A Stone Pickaxe breaks stone and flint, and that's it. Coal, copper and iron all sit behind a better pickaxe, so in Permafrost your tool ladder is your progression curve. Know which tier opens what, and you stop hiking out to boulders you can't break yet.
Tool type
Axes
Axes add damage against trees, and the Axes skill grows that bonus as you level it. Most plain tools also need Wood to craft, so expect to chop a lot early on.
Stone Axe
A hand-crafted starter axe. Stone and Wood are all it needs, and no bench is involved.
- Tier
- Stone
- Damage
- 10
- Durability
- 150
- Craft cost
- 2 Stone, 4 Wood
Refined Stone Axe
Upgrade for the Stone Axe, built at a Crafting Bench with more Stone and a Cloth.
- Tier
- Refined Stone
- Damage
- 13
- Durability
- 170
- Craft cost
- 1 Stone Axe, 4 Stone, 1 Cloth
Flint Axe
The first axe that needs a Crafting Bench, made from Flint and Wood.
- Tier
- Flint
- Damage
- 14
- Durability
- 150
- Craft cost
- 2 Flint, 4 Wood
Refined Flint Axe
Upgrade for the Flint Axe, made at a Crafting Bench with extra Flint and a Cloth.
- Tier
- Refined Flint
- Damage
- 17
- Durability
- 180
- Craft cost
- 1 Flint Axe, 4 Flint, 1 Cloth
Scrap Axe
Made from Scrap and Processed Plastic. There's no Wood in the recipe.
- Tier
- Scrap
- Damage
- 22
- Durability
- 260
- Craft cost
- 8 Scrap, 15 Processed Plastic
Copper Axe
Needs Copper Ingots, so you have to smelt before you can craft it.
- Tier
- Copper
- Damage
- 18
- Durability
- 200
- Craft cost
- 2 Copper Ingot, 4 Wood
Refined Copper Axe
Upgrade for the Copper Axe, built with more Copper Ingots and a Cloth.
- Tier
- Refined Copper
- Damage
- 21
- Durability
- 230
- Craft cost
- 1 Copper Axe, 4 Copper Ingot, 1 Cloth
Iron Axe
Made from Iron Ingots, which come out of the Stone Furnace.
- Tier
- Iron
- Damage
- 27
- Durability
- 310
- Craft cost
- 2 Iron Ingot, 4 Wood
Refined Iron Axe
Upgrade for the Iron Axe. Compare its Durability with the plain Iron Axe before you trade up.
- Tier
- Refined Iron
- Damage
- 29
- Durability
- 290
- Craft cost
- 1 Iron Axe, 4 Iron Ingot, 1 Cloth
Quality Axe
Built from Quality Metal, which a smelter makes out of Iron and Scrap.
- Tier
- Quality Metal
- Damage
- 30
- Durability
- 330
- Craft cost
- 2 Quality Metal, 4 Wood
Moonrock Axe
Needs Moonrock Ingots, and only the Professional Smelter makes those.
- Tier
- Moonrock
- Damage
- 34
- Durability
- 370
- Craft cost
- 2 Moonrock Ingot, 4 Wood
Refined Moonrock Axe
Upgrade for the Moonrock Axe, built with more Moonrock Ingots and a Cloth.
- Tier
- Refined Moonrock
- Damage
- 38
- Durability
- 400
- Craft cost
- 1 Moonrock Axe, 4 Moonrock Ingot, 1 Cloth
Tool type
Pickaxes
Pickaxes decide how far you can go. The Flint Pickaxe adds coal, copper and sulfur. Iron opens up with the Scrap or Copper Pickaxe. Copper can't break Moon Rock, but the Quality Pickaxe can. A pickaxe's item text lists what it can mine, so read it before you head out.
Stone Pickaxe
A hand-crafted starter pickaxe. It breaks stone and flint and nothing else.
- Tier
- Stone
- Damage
- 12
- Durability
- 100
- Craft cost
- 2 Stone, 4 Wood
Refined Stone Pickaxe
Upgrade for the Stone Pickaxe. It still only breaks stone and flint, so coal and copper stay out of reach.
