SteamWorld Build Storage

Updated 30 Oct 2026 Source The 50-per-good base cap, the fact that extra Warehouses grant no extra storage, the explicit comparison to Anno 1800's Depot building and its absence here, the Warehouse Expansion item as the only increase, its +25 global storage and +3 simultaneous deliveries, the two acquisition routes (Train Station trade for money and rubies, or mining), the advice to equip the item immediately and the note that extra Warehouses are still worth building for drop-off speed from gametheory.city's warehouse storage guide; the two chest types with their contents (small chests carry miner upgrades, cash and refinery upgrades; large chests carry Inventory Storage upgrades and machine Blueprints), the fact that every mine level hides storage upgrade chests, the 150 maximum, the 'Warehouse Inventory has increased' notification, the blinking-light tell for nearby chests in dark areas, and the requirement to be able to dig Sandstone and Granite or have enough Guards to open a new section from knoef.info's SteamWorld Build trophy guide; the note that resources become globally available the moment they reach any warehouse or mineshaft from the LadiesGamers SteamWorld Build guide. Verified 30 October 2026. By Antewise Editorial

Data status: The facts on this page were checked against the source named above. Game values can still shift with a patch, so re-check anything that looks off.

The Anno 1800 reflex is wrong here

If you have played Anno, your instinct for a full warehouse is to build another one. In SteamWorld Build that instinct does nothing.

A second Warehouse adds zero storage. Not a little — none. The game keeps a global cap, and the only thing that moves it is an item.

There is also, explicitly, no building you can construct to increase capacity. Anno players will look for the Depot. It does not exist here.

So the rule is:

What you do	What it does to storage
Build another Warehouse	Nothing. Still worth it, for drop-off speed and item slots
Build a Depot	Does not exist in this game
Equip a Warehouse Expansion item	+25 global storage and +3 simultaneous deliveries to and from that Warehouse

Your base cap is 50 of each good. The maximum is 150. Four expansions take you there.

The two ways to get them

1. Trade at the Train Station. Costs money and rubies. Early game this is a real problem — you will not have either. Later you will be rolling in money and can buy them on sight.

2. Dig them out of the mine. Costs no resources at all, only time — a lot of time if you do it properly. You have to select the areas to carve out, deal with enemies on the lower floors, and dig around Bedrock.

Early game, dig. Late game, buy. The practical advice is to slot every Warehouse Expansion the moment you get one, because it is very easy to collect one, forget it, and find it sitting in your inventory ten floors later.

Where the chests actually are

Chests do not glow on the map. They appear as a blinking light when you get close to an area that is still dark. If you want storage, you have to sweep the darkness.

There are two chest types, and they are not interchangeable:

Chest	Contents	Matters for storage?
Small	Upgrades for miners, cash, upgrades for surface refineries	No
Large	Inventory Storage upgrades, or Blueprints for machines	Yes

Every mine level has storage upgrade chests hidden in it. Three things gate them, and each one is the real reason you cannot find the chest:

Sandstone and Granite. You cannot reach the chest if your miners cannot break the block in front of it. See granite for the chain that unlocks each.
Guards. Some sections need enough Guards to open them at all.
Bridges. Some chests are across a gap, and you have to build to them.

When one lands, you get a notification in the bottom right: “Warehouse Inventory has increased.” Your inventory sheet shows the current maximum, and any item that is maxed shows its capped total.

Why extra Warehouses are still worth building

This is worth being clear about, because “more warehouses don’t help” can be read as “don’t build warehouses.”

Build them. Just not for capacity.

A Warehouse has a limited number of deliveries that can be made to it, and if too many refineries can only reach one Warehouse, delivery queues form and your production backs up for reasons that have nothing to do with storage. A second Warehouse spread across your production district fixes that. It also gives you more expansion slots to put items into.

The two problems look identical from the top toolbar and they have opposite fixes:

Production is slow and goods are piling up at the refinery → you need another Warehouse, for delivery throughput.
Goods are vanishing because you are at 50 and cannot hold more → you need a Warehouse Expansion item, for capacity.

Frequently asked questions

How do I increase storage in SteamWorld Build?

With Warehouse Expansion items, and nothing else. Each one you slot into a Warehouse gives +25 global storage capacity and 3 extra simultaneous deliveries to and from that Warehouse. You get them either by trading at the Train Station for money and rubies, or by finding them in large chests in the mine.

Does building more warehouses increase storage in SteamWorld Build?

No. This is the single most common waste in the game. An extra Warehouse adds no capacity at all — despite the game looking like Anno 1800, it has no Depot building. Build extra Warehouses anyway, but for a different reason: they let production buildings drop off their output fast enough and they give you more item slots.

What is the maximum storage in SteamWorld Build?

150 per good. You start at 50, each Warehouse Expansion item adds 25, and there are storage upgrades hidden on every mine level, so four of them take you to the cap.

Where do I find storage upgrades in SteamWorld Build?

In large chests, hidden on every level of the mine. Chests show up as a blinking light when you get close to an area that is still dark. To reach some of them you need the ability to dig Sandstone and Granite, or enough Guards to open a new section, and sometimes bridges to cross a gap.

What is the difference between small and large chests in SteamWorld Build?

Small chests contain upgrades for miners, cash, or upgrades for surface refineries. Large chests contain Inventory Storage upgrades or Blueprints for machines. Only the large ones matter for storage.

Should I buy storage upgrades from the Train Station?

Early on, no — the Train Station route costs a lot of money and rubies when you have very little of either. Dig for them instead: it costs no resources, only time. Later, once you are rolling in money, buy them the moment they appear.

More SteamWorld guides

Sources

Figures and item data on this site are read from the game’s own reference wiki before publishing. Where a value could not be confirmed there, the page says so instead of filling the gap.