NTM Material System: Metals, Alloys, and Processing

NTM’s material system is one of the mod’s most GregTech-inspired subsystems. Every significant metal, alloy, mineral, and processed substance is defined as an NTMMaterial instance inside the Mats class, linked to an OreDict DictFrame, assigned a numeric ID, and decorated with autogen flags that determine which item shapes (ingots, plates, wires, dust, etc.) are automatically created and registered. This registry underpins the crucible, the ore processing chain, recipe auto-generation in the shredder, and multi-mod OreDict interoperability — making it the connective tissue between raw ore mining and finished machine components.

The Mats Registry

Mats maintains several lookup maps populated at startup:

public static List<NTMMaterial> orderedList = new ArrayList();
public static HashMap<Integer, NTMMaterial> matById = new HashMap();
public static HashMap<String, NTMMaterial> matByName = new HashMap();
public static HashMap<ComparableStack, List<MaterialStack>> materialEntries = new HashMap();
public static HashMap<String, List<MaterialStack>> materialOreEntries = new HashMap();

Each NTMMaterial carries:

A numeric ID (see the ID spaces below)
A DictFrame — a wrapper around one or more OreDict prefix names used for item lookup
Colors for solid (light/dark) and molten states, used by the crucible renderer
A SmeltingBehavior — SMELTABLE (can be melted in crucible), ADDITIVE (used as an additive/flux), or NOT_SMELTABLE
An autogen set — the MaterialShapes for which item variants are auto-registered

ID Spaces

Materials are grouped into three numeric ranges to avoid collisions:

Space	Range	Usage
Vanilla Space (`_VS`)	0 – 29	Vanilla-like materials (stone, wood, redstone, obsidian)
Alloy Space (`_AS`)	30 – 99	NTM alloys and processed composites
Extension Space (`_ES`)	20,000+	Non-metals and polymers (rubber, polymer, bakelite, PVC)
Elemental	Atomic number × 100 + mass	Pure elements (U-238 = 9238, Pu-239 = 9439)

Material Shapes (MaterialShapes)

Every NTMMaterial can autogenerate items in multiple shapes. Shapes are defined as MaterialShapes constants, each carrying a quantity (in “quantum” units, where 1 ingot = 72 quanta) and one or more OreDict prefix strings:

Shape	OreDict Prefix	Quantity (quanta)	Notes
`NUGGET`	`nugget`, `tiny`	8	1/9 of an ingot
`WIRE`	`wireFine`	9	Fine wire
`BILLET`	`billet`	48	6/9 of an ingot
`INGOT`	`ingot`	72	Base unit
`DUST`	`dust`	72	Powdered form
`DUSTTINY`	`dustTiny`	8	Small dust amount
`PLATE`	`plate`	72	Rolled sheet
`CASTPLATE`	`plateTriple`	216	3× ingot cast plate
`WELDEDPLATE`	`plateSextuple`	432	6× ingot welded plate
`DENSEWIRE`	`wireDense`	72	Thick/dense wire
`SHELL`	`shell`	288	Ammunition casing blank
`PIPE`	`ntmpipe`	216	Pipe blank
`BLOCK`	`block`	648	Storage block
`FRAGMENT`	`bedrockorefragment`	8	Bedrock ore fragment
`BOLT`	`bolt`	9	Fastener

The autogen system reads the setAutogen(...) call on each material and creates the corresponding ItemStack entries, registers OreDict names, and hooks into the shredder’s recipe generator.

Major Material Categories

Common Metals
Nuclear Materials
Alloys
Non-metals & Polymers

These form the backbone of most machines and structures:

Material	ID	Key Uses
`MAT_IRON`	2600	Universal structural metal, auto-generates plates, pipes, dust
`MAT_COPPER`	2900	Wiring, heat transfer, base for copper alloys
`MAT_ALUMINIUM`	1300	Lightweight piping, missile fuselages, gunmetal component; from cryolite smelting or bauxite electrolysis
`MAT_LEAD`	8200	Radiation shielding, bullets, pipes; slightly toxic
`MAT_TITANIUM`	2200	High-strength plates and shells for mid-to-late game
`MAT_TUNGSTEN`	7400	Extreme heat resistance, armor-piercing ammunition
`MAT_GOLD`	7900	Wiring, nuggets, dense wire

Copper is especially noteworthy: it forms the base for Minecraft-Grade Copper (MG copper, alloyed with redstone), Gunmetal, Bismuth Bronze, Arsenic Bronze, and BSCCO — making it one of the most important materials in the entire tech tree.

