Screws in Last War: Survival are the base material in the normal hero gear crafting chain. Your Material Workshops produce Screws every hour, and the Gear Factory lets you combine them into progressively stronger materials.
The key conversion is 4 Screws = 1 Refined Iron Module. From there, the same 4-to-1 ratio continues through Superalloy, Synthetic Resin, and finally Dielectric Ceramic, the material used for Legendary Gear and its later star promotion.
★Quick Take: Screws are valuable because they can eventually become any normal gear material above them. Four Screws make one Refined Iron Module, while 256 Screws equal one Dielectric Ceramic. Keep your Material Workshops producing, but also collect higher-tier gear materials from rewards because passive Screw production alone is slow.
What Are Screws Used For in Last War?
Screws are not normally equipped or spent directly on a hero. Their purpose is to serve as the starting material for the Gear Factory’s material-conversion system.
The full chain is:
- 4 Screws → 1 Refined Iron Module
- 4 Refined Iron Modules → 1 Superalloy
- 4 Superalloys → 1 Synthetic Resin
- 4 Synthetic Resins → 1 Dielectric Ceramic
This means large Screw stockpiles gradually become the higher-rarity materials needed to craft and promote better equipment.
Last War Gear Material Conversion Chart
Because every conversion uses a 4-to-1 ratio, the number of Screws represented by each material increases quickly.
| Material | Merge Recipe | Equivalent Screws |
|---|---|---|
| Screw | Base Material | 1 |
| Refined Iron Module | 4 Screws | 4 |
| Superalloy | 4 Refined Iron Modules | 16 |
| Synthetic Resin | 4 Superalloys | 64 |
| Dielectric Ceramic | 4 Synthetic Resins | 256 |
For example, obtaining 100 Dielectric Ceramic purely by merging from the bottom would represent 25,600 Screws.
This is also why a reward that gives Synthetic Resin or Dielectric Ceramic directly can be much more valuable than its item count initially suggests: it skips several layers of passive Screw production.
Can You Convert Gear Materials Back Into Screws?
Yes. The Gear Factory includes both Merge and Disintegrate functions.
Merge moves materials upward through the 4-to-1 chain, while Disintegrate works in the opposite direction:
- 1 Dielectric Ceramic → 4 Synthetic Resins
- 1 Synthetic Resin → 4 Superalloys
- 1 Superalloy → 4 Refined Iron Modules
- 1 Refined Iron Module → 4 Screws
This corrects a common misconception that merging your Screws permanently locks them into the higher material.
There is therefore little reason to hoard thousands of Screws solely because you are afraid of an irreversible conversion. You can keep materials at the tier that best matches your current crafting target.
✓Recommendation: Keep your materials consolidated toward the tier you are actively using. If Legendary Gear is your goal, repeatedly merging toward Dielectric Ceramic is more practical than leaving a huge Screw balance untouched. Use Disintegrate only when a lower-tier recipe gives you a specific reason to move backward.
Where to Get Screws in Last War
Material Workshop
The Material Workshop is the main verified recurring source of raw Screws. It produces a fixed number every hour, with output increasing as the building level rises.
Current guides document up to five Material Workshops in a developed base. Multiple Workshops matter because their production runs in parallel.
For building costs and upgrade strategy, see the Last War Material Workshop guide.
Higher-Tier Gear Materials From Rewards
Do not judge your gear-material income only by the number of Screws entering your inventory. Many activities bypass Screws and award more advanced materials instead.
Documented examples include:
- Gear Material Chests that provide Refined Iron Modules
- Gear obtained from Trucks or other reward systems that can be dismantled
- Alliance Duel rewards
- Alliance and VIP Store gear materials
- Campaign and Honor Store materials
- Glittering Market rewards
- Limited-time events and packs
If you receive one Synthetic Resin directly, you effectively skipped the need to produce and merge 64 Screws. One Dielectric Ceramic skips 256.
Dismantling Unneeded Gear
The Gear Factory can dismantle unwanted equipment and return gear materials. This is an important source of crafting value because Rare and Epic gear obtained through gameplay may eventually become less useful than the materials recovered from it.
Before dismantling equipped or upgraded gear, check the return preview so you understand exactly what the game will give back.
