Sandustry Answers
Sandustry Early Access 0.5.5Sources checked 22 August 2026Unofficial player-run reference
Home / Answers / LOGISTICSEarly Access 0.5.5Checked 23 August 2026Publisher documentation

How do I move materials upwards in Sandustry? My conveyor belt will not go vertical.

This is not a placement bug. Belts and Launchers are two different buildings with two different axes, and the publisher's guide says so outright.

Quick answer

Conveyor Belts can only be placed horizontally — the publisher's Beginner's Guide states this directly, and the drag direction of your mouse sets which way the belt runs. To go up you use Launchers, which can be placed vertically and diagonally. Build a column of Launchers to make a vertical lift; whichever way you drag, the highest point of the shaft is where pixels are thrown out, and the drag direction decides whether they are thrown left or right. Both have Mk.2 versions later in the tech tree, and neither needs power.

Steps

  1. Stop trying to drag a belt vertically. The guide states belts are horizontal-only placements.
  2. Drag the belt in the direction you want the pixels to travel. The guide states the drag direction determines the belt direction, and the wiki adds that the belt's own animation shows which way it is running.
  3. Place a column of Launchers where you need height. The Launcher page states pixels entering a Launcher are carried straight up.
  4. Angle the top Launcher toward the side you want the output on. The guide states the highest point of the shaft is the throw point and the drag direction sets the side.
  5. Land the throw on a belt and carry on horizontally.
  6. Unlock the Mk.2 versions when the tech tree offers them. The guide states they increase both the speed of resources moved and the velocity of the throw.

Requirements / limits

  • Neither belts nor launchers need power. The guide states these logistical structures require no power and run continually whether or not resources are present.
  • Belts and Launchers move solid pixels. The guide names Sand, Residue, Cinder, Seeds and Amethelis as examples and puts liquids on a separate Pump, Pipe and Liquid Vent route.
  • Conveyor Belts block liquid, gas and the player. Launchers block none of the three. That difference matters when a belt run doubles as a wall or a walkway.
  • Only the pixels touching a belt are driven by it. The Mk.2 page states the pile above is carried by the pixels below, so one blocked bottom pixel stalls everything behind it.
  • A belt pushes pixels off its end. If there is nowhere for them to go, the line backs up.

Common mistakes

  • Reading the horizontal-only rule as a bug and rebuilding the same belt. It is stated behaviour.
  • Building a launcher column and wondering why output lands on the wrong side. The angle of the top launcher and your drag direction decide that.
  • Routing liquid onto a belt. Liquids move on the Pump, Pipe and Liquid Vent route instead, and belts block liquid outright.
  • Using a launcher shaft as a wall. Launchers do not block liquid, gas or the player.
  • Assuming a stalled belt means the belt is broken. A single blocked pixel at the front holds up the whole pile.

Still unverified

  • How much faster are the Mk.2 versions?Not verifiedThe guide states the increase is drastic and publishes no number.
  • How high can a single Launcher column lift?Not verifiedThe Launcher page describes stacking without stating a ceiling.