In Palworld you get Gunpowder by crafting it from Charcoal and Sulfur at a High Quality Workbench (or a better station), after spending 2 Technology points on it at level 21. Charcoal comes from burning Wood in a Primitive Furnace; Sulfur has to be mined from yellow Sulfur rocks in volcanic areas and dungeons. If you’d rather skip crafting, Tocotoco drop one Gunpowder every time you defeat them.
The recipe details below come from the Palworld Wiki Gunpowder page. Palworld left early access with version 1.0 on 10 July 2026, according to Push Square, so check the recipe card in your own workbench if a number looks off.
The Gunpowder recipe at a glance
| What | Details |
|---|---|
| Ingredients | Charcoal + Sulfur (the wiki lists 1 of each per Gunpowder) |
| Crafting station | High Quality Workbench or better |
| Technology | Level 21, costs 2 Technology points |
| Workload | 30 per Gunpowder |
| Charcoal recipe | 2 Wood at a Primitive Furnace |
| Can you buy it? | No, no merchant sells Gunpowder or Sulfur |
| Sell price | 22 Gold Coin each |
A note on the Charcoal amount: the Palworld Wiki shows one Charcoal per Gunpowder, while GameSpot and the Pindrop database list two Charcoal and one Sulfur. Either way, Charcoal is the cheap half. Sulfur is the bottleneck.
How to make Gunpowder in Palworld, step by step
- Reach player level 21 and open the Technology menu. Spend 2 points on Gunpowder. No High Quality Workbench yet? GameSpot puts that one at technology level 11, so grab and build it first.
- Build a Primitive Furnace and smelt Wood into Charcoal. Each Charcoal takes 2 Wood and a workload of just 10, so it piles up quickly.
- Mine Sulfur from the yellow Sulfur rocks (locations below). GameSpot notes a Metal Pickaxe gets you higher yields.
- At the High Quality Workbench, pick Gunpowder, set the amount, and let your crafting Pals or your character finish the work.
Good news for base builders: Charcoal only needs Wood, which most bases have plenty of. Queue a big batch of it early so it’s waiting when you start on Sulfur.
Where to find Sulfur
Sulfur comes from Sulfur rocks, big pale-yellow nodes. The Palworld Wiki Sulfur page says they turn up in dungeons and all over the Volcano biome, with the largest quantities out in the open volcanic area. You can’t craft it, and merchants don’t sell it.
- Volcano island: players in a Steam thread about finding coal and sulfur point to a cluster of about seven Sulfur nodes near the Astegon boss.
- Dungeons: cave dungeons often have Sulfur and Coal together, which makes them a decent early option before you can survive the volcano.
- Other spots players mention: near the Ascetic Falls fast travel point, and GameSpot names Twilight Dunes, Mount Obsidian and the Bamboo Grove cliffs.
- Pierdon: the wiki lists 4 to 5 Sulfur from every Pierdon you defeat.
Later on you can automate it. The Sulfur Quarry (listed in the Technology tree as Sulfur Mine) needs level 46, 5 Ancient Technology points and a PIDF Tower win. It costs 70 Stone, 100 Sulfur, 30 Paldium Fragments and 10 Ancient Civilization Parts, and any Pal with Mining work suitability can run it in your base.
Getting Gunpowder without crafting: Tocotoco farming
Tocotoco drop 1 Gunpowder with a 100% chance, according to the Tocotoco wiki page. They wander in groups of three or four, which means three or four Gunpowder per group, and they’re aggressive, so they come to you.
- Where: Twilight Dunes, the southern and central Desiccated Dunes, and Southern Sandbar on Sakurajima.
- Alpha Tocotoco: no overworld boss exists, but one can be the final boss in the Ravine Grotto and Cavern of the Dunes dungeons. It also drops Ancient Civilization Parts.
- Drop tip: the wiki suggests fighting Tocotoco with Katress on your team to raise drop rates.
There’s also a bounty target. Dyna and Mite, found in Verdant Brook at around map coordinates 349, -6, drop 2 Gunpowder when you take down both twins, plus they summon Tocotoco during the fight.
What players say about Gunpowder and ammo
“Can I just craft Sulfur or Coal?”
No. In a Steam discussion from players stuck on these materials, several replies confirmed both have to be mined. Same answer in a separate thread asking how to make sulfur: find a yellow outcrop and swing a pickaxe. You don’t need Coal for Gunpowder at all, by the way. The wiki doesn’t list Coal in any Gunpowder recipe, so don’t waste time hunting black ore for it.
“Why is rifle ammo so expensive?”
Because it eats Gunpowder. A Steam thread on rifle and assault rifle ammo costs worked out that rifle rounds cost far more per bullet than coarse ammo. The wiki’s numbers back that up: 1 Gunpowder makes 20 Coarse Ammo or 10 Handgun Ammo, but Rifle and Assault Rifle Ammo need 2 Gunpowder for just 5 rounds.
“Is crafting ammo even worth it early?”
Plenty of players say no. In both threads above, people suggested selling cheap crafted goods and buying ammo from merchants instead, and saving your own Gunpowder for things you can’t buy as easily, like rockets. That’s community strategy rather than a rule, but it’s sound advice while your Sulfur supply is small.
What Gunpowder is used for
Almost every gun and explosive in Palworld eats it. Here’s how far one batch goes, using the wiki’s recipe list:
| Item | Gunpowder needed | Makes |
|---|---|---|
| Coarse Ammo | 1 (+ 2 Ingot) | 20 |
| Handgun Ammo | 1 (+ 2 Ingot) | 10 |
| Rifle Ammo / Assault Rifle Ammo | 2 (+ 1 Refined Ingot) | 5 |
| Shotgun Shell | 3 (+ 1 Refined Ingot) | 5 |
| Gatling Gun Ammo | 3 (+ 1 Pal Metal Ingot) | 5 |
| Rocket Ammo | 5 (+ 1 Pal Metal Ingot) | 1 |
| Frag Grenade | 1 (+ 10 Stone) | 1 |
Elemental grenades (fire, ice, shock, water and the rest) all take 1 Gunpowder plus an organ or other material, so a stockpile of a few hundred goes a long way if you mostly throw grenades.
Frequently asked questions
What level do you need for Gunpowder in Palworld?
Level 21. It costs 2 Technology points, and you craft it at a High Quality Workbench or a better station.
Which Pal drops Gunpowder?
Tocotoco, at a 100% rate for one Gunpowder each. The bounty twins Dyna and Mite drop two, and an Alpha Tocotoco in the Ravine Grotto or Cavern of the Dunes dungeon also drops it.
Can you buy Gunpowder from a merchant in Palworld?
No. The Palworld Wiki lists no merchant for Gunpowder or Sulfur, so you have to craft it or farm Tocotoco. Many players buy finished ammo instead.
Do you need Coal to make Gunpowder?
No. Gunpowder uses Charcoal, which you make from Wood in a Primitive Furnace. Coal is for things like Refined Ingots and Carbon Fiber.
How do I get Sulfur in my base automatically?
Build a Sulfur Quarry once you reach level 46 and have beaten a PIDF Tower, then assign a Pal with Mining work suitability to it.
Sources
- Palworld Wiki: Gunpowder
- Palworld Wiki: Sulfur
- Palworld Wiki: Charcoal
- Palworld Wiki: Tocotoco
- Palworld Wiki: Sulfur Quarry
- Palworld Wiki: Coal
- GameSpot: How to get Sulfur, Gunpowder and Ammo
- Steam Community: Need some material for crafting
- Steam Community: rifle and AR ammo 4x as expensive
Featured image: Pocketpair
