Wire is a coil of plain steel wire, a light and flexible metal material. It turns up in trapping, fishing, blacksmithing, welding and small repairs.
Its best known use is the Cage Trap. The Make Cage Trap recipe takes five Wire and is the main reason trappers collect it. The Make Fishing Net recipe pairs it with Twine. At the forge, the Forge Nails From Wire recipe turns it into Nails, which every carpenter needs. Welders run it through wire fences and gates.
Blacksmithing uses it as a raw metal. The Forge Nails From Wire recipe makes Nails at even a primitive forge with Blacksmithing level 1. The Forge Bucket and Forge Cooking Pot recipes each take one Wire, with Blacksmithing level 3. The Forge Lantern recipe uses it at an Advanced Forge with Blacksmithing level 5. Wire also feeds the Forge 4 Fishing Hooks, Forge Corkscrew and Forge Needle recipes.
Welding builds use it for fences. The Metal Wire Fence and Metal Wire Fence Gate builds take one Wire each with Welding level 3. The Big Double Wire Gate takes four with Welding level 5.
Smaller crafts include the Make Wooden Bucket recipe, the Make Improvised Lantern recipe and bone earrings. The Make Barbed Wire from Wire recipe twists it into Barbed Wire.
How to Get Wire
The Make Wire from Barbed Wire recipe straightens one Barbed Wire into one Wire with pliers. The Dismantle Fishing Net recipe recovers one Wire from a Fishing Net (Broken). The Unstack recipe breaks a Wire Bundle into twelve Wire.
How to Craft Wire
Each recipe that makes the Wire is listed with its materials and the tools it keeps.
Make Wire from Barbed Wire
The Make Wire from Barbed Wire recipe makes the Wire. It needs no skill level.
Everything made with the Wire, with how much each recipe takes, the other materials it needs, the station and the skill. Each tab holds one crafting category.
Wire is a fairly common find. Welding workshops and welding storage hold it more than one time in two. Wire factory shelves and tool cabinets hold it more than one time in four. Railroad repair yards, railroad storage and catwalks hold it about one time in five. Garage storage and sheds are good everyday places to look. Tool stores, studios and warehouses hold it now and then.
The places where it spawns, with the rough chance per container. Each tab shows one kind of place.
Location
Container
Chance
Welding storage
Other
58.8%
Wire factory
Metal shelves
28%
Wire factory
Tool cabinet
28%
Catwalk
Other
21.7%
Railroad repair
Counter
21.7%
Railroad repair
Tool cabinet
21.7%
Railroad storage
Other
21.7%
Studio
Metal shelves
13.1%
Warehouse
Metal shelves
13.1%
Lobby
Counter
9.6%
Location
Container
Chance
Welding workshop
Other
58.8%
Tool store storage
Other
14.7%
Tool store
Counter
13.5%
Tool store
Other
13.5%
Tool store
Shelves
13.5%
Tool store
Small box
13.5%
Warehouse
Small box
13.1%
Plazastore1
Other
9.6%
Barn
Metal shelves
0.4%
Barn
Other
0.4%
Location
Container
Chance
Garage storage
Counter
18.2%
Garage storage
Metal shelves
18.2%
Shed
Counter
18.2%
Shed
Metal shelves
18.2%
Shed
Shelves
18.2%
Shed
Other
13.1%
Garage storage
Crate
10.4%
Any building
Metal shelves
5.5%
Closet
Crate
4.4%
Closet
Other
4.4%
Location
Container
Chance
Inside a bag or case
Toolbox
1.3%
Location
Container
Chance
Survivor cache (large building)
Counter
1.1%
Notes
Partly used coils can be merged into one with the Merge option.
The game counts wire as survival gear.
A Cage Trap needs five Wire, so a full set of traps needs a good stock.
Twelve Wire stack into a Wire Bundle for storage.
Forging Nails from Wire keeps a carpenter supplied once stores run dry.
