Small Pile

The Small Pile is the most basic pile storage building in Timberborn, available from the start with no Science Point cost and no construction materials required. With a storage capacity of 20 units, it stores a single type of pile-compatible good such as Logs, Planks, Treated Planks, Scrap Metal, Metal Blocks, or Dirt. As a free building, the Small Pile is your earliest option for organizing raw materials near production buildings and construction sites, keeping your colony's supply chain flowing from the very beginning of the game.

Small Piles are best used as temporary or supplementary storage near active work areas. Place them next to Lumberjack Flags for log collection, near Wood Workshops for plank production, or at construction staging areas where Builders need quick access to materials. Their tiny 20-unit capacity means they fill up quickly in active production chains, so you will need to upgrade to Large Piles (180 capacity) or faction-specific industrial piles as your colony grows. However, the zero construction cost makes Small Piles useful throughout the game for creating quick drop-off points when expanding into new areas.

When planning your storage layout, use Small Piles as part of a distributed storage network rather than relying on a single centralized depot. Place them at key points along your production chains to reduce hauler travel distances: one near the raw material source, one near the processing building, and one near the final destination. As your economy scales up, gradually replace Small Piles with Large Piles, Small Industrial Piles (Iron Teeth), or Underground Piles (Folktails) for higher-capacity storage. Small Piles remain useful for niche applications like storing small quantities of specialized goods or creating temporary stockpiles during colony reorganization.