Metal harvesting
ResourceHarvesting
Metal is one of the most important resources in ARK: Survival Ascended. It's used for metal tools, weapons, armor, and advanced structures. Metal nodes are found in mountains, caves, and along cliff edges.
Metal yield ranking
Average items per resource node or corpse at the selected settings.
Resource node · Corpse target
Range shows the approximate variation around each simulated average.
Node yields assume the recorded base harvest HP (e.g. 1000 for Redwood trees, 620 for Metal nodes). In-game, trees and rocks whose harvest health scales with their size have per-instance HP that varies with the node's size, so actual yields per node will vary. The values shown represent the average.
Where to find Metal68,418 harvestable nodes across 13 maps · 27 node typesView on map →
19,783 nodes
MetalRock 01
- Ragnarok
- The Island
- Genesis
- Genesis Ocean
- +7
14,481 nodes
MetalRock 02
- Ragnarok
- The Island
- Genesis
- Genesis Ocean
- +8
5,061 nodes
Surface Rock small B
4,155 nodes
ObsidianRock 01
3,333 nodes
Element Rock Small B
2,757 nodes
Copper Rock
2,593 nodes
CaveRocksSmallF
2,341 nodes
Element Rock small E
1,913 nodes
Zinc Rock
1,690 nodes
Surface Rock small A
1,378 nodes
CaveRocksSmall D
1,340 nodes
CaveRocksSmallE
1,010 nodes
Element Rock Small A
- Aberration
- Mythica
704 nodes
CaveRocksMediumF
663 nodes
Element Rock Medium A
- Valguero
- Aberration
- Mythica
651 nodes
Surface Rock medium B
614 nodes
CaveRocksMediumE
573 nodes
Element Rock Medium B
- Valguero
- Aberration
- Mythica
557 nodes
Element Harvestable 01
510 nodes
Surface Rock medium A
463 nodes
Element Rock small F
- Valguero
- Mythica
456 nodes
CaveRocksLargeE
435 nodes
CaveRocksLargeF
415 nodes
CaveRocsMediumD
283 nodes
Element Rock Medium C
- Valguero
- Aberration
- Mythica
181 nodes
Surface Rock medium C
78 nodes
Element Rock small D
Best Tool for Metal
100%Stone HatchetBestfrom Element Ore Deposits (Aberration, Amissa, Forglar, Forglar Part II, Svartalfheim, Lost City, Insaluna, Atlantis, Temptress Lagoon, Taenia Stella, Thaloria, Vintal)
95%from Element Ore Deposits, Gargoyle Statues, Metal Nodes, Rich Metal Nodes, Mountain Obsidian
80%from Element Ore Deposits, Rocks, Small Rocks, Coral Rocks, Gargoyle Statues +5 more
63%from Element Ore Deposits, Rocks, Small Rocks, Coral Rocks, Gargoyle Statues +5 more
63%from Element Ore Deposits, Rocks, Small Rocks, Coral Rocks, Gargoyle Statues +4 more
2x yieldfrom Corpses
Metal harvest multipliers23 creature records. Comparison score = average items per node.
Metal Weight Reduction
These creatures reduce Metal weight when carried in their inventory.
Tamed levels invested in Melee Damage. More melee = more resources per hit. Max 73 levels after taming.
| # | Creature | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  MagmasaurScore 176 | 9x | 176 | 120 | 21.1k | -75% |
| 2 |  DunkleosteusScore 160 | 9x | 160 | 60 | 29.1k | -50% |
| 3 |  AnkylosaurusScore 83 | 2x | 83 | 50 | 7.4k | -85% |
| 4 |  PhoenixFlyScore 83 | 2x | 83 | 23 | 5.0k | - |
| 5 |  DoedicurusScore 45 | 21x | 45 | 32 | 4.0k | - |
| 6 |  Chalk ElementalScore 36 | 9x | 36 | 120 | 2.2k | - |
| 7 | Rock ElementalScore 36 | 9x | 36 | 120 | 2.2k | - |
| 8 | Aberrant AnkylosaurusScore 0.0 | 2.25x | 0.0 | 50 | - | -85% |
| 9 | Aberrant DoedicurusScore 0.0 | 21x | 0.0 | 32 | - | - |
| 10 |  AcrocanthosaurusScore 0.0 | 1.56x | 0.0 | 170 | - | - |
| 11 |  AstrocetusFlyScore 0.0 | 1.56x | 0.0 | 29 | - | - |
| 12 |  CarcharodontosaurusScore 0.0 | 1.56x | 0.0 | 528 | - | - |
| 13 |  DeinosuchusScore 0.0 | 1.56x | 0.0 | 85 | - | - |
| 14 |  GiganotosaurusScore 0.0 | 1.56x | 0.0 | 1,000 | - | - |
| 15 | Ice ElementalScore 0.0 | 9x | 0.0 | 120 | - | - |
| 16 | R-GiganotosaurusScore 0.0 | 1.56x | 0.0 | 1,000 | - | - |
| 17 | Scrap ElementalScore 0.0 | 9x | 0.0 | 120 | - | - |
| 18 | Tek GiganotosaurusScore 0.0 | 1.56x | 0.0 | 1,000 | - | - |
| 19 | X-AcrocanthosaurusScore 0.0 | 1.56x | 0.0 | 200 | - | - |
| 20 | X-AnkylosaurusScore 0.0 | 2.25x | 0.0 | 50 | - | -85% |
| 21 | X-DeinosuchusScore 0.0 | 1.56x | 0.0 | 85 | - | - |
| 22 | X-DunkleosteusScore 0.0 | 9x | 0.0 | 60 | - | -50% |
| 23 | X-Rock ElementalScore 0.0 | 9x | 0.0 | 120 | - | - |
Recorded resource maps
59,076 harvestable nodes across 11 maps · 27 node types
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best dino for Metal in ARK: Survival Ascended?
The Magmasaur is the best Metal farmer with a 9x gather multiplier. The Dunkleosteus is the runner-up with 9x.
Which dinos reduce Metal carry weight in ARK?
The following creatures reduce Metal weight when carried: Dunkleosteus (-50%), Magmasaur (-75%), Ankylosaurus (-85%). This means they can carry more Metal before becoming encumbered.