Radioactive materials require careful handling (see the Radiation page):

Material	ID	RAD/s	Notes
`MAT_URANIUM` (U)	9200	0.35	Generic uranium mix
`MAT_U235`	9235	1.00	Fissile isotope, primary reactor fuel
`MAT_U238`	9238	0.25	Fertile isotope, depleted uranium
`MAT_U233`	9233	5.00	Thorium-cycle fissile product
`MAT_THORIUM`	9032	0.10	Fertile, breeds U-233
`MAT_PLUTONIUM` (Pu)	9400	7.50	Generic plutonium mix
`MAT_PU239`	9439	5.00	Primary weapons/reactor grade
`MAT_PU238`	9438	10.00	RTG fuel (heat source)
`MAT_NEPTUNIUM`	9337	2.50	Intermediate transmutation product
`MAT_AM241`	9541	8.50	Americium-241, smoke detector material
`MAT_POLONIUM`	8410	75.00	Extremely hazardous alpha emitter
`MAT_RADIUM`	8826	7.50	Historic radioactive metal

Higher-tier materials like MAT_SCHRABIDIUM (SA-326) are fictional NTM-original isotopes used in late-game technology.

Alloys occupy the Alloy Space (IDs 30–99). They are made in the crucible by combining base metals in specific ratios:

Alloy	ID	Ingredients	Key Uses
`MAT_STEEL`	AS+0	Iron + carbon	Universal structural alloy; plates, pipes, barrels
`MAT_MINGRADE` (MG Copper)	AS+1	Copper + redstone	All electrical wiring and circuits
`MAT_DURA` (Duralumin)	AS+3	Aluminium + copper	Lightweight structural plates, barrels
`MAT_BBRONZE` (Bismuth Bronze)	AS+16	Copper + bismuth	Post-RBMK machine components
`MAT_ABRONZE` (Arsenic Bronze)	AS+17	Copper + arsenic	Post-RBMK, fully interchangeable with bismuth bronze
`MAT_BSCCO`	AS+18	Bi + Sr + Ca + Cu oxide	Superconductor for particle accelerator coils and fusion reactor
`MAT_GUNMETAL`	AS+19	Copper + tin + zinc	Gun barrels, receivers, ammunition casings
`MAT_STAR` (Stainless Steel)	AS+5	Steel + chromium + nickel	Corrosion-resistant; dense wire
`MAT_TCALLOY` (TC Alloy)	AS+6	Titanium + cobalt	High-strength machine plates
`MAT_DESH`	AS+12	Complex alloy	Desh plates and gun components
`MAT_MAGTUNG`	AS+8	Magnalium + tungsten	Magnetic wire

Bismuth Bronze and Arsenic Bronze are gated behind the RBMK reactor: bismuth requires spent RBMK fuel reprocessing in the SILEX, while arsenic requires high-performance solvent available only at the same tier. Both are fully interchangeable in recipes.BSCCO (Bismuth Strontium Calcium Copper Oxide) is a powerful superconductor needed for high-tier quantum circuits and particle accelerator/fusion reactor coils. It is also bismuth-gated and therefore a late-game material.

Material	Notes
`MAT_CARBON` / `MAT_COAL`	Carbon source; graphite, coal, lignite, coke all convert to carbon
`MAT_GRAPHITE`	Refined carbon for reactor moderators and electrodes
`MAT_BORON`	Neutron absorber; from rare earth ore or borax; critical for reactor control rods
`MAT_SILICON`	Semiconductor base
`MAT_SULFUR`	Chemical reagent for acid synthesis
`MAT_RUBBER`	Pipe seals, grip components
`MAT_POLYMER`	Synthetic polymer for stocks and grips
`MAT_BAKELITE`	Early plastic, gun grips
`MAT_PVC`	Polyvinyl chloride, structural and grip uses
`MAT_ASBESTOS`	Thermal insulator; hazardous (fibrosis risk)

Ore Processing Chain

NTM’s processing chain mirrors GregTech-style multi-step ore refinement. The general flow is:

Mining

Ore blocks drop raw chunks or fragments. Bedrock ore fragments (FRAGMENT) can be obtained by mining bedrock ore deposits with appropriate tools.

