Mine a Planet Common Ores Guide: Stone, Copper, Coal & More

Mine a Planet Common ores are the foundation of the early-game crafting pipeline and they include Stone, Copper, Coal, Iron, and Silver. These ores drop on Earth, Mars, and Europa and are used to craft the Common Ingot and Iron Alloy recipes. This guide covers each Common ore, its source planet, smelt ratio, and the optimal farming routes for new players.

For the complete material pipeline including Epic and Mythic ores, see our Mine a Planet smelter recipes guide. For the broader ore tier list, see our Mine a Planet ores and materials hub. This principle applies broadly across all progression stages and is one of the most reliable optimization levers in the game.

Common Ore Tier Overview

The Common tier includes five ores that drop on Earth, Mars, and Europa. Stone and Copper are the earliest-game ores, Coal is the early-game fuel material, Iron is the mid-game staple, and Silver is the mid-game rare drop. Each ore has a specific source planet and a specific crafting use.

The smelt ratios above are the inputs for the first recipe each ore feeds into. Stone and Copper feed the Common Ingot recipe at 5:5, Coal and Iron feed the Iron Alloy recipe at 5:10, and Silver feeds the Crystal Ingot recipe at 20:1.

Stone and Copper — The Early-Game Staples

Stone and Copper are the two ores that drop on Earth and form the basis of the Common Ingot recipe. Both ores have very short respawn timers, which makes them the fastest Drill Piece sources in the game. The optimal farming route for new players is a tight 3-node loop near the smelter teleport that alternates between Stone and Copper nodes.

The Stone and Copper ore sources are essentially interchangeable for farming purposes, and the only reason to favor one over the other is to maintain the 5:5 smelt ratio for the Common Ingot recipe. Most players stockpile both ores simultaneously by farming a 3-node loop that includes one of each.

Coal — The Iron Alloy Fuel

Coal is the fuel material for the Iron Alloy recipe, which is the mid-game craft that unlocks Mars progression. Coal drops on Mars alongside Iron Ore, and the optimal farming strategy is to mine Coal as a byproduct of Iron farming rather than as a primary target.

A practical Coal farming strategy is to alternate between Iron nodes and Coal nodes in the same farming cycle. The Iron nodes are denser than Coal nodes, so most players spend roughly 70% of their time on Iron and 30% on Coal, which keeps the 10:5 Iron Alloy ratio balanced.

Iron — The Mid-Game Backbone

Iron is the most important Common ore because it is the primary input for the Iron Alloy recipe. Iron drops on Mars and is the first ore that players need to farm in significant quantities. The recommended farming strategy is a tight 3-4 node loop near the smelter teleport, with periodic Coal pickups to maintain the 10:5 ratio.

Players who are pushing for the Iron Hammer craft should farm Iron exclusively until they have 50 Iron stockpiled, then add Coal pickups to complete the 10:5 ratio. This rhythm yields 5 Iron Alloys per smelt cycle, which is enough to craft the Iron Hammer with one full cycle.

Silver — The Europa Common Ore

Silver is the rarest Common ore and drops on Europa. While not as valuable as the Rare or Epic ores, Silver is a useful supplemental material for mid-game crafting and is one of the first ores that requires the Titanium Spire to farm efficiently.

Silver is a secondary farming target on Europa. Most players focus on Crystal nodes (the primary Rare ore on Europa) and pick up Silver as a byproduct. The 20:1 smelt ratio for Crystal Ingot means you need 20 Silver per Crystal Ingot, which is a significant stockpile requirement.

How to Use Common Ores Across the Game

The Common ores are not just early-game materials — they remain useful throughout the entire game because every smelt recipe includes some Common ore component. The Mythril Bar recipe requires Stardust and Mythril, but the crafting bench itself is fueled by Common Ingots that you must stockpile separately. Maintaining a steady Common ore income is therefore essential even at end-game.

The Common ore component is largest in the early-game recipes and shrinks as you progress. By the time you reach Mythril Bar and Cosmic Core recipes, Common ores are no longer needed. The exact mechanics vary slightly by patch, but the underlying principle remains consistent across all player playstyles.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the fastest Common ore to farm?