Material Workshop Screw Production by Level
Each Material Workshop level increases hourly Screw production. The current published table runs through level 30.
| Workshop Level | Screws per Hour | Screws per Day |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | 96 |
| 5 | 16 | 384 |
| 10 | 30 | 720 |
| 11 | 34 | 816 |
| 15 | 46 | 1,104 |
| 20 | 60 | 1,440 |
| 25 | 76 | 1,824 |
| 30 | 90 | 2,160 |
With five Workshops at the same level, the combined production becomes:
| Workshop Level | 5 Workshops per Hour | 5 Workshops per Day |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | 150 | 3,600 |
| 11 | 170 | 4,080 |
| 15 | 230 | 5,520 |
| 20 | 300 | 7,200 |
| 25 | 380 | 9,120 |
| 30 | 450 | 10,800 |
Some current building databases list possible Material Workshop upgrades beyond level 30 after Age of Oil progression, but reliable Screw output figures for levels 31–35 are not consistently published. Do not extrapolate the level 30 production curve into those levels without checking the live building screen.
How Many Screws Does Legendary Gear Represent?
Current gear references list 750 Dielectric Ceramic to craft one piece of Legendary Gear.
Since one Dielectric Ceramic represents 256 Screws:
750 × 256 = 192,000 Screw equivalents.
This shows why relying only on Workshop production is slow.
Five level 11 Material Workshops produce 4,080 Screws per day. At that rate, 192,000 Screws represents roughly 47 days of passive production if you obtained no higher-tier materials elsewhere.
Five level 30 Workshops produce 10,800 per day, reducing that theoretical passive-production period to roughly 18 days.
Real progression is faster because Gear Material Chests, dismantling, events, stores, and other rewards provide Refined Iron Modules, Synthetic Resin, Dielectric Ceramic, or equipment directly.
!Important: Do not evaluate gear progress only in raw Screw counts. Once Legendary Gear reaches level 40, star promotion alone can consume thousands of Dielectric Ceramic. Higher-tier material rewards can save weeks or months of equivalent Workshop production.
How the Gear Factory Fits Into Screw Progression
The Gear Factory unlocks when Headquarters reaches level 9. This is where Screws and other gear materials become useful through Craft, Merge, Dismantle, and Disintegrate functions.
Important Gear Factory milestones include:
| Gear Factory Level | Major Unlock |
|---|---|
| 1 | Rare Gear |
| 5 | Epic Gear |
| 10 | Legendary Gear |
| 20 | Gear Promotion after Legendary gear reaches level 40 |
This is an important correction to the idea that you need a level 9 Gear Factory to start using Screws. HQ9 unlocks the Gear Factory itself; the building then has its own separate level progression.
For its complete requirements and crafting features, read the Last War Gear Factory guide.
If you are planning the HQ progression needed to unlock it, use the Last War Headquarters upgrade guide.
Should You Craft Rare or Epic Gear With Your Materials?
For long-term progression, it is generally better to work toward Legendary Gear instead of consuming a large material stockpile on equipment rarities that can be obtained through normal gameplay.
Rare and Epic gear can still be useful while your account is developing, but you frequently receive lower-rarity equipment from gameplay. Legendary Gear is the important long-term crafting target.
Before spending high-tier materials, ask:
- Will this gear remain on a permanent main-squad hero?
- Can I obtain a similar lower-rarity item through normal rewards?
- Am I close enough to Gear Factory level 10 to save for Legendary Gear instead?
- Do I have the Upgrade Ore and Coins needed to develop the finished item?
How Screws Matter After You Craft Legendary Gear
Screws do not become irrelevant once your main heroes have Legendary equipment.
At level 40, Legendary Gear can be promoted through five stars. Promotion uses:
- Dielectric Ceramic
- Upgrade Ore
- Coins
- Legendary Gear Blueprints for Stars 1–4
- Mythic Gear Blueprints for Star 5
The full five-star promotion currently requires 6,000 Dielectric Ceramic for one gear piece. In pure raw-material terms, that equals:
6,000 × 256 = 1,536,000 Screw equivalents.
You will not realistically produce all of that from Screws alone, but the figure demonstrates why Material Workshops remain useful even on developed accounts.
The Last War gear upgrade charts show the Upgrade Ore, Ceramic, Coin, and Blueprint requirements for later equipment progression.
For more detail on the top material in this crafting chain, see the Last War Dielectric Ceramic guide.
Should You Upgrade Material Workshops?
Yes, but they are normally a secondary progression building rather than something to rush ahead of Headquarters, important military buildings, or critical research.
