Light Armor Block

Light Armor Block


Category:	Structural
Function:	Armored plating for ships and stations

Fits small grid
Mass:	20 kg
PCU:	1
Size:	1x1x1
Time to Build:	3 sec

Fits large grid
Mass:	500 kg
PCU:	1
Size:	1x1x1
Time to Build:	8 sec

Data Controls:	[edit] [purge] (?)

The Light Armor Block is a common structural block in Space Engineers. It lighter and but also much weaker than a Heavy Armor Block. It exists in many variants such as Light Armor Corner, Light Armor Slope, and Half Light Armor Block.

Usage

Armor is the primary structural component of all ships, rovers, and stations, providing a framework to which other blocks can be attached. Additionally, armor provides protection from environmental dangers, crashes, impacts, and attacks from hostile players.

Light Armor is cheap to build and light-weight, but provides only basic protection.
Heavy armor provides the best structural integrity and is much more resistant to damage, but has a high material cost and drastically increases the ship's mass.

Note that welded and unwelded blocks have the same mass, but armor resists damage only when fully welded.

It's best to use a combination of armor types.

Use Heavy Armor to build the spine that holds your battleship together and to protect vital blocks; use Light Armor for decorative greebling or quick scaffolding.
Use Heavy Armor along the bottom of vehicles and Light Armor along the top to lower the center of gravity and increase stability.
Use Heavy Armor sparingly because you cannot linearly lift more mass by adding more thrusters (which are themselves heavy).
Heavy Armor blocks require extra Metal Grids to achieve maximum durability, whereas Light Armor can be built cheaply from day one.
On PC, all armors cost 1 PCU; on consoles, all armors cost 2 PCU.

Light Armor Block
Component	Large Ship/Station Required	Large Ship/Station Optional	Small Ship Required	Small Ship Optional
Steel Plate	20	5	1	—