Tarred Planks are the moisture-resistant building material Windrose gates behind the Cursed Swamp biome. They sit at the center of shipbuilding recipes and several mid-game construction pieces, and the recipe itself is short once you have the right tool and the right tree.
Requirements before the recipe appears
The Tarred Plank recipe unlocks at the base Workbench. No station upgrade, no Sawhorse prerequisite, and no level gate apply. The recipe becomes visible once Tar enters your inventory for the first time.
Reaching Tar requires progressing past the Foothills so the Cursed Swamp is accessible. Players who have harvested Tar but still do not see the recipe are usually missing Foothills progression or have not actually picked up Tar into their carried inventory yet.
You also need an iron-tier tool. Copper and stone axes fail to fell Tarwood trees, which is the intended gate on this tier of material.
Tarred Plank recipe
| Ingredient | Amount | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Wooden Plank | 1 | Workbench, crafted from standard wood |
| Tar | 1 | Tarwood trees in the Cursed Swamp |
| Station | — | Workbench (Level 1, no upgrade required) |
| Output | 1 Tarred Plank | Uncommon resource, stack size 40 |
Where to find Tar
Tar comes from Tarwood trees scattered across the Cursed Swamp islands. They look visually distinct from ordinary swamp trees and are plentiful, so you will not need to hunt far once you are in the biome. Each tree drops roughly 5x Tar per felling.
Groves of paired trees are common, which lets you drop two trunks in a single chopping session. A dense cluster of these doubles sits near the High Priestess boss arena on the final Cursed Swamp island, which is worth remembering when you need a bulk run for ship upgrades.
Expect crocodiles, Plague mobs, and environmental hazards while harvesting. Clear the area first, then commit to chopping.
Crafting steps
Step 1: Equip an Iron Axe or better and travel to the Cursed Swamp. Locate any Tarwood tree and chop it down to collect Tar into your inventory.
Step 2: Return to a Workbench with at least one Wooden Plank. If you are short on planks, convert regular wood at the Workbench first.
Step 3: Open the Workbench crafting menu, select Tarred Planks, and craft. Each craft consumes 1 Wooden Plank and 1 Tar and returns 1 Tarred Plank.
Recipe not showing at the Workbench
If Tarred Planks do not appear in the Workbench list, the cause is almost always one of a short list of conditions. Check them in order.
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Recipe missing entirely | Tar never entered your personal inventory | Pick up Tar directly from a felled Tarwood tree, not from a chest transfer |
| Tar cannot be collected | Using copper or stone axe on Tarwood | Craft and equip an Iron Axe |
| Cursed Swamp inaccessible | Foothills progression incomplete | Finish the Foothills quest chain, including its boss |
| Recipe visible but greyed out | Missing Wooden Plank or Tar in inventory | Carry at least 1 of each on your character, not stored in a chest |
What Tarred Planks are used for
Tarred Planks feed into every ship hull tier because they resist saltwater damage that would otherwise rot plain Wooden Plank construction. They also appear in cannon and hull bracing recipes across the 12-Pounder, 24-Pounder, and 36-Pounder lines, plus several building and decoration pieces.
| Recipe | Tarred Planks required |
|---|---|
| 12-Pounders (all variants) | 3 |
| 24-Pounders (all variants) | 4 |
| 36-Pounders (all variants) | 5 |
| Hull bracing (all variants) | 8 |
| Leaf Roof 64° | 1 |
Because larger ship projects chew through planks quickly, planning a dedicated Tar run before starting a hull upgrade avoids stalling mid-craft. Tarwood regrows over several in-game days, so the same grove remains a reliable long-term farm.
Companion recipe: Tarred Fabric
Tar also feeds a parallel crafting path. Tarred Fabric is made at the Tanning Rack from 1x Linen Fabric + 1x Tar, and it unlocks the same way — by simply having Tar in your inventory. No Tanning Rack upgrade is required.
If the fabric variant is missing from the Tanning Rack menu, the fix is identical to the plank case: confirm Cursed Swamp access, confirm Tar is on your person, and confirm you have the secondary ingredient (Linen Fabric) ready.
Once your first Tarred Plank lands in your inventory, the rest is just a farming loop. Keep a steady wood supply at base, schedule swamp runs when you need bulk Tar, and the Workbench will handle the rest.