Schematics and the Schematicbot

What Schematics are

Schematics are collectible blueprint items introduced in the 1.0 chapter. Each Schematic is a physical object you pick up in the world — a rolled paper tube, a data chip, or a glowing crate — and carry back to base. Once scanned at a Schematicbot, the Schematic permanently unlocks one or more new recipes on your Craftbot. Without Schematics, you cannot craft plasma tools, Trash Bot parts, or several late-game functional blocks.

This page is the reference index for every Schematic in Survival Mode. For the bench that reads them, see the crafting bench page. For the items those recipes produce, see the items catalog.

How the Schematicbot works

In Scrap Mechanic 1.0, the Schematicbot is not a placeable bench at your base. It is a fixed roadside kiosk — a squat scanner cabinet with a blue glowing bulb on top, almost always found beside a Farmer Shack along the road network.

Find one: drive the main roads away from the Mechanic Station and look for the blue bulb, especially at night. Place a beacon the first time you interact so you can return by vehicle.

Scan items (primary method): interact with the kiosk like the Dressbot. Drag items that show a blue corner icon on their inventory thumbnail into the scanner slot, confirm Scan, and the item is consumed. The linked recipe permanently unlocks on your portable Craftbot menu.

Schematic boxes (random unlock): insert a schematic box into the dedicated box slot. The kiosk grants a random blueprint you do not already own. Quest rewards and Trader-purchased blueprints are excluded from this pool.

Tip: scan common ruin and shack items first so schematic boxes roll rarer recipes instead of duplicates you could have scanned directly.

After every scan or box, open your Craftbot recipe list to confirm the unlock. For a full walkthrough with a road-trip checklist, read the Schematicbot guide.

Scanned recipes persist across saves and multiplayer — once unlocked on a world, every player on that world can craft the recipe.

Recipe gating in 1.0

Before the 1.0 chapter, most Craftbot recipes were available from the start. The 1.0 patch moved dozens of recipes behind Schematic gates to slow early-game progression and reward exploration. The gating works in three tiers:

Tier 1 — Surface Schematics

Unlocked from warehouse interiors, roadside wreckage, and the early questline. These Schematics unlock basic automation parts: Digital Clock, Boombox, improved bearings, and the first Trash Bot component.

Tier 2 — Underground Schematics

Found only after you reach the underground mining layer. These unlock the Plasma Drill, Ore Prospector, Battery Generator, and Sawbot chassis parts. You cannot craft mid-game mining rigs without at least two underground Schematics.

Tier 3 — Boss and quest Schematics

Awarded by completing the Trash Bot encounter, the Trader questline finale, and the underground elevator sequence. These unlock the Plasma Saw, Turret Seat, UV Grow Bed, and the advanced Trash Bot upgrade kit.

If a recipe does not appear on your Craftbot despite having the materials, check this tier list first. The game will not hint that a Schematic is missing — it simply hides the recipe until scanned.

Where to find Schematics

Warehouses

Every warehouse in the 1.0 chapter contains at least one Schematic spawn point. The spawn location is always on the second floor or in a locked side room behind a Tapebot patrol route. Clear the Tapebots first, then search shelves, desks, and the roof access ladder. Warehouses near the Mechanic Station tend to hold Tier 1 Schematics; warehouses farther along the road network hold Tier 2 previews that still require underground access to use.

Underground

The underground layer adds Schematic crates at fixed landmarks: the ore elevator platform, the titanium vein chamber, and the Cablebot nest room. These crates respawn after seven in-game days, making the underground the only renewable Schematic source in Survival Mode. See the full landmark list on the underground mining page.

Quests

The 1.0 questline awards three guaranteed Schematics at scripted moments:

1. Mechanic Station arrival — unlocks the Digital Clock schematic after you place your first Craftbot.
2. Trader introduction — unlocks the Boombox schematic after your first trade.
3. Trash Bot defeat — unlocks the Trash Bot chassis schematic after the boss falls.

Skipping the questline means missing these guaranteed unlocks. Speedrunners often backtrack to trigger the quest dialog manually.

Schematic checklist for mid-game

Most players aim for this scan order:

1. Digital Clock (quest) — proves scanning works at a roadside kiosk.
2. Plasma Drill (underground) — enables mining rigs.
3. Ore Prospector (underground) — reveals vein locations on the map.
4. Trash Bot chassis (boss) — unlocks automated hauling.
5. Battery Generator (underground) — powers off-grid bases.

Once all five are scanned, you have access to every recipe needed for a self-sufficient mid-game base.

Common Schematic mistakes

• Looking for a craftable Schematicbot bench. It does not exist in 1.0 Survival — only roadside kiosks.
• Dropping items on the ground near the kiosk. Drag into the UI slot; ground drops do not scan.
• Opening schematic boxes before scanning commons. Wastes random rolls on low-tier duplicates.
• Assuming Creative Mode Schematics carry over. Creative and Survival Schematic lists are separate. Start fresh in Survival.
• Selling Schematics to the Trader. Some players accidentally trade Schematics before scanning. The Trader accepts them, and the recipe is lost for that world unless the crate respawns underground.

What comes after Schematics

Once your Schematic collection is complete, the next progression step is building plasma-powered automation. Read the plasma tools page for every unlocked part and how they connect to mining rigs and automated farms.