Stone and Copper are tied for the fastest, with respawn timers of roughly 3 seconds. The optimal farming route on Earth is a tight loop that alternates between Stone and Copper nodes. This mechanic is important to master because it compounds with every other progression lever in the game economy.

Can I skip Common ores and go straight to Rare?

No, the Iron Hammer requires Iron Alloy, which requires Iron and Coal. There is no way to skip the Common ore grind entirely. Yes, but the optimal approach depends on your current progression stage and your stockpile of supporting materials.

Should I stockpile Common ores or sell them back at the bench?

Stockpile Common ores for crafting, especially in the early game. Selling them back at the bench gives you Drill Pieces but delays your crafting milestones. Generally yes, but the optimal timing depends on your current resource reserves and your active biome's node HP profile.

Are Common ores valuable at end-game?

Common ores have low trade value at end-game, but they remain useful for smelter fuel and for crafting bench fees. Maintain a small stockpile of 200-500 of each Common ore as a buffer. The exact answer depends on your current progression stage, but the baseline principle applies across most playstyles and biome choices for the average player.

What is the best drill for Common ore farming?

The Iron Hammer is the best Common ore farming drill at mid-game. For end-game players rotating back to Earth, the Astral Annihilator's 32x ore multiplier turns every Common ore swing into a major Drill Piece income boost. Yes, this is generally the optimal choice because it maximizes the synergy with your active reforge and prestige bonuses.

Common Ore Trade Value and When to Sell

Common ores have low individual trade value, but they accumulate quickly during farming sessions. A player who runs a 30-minute Earth farming session with the Astral Annihilator can stockpile 10,000+ Stone and Copper, which is enough to sell for 50,000-100,000 Drill Pieces on the trade market.

The optimal Common ore trade strategy is to keep a personal buffer of 500-1,000 of each Common ore and sell everything beyond that. The trade value per unit is low (roughly 5-10 Drill Pieces per Stone or Copper), but the volume adds up quickly.

Common Ore Farming Cycles

For new players, the optimal Common ore farming cycle is a 3-node loop on Earth that alternates between Stone and Copper. Each cycle takes roughly 4-6 minutes and yields 50 Stone + 50 Copper. The cycle is fast enough that new players can complete 8-10 cycles per hour, which is enough to fund the early-game crafting milestones.

For end-game players rotating back to Earth, the optimal cycle is the same but with an Astral Annihilator equipped. The 32x ore multiplier turns each cycle into a much larger Drill Piece income burst, which is why Earth remains a popular farming location even at end-game.

Common Ore Respawn Timing and Why It Matters

The respawn timer for Stone and Copper is roughly 3 seconds, which is the fastest in the game. This timer is what makes Earth the most efficient Drill Piece source per hour. Even with the lower per-node value, the high respawn rate means more swings per hour, which compounds into significantly higher total Drill Piece income.

Players who try to farm Common ores on other planets (e.g., Mars) will find the respawn timer is significantly longer, which slows the swing rate and reduces total Drill Piece income per hour. Always prioritize Earth for Common ore farming.

How Common Ores Compare to Higher-Tier Ores

Common ores have the lowest per-unit value in the game, but they have the highest drop rate and the shortest respawn timer. This combination makes them the most reliable Drill Piece source for new players, even though each unit is worth less than a Rare or Mythic ore.

The trade-off between drop rate and per-unit value is a fundamental concept in Mine a Planet's economy. Common ores trade lower per-unit value for higher drop rates, while Mythic ores trade lower drop rates for higher per-unit value. Players who optimize their farming routes balance both factors based on their current crafting goals and Drill Piece reserves.

Common Ore Inventory Management Best Practices

The most common Common ore mistake is to let your stockpile grow beyond the smelter's batch size, which leaves you with stranded Common Ingots that cannot be efficiently processed. Always keep your raw Common ore stockpile below 1.5x the next smelter batch size, and smelt on a regular cadence to prevent overflow.

For end-game players who are not actively crafting Common-tier items, sell excess Common ores back at the bench for Drill Pieces. The conversion rate is roughly 1 Drill Piece per 1 unit of Common ore value, which makes direct selling a reasonable strategy for players who have no upcoming Common-tier crafting milestones.