

Version v1.0.15690 changes several crafting-adjacent routines:

• Refrigerator weight limits removed: all refrigerator types can store food ingredients without weight restrictions. Continue checking power, freshness rules, and appliance state.
• Radish merged into Carrot: Radishes in old saves convert automatically to Carrots, and related recipes have been updated. Confirm any older Radish recipe against the current Cookbook.
• NG+ Front Door optimization: in New Game Plus and later, Front Door Advanced Repair and Advanced Reinforcement can be used directly without completing their corresponding tasks.

These are official patch changes, but exact recipe quantities and task-specific repair costs still need live UI verification.

August 27 Crafting UI Checks

Recent updates changed how repeated crafting and material sources are presented. Before queueing a batch, check three places in the current UI:

• the exact recipe output preview, especially after Perfect Crafting changes;
• the source list for backpack, refrigerator, Tool Cabinet, or other storage;
• the Craft Again action, because it is useful only when the remaining input and output still match your goal.

This matters most for food machines, repair materials, and electrical equipment. A recipe that worked in an older guide may still exist, but its source picker or output behavior can be different in the current build.

September 2 Crafting Panel Note

Version v1.0.15511 extends interface-lag optimization to cooking and crafting panels. Use that smoother panel to verify the exact material source and action target; do not treat it as proof that older material counts are still valid.

Workbench Manual and Repair

The Workbench is the center of the crafting loop. When Search for Manual appears, select it and follow the marked exploration objective. Official notes confirm the task but not one universal manual coordinate. An August 16 patch fixed the task appearing repeatedly after the Workbench was already unlocked.

Use the Workbench Manual guide if the task is stuck.

After repair, place the Tool Cabinet and common materials close enough to reduce daily movement. Storage labels introduced in a later update make it easier to separate Tools, Materials, and machine inputs.

Perfect Crafting and Craft Again

Crafting proficiency can improve results, and the game includes Perfect Crafting behavior. v1.0.14878 adjusted the additional output of some Perfect results to better match materials consumed. Do not assume an old bonus table is still correct.

The Craft Again interaction is useful for repeat production, but check remaining materials and the actual output preview before queueing. Repetition is efficient only when it makes an item the run needs.

Current Machine and Furniture Unlocks

Shredder and Grinder

Launch-week updates added or changed Shredder and Grinder mechanics. Keep these systems inside the main crafting hub until their own GSC demand justifies separate pages. Check the current Codex and recipe panel for inputs, output, and power needs.

Ration Press

Examine the pile of papers in the Abandoned Hospital to unlock the recipe. The press compresses food into concentrated rations. Since v1.0.14911, four ration fragments can be recombined into one complete block without losing Satiety. Inputs are selected from the backpack and refrigerator, not the Tool Cabinet.

Read the Ration Press guide for troubleshooting.

Heater

The August 23 update adds a Heater after cold-wave warnings. The confirmed materials are Sheet Metal and Wire. The official note does not publish quantities, so use the live recipe. Prepare fuel before the temperature event begins.

Electric Oven

The Slow Roast and Fine Bake Planning Card unlocks post-disaster Electric Oven crafting. Confirmed material types are Sheet Metal, Electronic Components, and tempered glass. Before v1.0.14911, the oven could only be bought from a renovation company before the disaster.

Character-Specific Recipe Progression

Warehouse Manager journey events unlock solar panels, energy storage equipment, and heating equipment. The College Student and other homes can have different starting equipment and recipe paths. Do not assume one character's recipe is immediately available to another.

Compare roles in the Characters and Classes guide and power systems in the Power guide.

Materials and Glass

Track materials by function instead of mixing every scrap item:

• structural and repair materials;
• electrical components and Wire;
• Sheet Metal and other advanced materials;
• glass, Broken Glass, and tempered glass;
• machine-specific inputs;
• food inputs that belong in the refrigerator.

The August 23 Electric Oven note confirms tempered glass, not ordinary Broken Glass. Do not substitute the two unless the current recipe UI explicitly allows it.

Crafting Checklist by Phase

Before the disaster

• buy or preserve hard-to-replace tools and appliances;
• identify the first repair and power bottlenecks;
• avoid spending every rare component on convenience.

Early post-disaster

• finish the Workbench objective;
• repair vulnerable openings;
• craft the exploration tools named by active objectives;
• establish reliable food storage and power.

Mid and late run

• add machines only when inputs and electricity are sustainable;
• unlock character-specific energy recipes;
• prepare the Heater after a cold-wave warning;
• use Ration Press and food processing for a defined stockpile goal.

FAQ

What should I craft first?

Repair access and the item that prevents the next failure come first. That is usually a Workbench step, defense repair, or an objective-required tool—not a universal decorative item.

Where is the Workbench Manual?

Follow the active Search for Manual objective. Official notes do not confirm one universal coordinate.

Can I craft an Electric Oven?

Yes in v1.0.14911 after buying the Slow Roast and Fine Bake Planning Card.

Why is the Ration Press not seeing materials?

Use food from the backpack or refrigerator. The Tool Cabinet should not appear as a source after the August 23 fix.