Astroneer Soil Centrifuge: Turn a Full Tank into the Resource You Need

Check the prerequisites before digging another hole

The community-maintained Astroneer Wiki lists the Soil Centrifuge as a Medium Printer recipe using two Compound and one Aluminum, with a 750-byte research unlock. It is a large module, so check that you have an appropriate platform and a connected power source. These are documented inputs, not a claim that a starter save already owns the printer, Aluminum, research or platform.

A Small Canister is listed as one Resin at the backpack or Small Printer. When attached for terrain collection, it holds soil rather than creating the selected resource directly. Read the actual canister fill indicator, then transfer soil to the machine and check the centrifuge's own tank. Do not treat a filled canister in inventory as proof that the machine has received its soil.

Check the installed Research Catalog and unlock the Soil Centrifuge if required.
At a Medium Printer, compare the machine recipe with available Compound and Aluminum. Print it and place it on a compatible connected platform.
Make or locate a Small Canister. With it attached, gather soil from a safe, reachable area; do not excavate a hazardous drop just to fill it.
Place the filled canister where the machine can take its soil. Refill and transfer it again if planning a full two-canister tank; an emptied Small Canister is reusable.
Select the resource you actually need, confirm output space and connected power, then start the machine using the displayed interaction.
Inspect the output before counting it toward a later craft; a selected recipe is not completed inventory.

References: Official Astroneer Wiki: Soil Centrifuge · Official Astroneer Wiki: Small Canister · Official Astroneer Wiki: Soil

Choose one output from the same soil budget

For one full machine tank, the cited reference equates two full Small Canisters of soil with the output choices below. Each row spends the same tank: they are alternatives, not simultaneous rewards. A partial run or an already partly filled machine needs its own on-screen check.

Worked stock example: suppose you have two full Small Canisters of soil, no stored Quartz or Resin, and want at least four Quartz. Choosing Quartz converts the full-tank budget to four Quartz under the cited table. It does not also provide eight Resin; after collecting the Quartz, gather another two full canisters of soil if you want the separate eight-Resin full-tank batch. This is a resource ledger, not an observed run or a claim that two physical canisters are mandatory.

Output selected	Full-tank reference output	What changes in the example
Resin	8	Uses the full tank; the Quartz goal remains unmet
Clay	6	Uses the full tank; smelting is a separate step if Ceramic is needed
Quartz	4	Meets a four-Quartz goal under the stated assumptions
Ammonium	1	Uses the same full soil budget; no Quartz or Resin is included

References: Official Astroneer Wiki: Soil Centrifuge · Official Astroneer Wiki: Small Canister

Find the first missing boundary

The machine reference lists a nominal 6 U/s consumption and notes it can stop when there is no room for its resources or emptied canisters. A connected plug alone does not establish adequate supply, and an empty input tank is a different fault from an output blockage. Read the current interface and change one thing before replacing the module.

A historical developer patch note describes different repeat-mode start thresholds, including a higher requirement for Ammonium. That is a reason not to generalize the full-tank table into a universal minimum for every resource. The full-tank example deliberately avoids predicting a partial batch, cycle time or total energy use.

Observed problem	First check	One controlled action
Soil gathered but machine tank still empty	Canister placement and whether soil transferred	Re-seat the filled canister and observe the machine tank
Machine does not start	Selected resource, tank fill and power connection	Correct one missing condition and inspect its state
Output differs from the plan	Selected resource and actual tank amount	Use the output table for the selected resource, not another row
Production stops with full output	Available storage for items and emptied canisters	Make room and observe whether processing resumes
Power fluctuates	Connected supply and other active loads	Pause another consumer or supply power, then recheck

References: Official Astroneer Wiki: Soil Centrifuge · Official Astroneer Wiki: Patch 1.14.73 · System Era: Automation Update 002 patch notes · Official Astroneer Wiki: Power

Keep the next expedition and the next craft separate

A resource count is not an oxygen plan. If the soil is outside the base, keep a reachable oxygen line or another verified return source; do not follow a hole deeper simply to fill a canister. Terrain changes can make your return route harder even if the resource ledger says the batch is sufficient.

To report an unexpected result, record the installed build, resource selected, soil amount transferred, platform connection, available output slots and the actual items collected. A screenshot of the machine state is useful evidence, but this guide does not claim to provide one.

Platform / installed build / mods:
Selected resource / soil tank before start:
Canisters filled and transferred:
Platform connection / other power loads:
Free item and canister slots:
One change / actual output collected:

References: Official Astroneer Wiki: Soil Centrifuge · Official Astroneer Wiki: Soil · Official Astroneer Wiki: Oxygen

Before you play

Confirm research, printer recipe and platform before counting the module as ready.
Count soil transferred into the machine, not merely soil carried nearby.
Choose one full-tank output; do not add the alternative outputs together.
Check power and output space before rebuilding.
Keep a safe oxygen return and record an actual observed result separately.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need two physical Small Canisters?

No. Two full Small Canisters describes the cited full-tank soil quantity. One reusable canister can be refilled and transferred; the machine's actual tank indicator is the check.

Can one full tank make both four Quartz and eight Resin?

No. Those are alternative outputs for separate full-tank runs in the cited reference.

Does the machine always need two full canisters to start?

Do not infer that from the full-tank table. A historical repeat-mode patch lists differing start thresholds; inspect the chosen resource and installed machine.

Is 6 U/s an observed power measurement?

No. It is the community reference's nominal figure; this guide reports no GamerWin power or production test.

Sources & revision notes

Editorial revision: October 29, 2026; not a gameplay test date. The reference notes identify source limits and version differences.

Official Astroneer Wiki: Soil Centrifuge (Community)
Community-maintained reference checked via indexed text October 29, 2026 for recipe, full-tank outputs, nominal power and storage blockage. Direct full-page retrieval was restricted; no installed-build test.
Official Astroneer Wiki: Small Canister (Community)
Community-maintained indexed reference checked October 29, 2026 for the Resin recipe, soil collection, reusable canister and fill indicator.
Official Astroneer Wiki: Soil (Community)
Community-maintained indexed reference checked October 29, 2026 for terrain-tool collection and centrifuge use. No in-game route was tested.
Official Astroneer Wiki: Patch 1.14.73 (Community)
Historical community-indexed patch note checked October 29, 2026 for repeat-mode soil thresholds. This does not certify an installed current build or every manual run.
System Era: Automation Update 002 patch notes (Official)
Historical developer announcement read October 29, 2026 for its repeat-mode threshold and Ammonium exception. It is not proof of current behavior or a manual-run requirement.
Official Astroneer Wiki: Power (Community)
Community power reference used to distinguish nominal flow from connectivity and storage; check the actual gauge.
Official Astroneer Wiki: Oxygen (Community)
Community oxygen reference supports maintaining a return source while gathering; no expedition was played.

What changed in this revision

October 29, 2026: Added a source-based full-tank resource comparison and soil/power/output fault tree; no played production run claimed.

How we research and correct guides

No affiliate links or paid placement. Commercial disclosure.