Upgrade your Workshops when:
- Your passive Screw income is falling behind your gear-material needs.
- You have several low-level Workshops where cheap upgrades offer additional hourly production.
- Your essential HQ prerequisite buildings are already covered.
- You have spare construction capacity.
- An upgrade fits a construction or Power-scoring event.
Delay them when:
- Your next Headquarters requirement needs the same resources or builder.
- You are close to an important troop or research upgrade.
- You are spending very large resources for only a small hourly Screw increase.
- Your immediate gear bottleneck is actually Upgrade Ore or Blueprints rather than materials.
Best Screw Strategy for F2P Players
F2P and low-spending players benefit most from treating Material Workshops as passive background production rather than trying to create every piece of gear from Screws alone.
A good approach is:
- Keep all available Material Workshops producing.
- Upgrade cheaper, lagging Workshops when construction resources allow.
- Use Gear Material Chests and dismantled equipment to skip parts of the conversion chain.
- Merge toward Dielectric Ceramic once Legendary Gear becomes the main target.
- Prioritize Legendary equipment for permanent heroes in your first squad.
- Save Upgrade Ore and Gear Blueprints alongside your material supply.
The most common late-game mistake is accumulating enough Ceramic while lacking the Upgrade Ore or Blueprints required for the next promotion stage.
Screw Strategy for Spenders
Spenders can acquire more completed gear materials through stores, events, or packs, making passive Screws a smaller percentage of total gear income. The Workshops still provide free long-term value, but paid players should compare offers based on their higher-tier material equivalent, not simply the number of Screws displayed.
Players who prefer to begin with more developed permanent progression can optionally compare Last War accounts for sale. Check the actual Legendary gear, gear stars, Upgrade Ore, Blueprints, hero roster, research, and Drone progression rather than valuing an account by raw Screw or material balances.
Common Last War Screw Mistakes
- Thinking 4 Screws are the end of the conversion: Refined Iron Modules continue into Superalloy, Synthetic Resin, and Dielectric Ceramic.
- Believing merged materials are permanently locked: the Gear Factory’s Disintegrate feature can move materials back down the chain.
- Relying only on Material Workshops: higher-tier material rewards can skip enormous amounts of passive Screw production.
- Confusing HQ9 with Gear Factory level 9: HQ9 unlocks the Gear Factory; Legendary Gear itself unlocks at Gear Factory level 10.
- Crafting lower-rarity equipment unnecessarily: preserve materials for long-term Legendary gear when practical.
- Ignoring Upgrade Ore: gear materials alone cannot level or promote your finished equipment.
- Ignoring Blueprints: Legendary and Mythic Blueprints become major bottlenecks after level 40.
- Upgrading Workshops ahead of core progression: passive Screw production is useful, but it should not delay a much stronger HQ or military upgrade.
FAQs
What are Screws used for in Last War?
Screws are the base gear material. Four Screws merge into one Refined Iron Module, which can then be converted through Superalloy and Synthetic Resin into Dielectric Ceramic.
How many Screws make one Refined Iron Module?
Four Screws create one Refined Iron Module in the Gear Factory.
How many Screws equal one Dielectric Ceramic?
One Dielectric Ceramic represents 256 Screws: 4 Screws make one Refined Iron Module, 4 Modules make one Superalloy, 4 Superalloys make one Synthetic Resin, and 4 Resins make one Ceramic.
Where do you get Screws?
The Material Workshop is the primary verified source of raw Screws. You can also progress faster by earning higher-tier gear materials or equipment from chests, events, stores, and other gameplay systems.
How many Material Workshops can you have?
Current guide data documents up to five Material Workshops. Their output combines, so five developed Workshops provide much more passive Screw income than relying on one building.
Should I merge all my Screws immediately?
You can safely merge toward the material you currently need because the Gear Factory also supports Disintegrate, allowing higher materials to be broken back down the 4-to-1 chain. Keep your materials in the form that best matches your current gear target.
Conclusion
Screws are the foundation of Last War’s normal gear-material economy. Produce them through your Material Workshops, understand the 4-to-1 conversion chain, and use higher-tier rewards to avoid depending on passive production alone.
Focus your materials on long-term Legendary gear and its later promotions while balancing Ceramic with Upgrade Ore and Blueprints. For more equipment, hero, building, and progression strategies, browse the Heaven Guardian Last War: Survival guides.