- Tier
- Refined Stone
- Damage
- 15
- Durability
- 110
- Craft cost
- 1 Stone Pickaxe, 4 Stone, 1 Cloth
Flint Pickaxe
The first pickaxe that breaks coal, copper and sulfur, made from Flint and Wood.
- Tier
- Flint
- Damage
- 16
- Durability
- 110
- Craft cost
- 2 Flint, 4 Wood
Refined Flint Pickaxe
Upgrade for the Flint Pickaxe that breaks the same ores, built with more Flint and a Cloth.
- Tier
- Refined Flint
- Damage
- 19
- Durability
- 120
- Craft cost
- 1 Flint Pickaxe, 4 Flint, 1 Cloth
Scrap Pickaxe
Made from Scrap and Processed Plastic, and one of the early pickaxes that opens iron.
- Tier
- Scrap
- Damage
- 24
- Durability
- 130
- Craft cost
- 7 Scrap, 15 Processed Plastic
Copper Pickaxe
Breaks iron as well, but Moon Rock is still beyond it.
- Tier
- Copper
- Damage
- 20
- Durability
- 120
- Craft cost
- 2 Copper Ingot, 4 Wood
Refined Copper Pickaxe
Upgrade for the Copper Pickaxe, built with more Copper Ingots and a Cloth.
- Tier
- Refined Copper
- Damage
- 23
- Durability
- 130
- Craft cost
- 1 Copper Pickaxe, 4 Copper Ingot, 1 Cloth
Iron Pickaxe
Made from Iron Ingots and Wood.
- Tier
- Iron
- Damage
- 29
- Durability
- 140
- Craft cost
- 2 Iron Ingot, 4 Wood
Refined Iron Pickaxe
Upgrade for the Iron Pickaxe, built with more Iron Ingots and a Cloth.
- Tier
- Refined Iron
- Damage
- 31
- Durability
- 150
- Craft cost
- 1 Iron Pickaxe, 4 Iron Ingot, 1 Cloth
Quality Pickaxe
Quality Metal and Wood, plus a little Processed Plastic. Strong enough for Moon Rock.
- Tier
- Quality Metal
- Damage
- 32
- Durability
- 150
- Craft cost
- 2 Quality Metal, 4 Wood, 1 Processed Plastic
Moonrock Pickaxe
Made from Moonrock Ingots and Wood at a Crafting Bench.
- Tier
- Moonrock
- Damage
- 35
- Durability
- 250
- Craft cost
- 2 Moonrock Ingot, 4 Wood
Refined Moonrock Pickaxe
Upgrade for the Moonrock Pickaxe, built with more Moonrock Ingots and a Cloth.
- Tier
- Refined Moonrock
- Damage
- 37
- Durability
- 170
- Craft cost
- 1 Moonrock Pickaxe, 4 Moonrock Ingot, 1 Cloth
Tool type
Knives
Skinning an animal needs a knife-type tool in your hand, and the Stone Shiv is the first one you can craft.
Stone Shiv
A hand-crafted starter knife that needs no bench.
- Tier
- Stone
- Damage
- 10
- Durability
- 40
- Craft cost
- 1 Stone, 2 Wood
Refined Stone Shiv
Upgrade for the Stone Shiv, made at a Crafting Bench with extra Stone and a Cloth.
- Tier
- Refined Stone
- Damage
- 13
- Durability
- 50
- Craft cost
- 1 Stone Shiv, 2 Stone, 1 Cloth
Flint Shiv
Made from Flint and Wood at a Crafting Bench.
- Tier
- Flint
- Damage
- 14
- Durability
- 50
- Craft cost
- 1 Flint, 2 Wood
Refined Flint Shiv
Upgrade for the Flint Shiv, built with extra Flint and a Cloth.
- Tier
- Refined Flint
- Damage
- 17
- Durability
- 60
- Craft cost
- 1 Flint Shiv, 2 Flint, 1 Cloth
Scrap Shiv
Made from Scrap and Processed Plastic, with no Wood.