Crushing / Shredding

Ore is processed in the Ore Crusher or Industrial Shredder to produce DUST (powder). The shredder uses preferredOutputMod to decide which mod’s dust item to output when multiple mods register the same OreDict name.

Centrifuge (optional)

Some ores benefit from centrifuge processing to separate isotopes or extract secondary materials (e.g. separating uranium isotopes, recovering rare earth components).

Blast Furnace / Combination Oven

Dust is smelted in the Blast Furnace or Combination Oven to produce INGOT. Some materials require specific temperatures or fluxes — the combination oven handles multi-step thermal processes that a vanilla furnace cannot.

Press / Rolling Mill

Ingots are pressed into PLATE (or CASTPLATE for triple plates, WELDEDPLATE for sextuple plates) using the Metal Press. Wire is drawn with a wire drawing die.

Crucible (alloys)

To make alloys, melt base metals in the Crucible and combine in the correct ratio. The crucible uses the material color data (setSolidColor, setMoltenColor) for visual feedback and validates inputs against SmeltingBehavior.

Example — Aluminium:

Cryolite (“aluminium-bearing ore”) → Combination Oven → Aluminium ingot → Press → Aluminium plate Or, late-game: Bauxite ore → Crusher → Alumina dust → Electrolysis Machine → Aluminium ingot

Example — BSCCO:

Spend RBMK fuel → SILEX → Bismuth ingot → Crucible (+ strontium, calcium, copper oxide) → BSCCO ingot → Wire draw die → Dense BSCCO wire

OreDict Integration

NTM integrates with Minecraft Forge’s OreDict through OreDictManager. Each DictFrame on an NTMMaterial maps to one or more OreDict names (e.g. "ingotCopper", "dustCopper", "plateCopper"). When NTM items are registered, they are also registered into OreDict, making them interchangeable with equivalent items from other installed mods. OreDict re-registration (reRegistration map in OreDictManager) allows a single NTM item to appear under multiple OreDict keys — for example, an NTM ingot might be registered under both ingotIron and ingotWroughtIron depending on context.

`preferredOutputMod` Config

When multiple mods register items under the same OreDict name and a recipe needs to output one of them (e.g. the shredder auto-generating a dust output), NTM consults the preferredOutputMod config list:

# In hbm.cfg [general]
1.42_preferredOutputMod = hbm

This is a priority-ordered list of mod IDs. NTM (hbm) is the default. If you prefer another mod’s copper dust over NTM’s when both are installed, add that mod’s ID first in the list.

In modpacks with multiple tech mods (e.g. Mekanism, GregTech 6), you may want to set preferredOutputMod to the dominant mod’s ID to avoid recipe conflicts and ensure consistency in crafting chains.

Quick Reference: Material Tiers

Tier	Representative Materials	Processing Required
Early	Iron, Copper, Lead, Coal, Stone	Basic furnace, ore crusher
Mid	Steel, Aluminium, Titanium, Duralumin	Blast furnace, combination oven, centrifuge
Late (pre-RBMK)	Tungsten, Niobium, Zirconium, Stainless Steel, Schrabidium	Advanced smelting, electrolysis
Post-RBMK	Bismuth Bronze, Arsenic Bronze, BSCCO, Osmiridium	SILEX, crucible, high-performance solvent
Endgame	Ghiorsium, Solinium, Schraranium, plasma materials	Particle accelerator, fusion reactor

Introduction

Core Concepts

Configuration

NTM Material System: Metals, Alloys, and Processing

The Mats Registry

ID Spaces

Material Shapes (MaterialShapes)

Major Material Categories

Ore Processing Chain

OreDict Integration

`preferredOutputMod` Config

Quick Reference: Material Tiers

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Introduction

Core Concepts

Configuration

Documentation Index

​The Mats Registry

​ID Spaces

​Material Shapes (MaterialShapes)

​Major Material Categories

​Ore Processing Chain

​OreDict Integration

​preferredOutputMod Config

​Quick Reference: Material Tiers

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

The Mats Registry

ID Spaces

Material Shapes (MaterialShapes)

Major Material Categories

Ore Processing Chain

OreDict Integration

`preferredOutputMod` Config

Quick Reference: Material Tiers