Newbie question on Blocks

[AirToob]

I hadn't appreciated the information that I found here:

https://dwarffortresswiki.org/index.php/Block

When I examined my stocks I found I already had stone blocks of different kinds.

I don't have any work orders to create blocks of any kind, so my question is: how might those blocks have been created?

I don't think I traded them in.

Any advice on blocks, not already in the wiki link, would of course be most welcome also.

[Saver Sigonith]

You traded them in. Sorta.
If they have () around their name, they were not created by your fort. However, you can wind up with trade goods you didn't intentionally buy if traders get stuck or a bit buggy and end up leaving some of their stock at your trade depot. It counts as goods lost and the traders will bring slightly less stuff next year but mostly isn't a big deal.

Anyway blocks are great you should make some ^.^
1 boulder or log = 4 blocks, you can't make them into furniture but you can construct walls and floors and workshops out of them which are worth slightly more than if those things were made out of unprocessed wood and rocks, and they're light so way quicker to transport.
I like to make 'em out of nicely colored rocks and decorate my floors with 'em.
And make color-coded crafting stations!

[amade]

If you've got sand or clay you can make infinite* blocks.

*Provided you also have infinite fuel source, i.e. magma.

[AlP]

Originally posted by Saver Sigonith:

If they have () around their name, they were not created by your civilization.

*they were not created by your fortress.

Goods you embark with are with (), because you didn't make them yourself, your civilization did.

[Saver Sigonith]

Originally posted by AlP:

Originally posted by Saver Sigonith:

If they have () around their name, they were not created by your civilization.

*they were not created by your fortress.

Goods you embark with are with (), because you didn't make them yourself, your civilization did.

Oops, good catch. Here I'll edit that even

[AirToob]

Thanks as usual for the mega-helpful replies.

My mudstone, claystone and cinnabar blocks (16 in total) don't have anything around their names, but my one graphite block does.

I guess it's a good idea not turning ALL raw materials into blocks, since blocks can't substitute for the raw material in some cases... do you achieve that (leaving enough raw materials) with work orders or with individual tasks at workshops?

[Saver Sigonith]

Originally posted by AirToob:

I guess it's a good idea not turning ALL raw materials into blocks, since blocks can't substitute for the raw material in some cases... do you achieve that (leaving enough raw materials) with work orders or with individual tasks at workshops?

I always make blocks with work orders - usually finite orders in fact, since I'll be making them with a specific project in mind and know a specific number I'll need for it.
Useful to know is that whatever number you request in the work order, your dwarves will make 4x as many since you're picking how many boulders you're asking them to chop up.
When you specify what material to make 'em out of, it'll tell you how many boulders (or logs or ore.) of different types you've got so you make sure you have enough.

So yeah. Don't just have a repeated task at a workshop set to "make stone blocks".
Have a rough estimate of how many you need and of what materials.

[Saver Sigonith]

Last note with blocks -
Glass and metal are only 1:1 instead of 1:4, and there's no reason to ever make metal blocks because they're worth the same amount as a metal bar. Mostly this just matters because if you want to order 100 stone blocks you make a work order for 25 but if you want to order 100 glass block you make a work order for 100.

[amade]

You can set conditions for work orders to just automatically top up your stuff as long as you have enough raw material.
E.g. Make 10 claystone blocks if
claystone boulders > 20
and
claystone blocks < 100.

[AirToob]

Thanks again guys!