- Tier
- Scrap
- Damage
- 22
- Durability
- 70
- Craft cost
- 5 Scrap, 10 Processed Plastic
Copper Shiv
Made from a Copper Ingot and Wood.
- Tier
- Copper
- Damage
- 18
- Durability
- 60
- Craft cost
- 1 Copper Ingot, 2 Wood
Refined Copper Knife
Upgrade for the Copper Shiv, built with more Copper Ingots and a Cloth.
- Tier
- Refined Copper
- Damage
- 21
- Durability
- 70
- Craft cost
- 1 Copper Shiv, 2 Copper Ingot, 1 Cloth
Iron Shiv
Made from an Iron Ingot and Wood. Its damage is a range instead of a single number.
- Tier
- Iron
- Damage
- 27 to 22
- Durability
- 80
- Craft cost
- 1 Iron Ingot, 2 Wood
Refined Iron Shiv
Upgrade for the Iron Shiv, built with more Iron Ingots and a Cloth.
- Tier
- Refined Iron
- Damage
- 29
- Durability
- 90
- Craft cost
- 1 Iron Shiv, 2 Iron Ingot, 1 Cloth
Quality Metal Knife
Made from Quality Metal and Wood.
- Tier
- Quality Metal
- Damage
- 20
- Durability
- 100
- Craft cost
- 1 Quality Metal, 2 Wood
Moonrock Shiv
Made from a Moonrock Ingot and Wood.
- Tier
- Moonrock
- Damage
- 30
- Durability
- 110
- Craft cost
- 1 Moonrock Ingot, 2 Wood
Refined Moonrock Knife
Upgrade for the Moonrock Shiv, built with more Moonrock Ingots and a Cloth.
- Tier
- Refined Moonrock
- Damage
- 35
- Durability
- 120
- Craft cost
- 1 Moonrock Shiv, 2 Moonrock Ingot, 1 Cloth
How the Permafrost Tool Ladder Climbs From Stone to Moonrock
Each kind of tool climbs the same ladder: Stone, Flint, Scrap, Copper, Iron, Quality Metal and Moonrock. Refined versions sit right after their base tier for every tier except Scrap and Quality Metal. The order tells you what each tier asks of you, not how hard it hits. Scrap is the odd one out: its tools need no ingots, only Scrap and Processed Plastic. Check the Scrap and Copper cards on Damage and Durability before you choose your next tier.
Where Each Tier Gets Crafted and What You Smelt First
Stone tools are hand-crafted from Stone and Wood, so there's no bench in the way. Every craftable tool above Stone is made at a Crafting Bench once you've unlocked its blueprint, and the blueprint sets show what each set costs. Flint tools take raw Flint and Wood. Copper and Iron tools take ingots, which the Stone Furnace smelts from ore and Coal. Moonrock Ingots are the real gate, because only the Professional Smelter makes them. Quality Metal also comes out of a smelter, made from Iron and Scrap.
Refined Tools: What the Upgrade Costs and When It Pays Off
A refined tool is built from the plain tool of its tier, extra material and a Cloth. The recipe uses up the plain tool, so you trade it in rather than keep both. Before you pay, compare the Damage and Durability numbers on the refined tool and the plain one. Refine the tier you plan to live in for a while and skip the one you're about to outgrow.
Which Tool to Carry and Upgrade First
Durability is the number to check on every tool. Two tools at the same tier can wear very differently, and that decides how often you craft a replacement. Compare Durability within one tier before you pick a tool to carry. Put your first upgrades into the pickaxe. The pickaxe tier decides what you can gather, while an axe adds damage against trees.
FAQ
Where do I get Cloth for refined tools in Permafrost?
Cloth comes from a Tanning Rack, which turns Treated Hide into Cloth in batches, so make a batch before you start upgrading.
Is a Shiv the same thing as a Knife in Permafrost?
Yes. The game treats them as one tool type, and most of them carry the name Shiv. Some go by Knife instead, such as the Quality Metal Knife, the Refined Copper Knife and the Refined Moonrock Knife.