Sandustry Guide and Wiki

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How to Build Vertical Filters in Sandustry

Players see filter walls in screenshots and blueprints, then search the build menu for a missing block. A fresh Tier 6 question on 2026-09-06 shows the discovery problem still exists. Current community reports consistently identify the answer as the normal Filter's alternate placement mode, not a mod or hidden late-game unlock.

Early Access v0.5.6 · demand rechecked 2026-09-06 · Checked 2026-09-06

Select the normal Filter

Unlock and select the ordinary Filter you already use on conveyors. Do not search for a separate Vertical Filter research tile or Workshop item. Current players who completed large factories still missed the alternate mode because it is attached to placement controls.

Check the lower-left control hints after selecting the building. Rebound keys can differ from the default described by community reports.

Press R to enter wall mode

With Filter selected, press R. Current Early Access players consistently report that this changes conveyor placement into a vertical wall Filter. Drag the wall in the required direction, then inspect its orientation before releasing material.

If R does nothing, verify focus, current keybindings and that Filter—not another menu item—is selected. Do not install a mod to obtain a mode already present in the base game.

Configure the current Filter behavior

The current official Filter page says a Filter can be configured either to let one selected pixel type pass through or to let everything except one selected type pass through. Pixels outside that configuration follow the normal conveyor behavior.

Test one selected pixel and one rejected pixel separately. A mixed pile can hide the configured path because density affects which material reaches the Filter. Use the current Filter page and in-game state rather than an older overview for this behavior.

Understand the wall-mode advantage

Player reports describe wall mode as a way to sort a moving or launched stream without the horizontal conveyor slowing the entire pile. Material allowed through the wall can separate while the remaining stream continues along its route.

That performance description is community-observed, not an official throughput specification. Measure accepted output in your own layout and avoid publishing a universal rate.

Give every material an exit

A wall Filter still needs destinations on both sides. The official Filter page warns that blocked exits and tall mixed piles can prevent expected separation. Build visible catch zones and keep the first test small.

Anything dropped onto the top of a wall may need Clearing Frames or another verified route. Do not let the wall become a hidden storage column.

Avoid transformation inside the Filter

The official Filter page specifically warns that Sand becoming Wet Sand or Seed becoming Wet Seed while passing through a Filter can become stuck between states. Place the main Water contact inside a controlled chamber rather than directly at an uncertain Filter boundary.

If this jam occurs, stop both solid feed and Water, clear the transformed pixels, and restart with a thin layer. The Wet Seed guide shows where filtering belongs in that production stage.

Use walls in the Florinol chain

Vertical Filters are useful for keeping dry Seed out of Wet Seed output, separating Flower products, or containing a vertical material stream—but each use needs a current test. Configure one responsibility per wall before stacking several.

Save the working selection as a blueprint only after full-output and reload checks. Imported wall Filters may face the wrong direction or assume research and geometry your save does not have.

Sources and evidence notes

Frequently Asked Questions