Before you start
5 things to know
- No chisel, no blocks. Knapping 1 makes stone chisels. Chapter 4
- Save your stone blocks. The Forge eats 30 and the Smelting Furnace 40. Chapter 5
- Walls get stronger as you level. Build the outer wall last. Chapter 7
- Stone is slow. Build in wood first, then stone over months. Chapter 8
- Put furnaces and kilns on stone floors, away from wooden walls. Chapter 10
Chapter 1
Masonry in Build 42
Wood burns and breaks. Stone lasts far longer. Masonry is the Build 42 skill for walls and stations that last.
Masonry turns loose stones into stone blocks, blocks and cement into walls, and blocks into the furnaces, forges and kilns that every other crafting skill needs. Higher levels build stronger, better-looking structures.
Walls
The strongest walls in the game. Around 4,000 health at level 10.
Stations
Fire pits and stone anvils, plus the blocks for furnaces and forges. Blacksmiths cannot start without a mason.
Base
Frames, fences, floors and stairs in stone and brick.
The mason's loop
- GatherStones from the ground and boulders.
- CutStones into blocks with a chisel.
- MixClay cement in a bucket.
- BuildWalls and stations.
- RepeatEvery block is 20 XP.
Why it matters
Masonry, Pottery and Knapping are one production line. Knapping makes the chisel. Masonry cuts the blocks. Pottery makes the bricks and crucibles. Together they build the forge.
Chapter 2
Build your mason
Masonry XP is honest and steady. The head starts are about the stone anvil at level 2.
Construction Worker (job)
Starts with Masonry and Carpentry, plus Short Blunt. The builder's job.
Mason (trait, 2 points)
+2 Masonry. Knows the recipes for every furnace and forge, and the dome kiln.
Handy (trait, 8 points)
+1 Masonry, Carpentry, Carving and Maintenance.
Carpenter, DIY Expert, Engineer (jobs)
Each carries a Masonry point alongside their main skill.
Watch out: point costs change
The game makers still tune traits and jobs. Always read the numbers on your own character screen.
Masonry has 5 books at 3, 5, 8, 12 and 16 times XP. The first is called A Bricklayer's Life. Read it before you cut your first block.
Chapter 3
Stones: where and which
Stone is lying on the ground. You do not even need to forage for most of it.
| Stone | Where | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| Stone | On the ground everywhere, mostly wooded areas. Also from foraging. | Stone blocks. The main material. |
| Large stone | On the ground. Heavy. | Break into several stones. Early XP. |
| Large smooth flat stone | On the ground. | Big tool heads, some builds. |
| Limestone | Mineral deposits, yellowish. Break with a sledgehammer or pickaxe. | Lime and mortar. |
| Flint nodules | Mineral deposits, dark grey. | Knapping. See that guide. |
| Clay | Foraged, or dug from clay deposits with a sack and trowel. | Cement and bricks. |
| Sand | Sand tiles with a shovel and sack. | Cement. |
Secret: a wheelbarrow or a car
Stone is heavy. Fill a car trunk from a rocky field and haul it home in one trip.
Chapter 4
Tools of the mason
3 tools, and 2 of them can be made from scratch.
Hammer or club hammer
For cutting blocks. Breaking a large stone needs the club hammer. Kept, wears slowly.
Stone chisel or mason's chisel
Knapped from flint, or looted. Kept, wears slowly.
Trowel
For laying cement. Looted, or carved.
Sledgehammer or pickaxe
For breaking mineral deposits. A stone maul works too.
Bucket
For mixing cement. Carved wooden buckets count.
Secret: the mason needs the knapper
No chisel, no blocks. Knapping 1 makes stone chisels, once you know the recipe. Make several. They wear out.
Chapter 5
Stone blocks: the first recipe
1 stone in, 1 block out, 20 XP. This is the grind, and the blocks are never wasted.
Break large stones
Level 0. Hit a large stone with a club hammer, sledgehammer, stone maul or pickaxe. It splits into 10 stones. 10 XP, and the stones you need.
Make a stone block
Level 1. Hammer and chisel in inventory. Crafting menu, Masonry, Make Stone Block from Stone. 1 stone becomes 1 block.
Secret: other stones cut too
Make Stone Block takes any stone: a stone, a limestone or a flint nodule.
Watch out: do not spend the pile on floors
Players cut 30 blocks and then spend them on small extras. Save them. The Forge eats 30 blocks and the Smelting Furnace eats 40.
Chapter 6
Clay cement and mortar
Blocks alone are a pile. Cement makes them a wall.
Mix clay cement
In a bucket: 2 clay, 1 scoop from a sack of sand, and 10 liters of water. The bucket becomes a bucket of clay cement.
- Concrete powder from hardware stores mixes with water into concrete. Faster, but it runs out.
- Limestone can be fired in a kiln into quicklime. Quicklime is for plaster, not cement.
- A budget: 1 bucket of cement builds 2 stone walls. Each wall takes 6 blocks. A doorframe takes 4 and a window frame 5.
Watch out: sand is limited
Each sand tile gives 1 scoop, then it is used up. A sack holds 4 scoops. Find several sandy spots. Riverbanks and construction sites.
Chapter 7
Walls, frames and fences
From level 2, the Masonry tab of the Build menu fills up.
| Build | Level | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Fire pit | 2 | 10 stone blocks. For cooking and warmth. |
| Stone wall | 2 | Blocks and cement. 20 XP. Gets stronger with level. |
| Stone door frame, window frame | 2 | Openings in your wall. |
| Brick wall, short brick wall | 2 for the wall. 5 for the short wall and a better wall | Needs pottery bricks. Can be plastered and painted. |
| Tile floor | 0 | 4 ceramic tiles from Pottery. 10 XP. There are no stone floors or stairs. |
Secret: walls get stronger as you level
A wall built at level 10 has far more health than one at level 2. Build the outer perimeter last, after you have leveled on stations and inner walls.
Chapter 8
Stone versus wood versus metal
Why bother with stone? The numbers.
| Wall | Health | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Stone wall, level 10 | About 4,000 | The strongest wall in the game. 400 health per Masonry level. |
| Brick wall | Second best | Beats metal and wood. Can be painted. |
| Metal wall | Strong | Welding. Needs propane. |
| Wooden wall, level 6 | About 770 | Carpentry. Burns. |
Watch out: stone is slow
A stone perimeter is hundreds of blocks and dozens of cement buckets. Wood first, stone over months.
Chapter 9
Bricks from pottery
Bricks are not a Masonry recipe. They come from the Pottery skill.
- Press clay in a wooden brick mold at a hand press.
- Fire the unfired bricks in a small or large kiln.
- Lay them with Masonry.
Secret: one mason, one potter
In a group, one player fires bricks and crucibles while the other cuts blocks and lays walls. Solo, level both. See the Pottery guide.
Chapter 10
Furnaces, forges and kilns
This is why blacksmiths beg masons for help.
| Station | Masonry need | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Fire pit | 2 | For cooking and warmth. Crucibles melt in a furnace. |
| Stone anvil | 2 | The starter anvil. Building the primitive forge consumes it. |
| Primitive furnace | None. 6 clay, 4 stones and cement | Turns iron ore into an iron bloom. |
| Primitive forge | None. Stone anvil, 10 stones and cement | Where iron is worked. |
| Kilns | None. Small and large kilns take 20 clay and a trowel | Fire bricks, crucibles and other clay. |
Watch out: old guides list wrong materials
Early Build 42 recipes changed. A fan check on 42.20.4 says the primitive furnace does not need 14 clay plus sand, and the forge does not need 15 stone and 2 cement. Read your Build menu.
Secret: fireproof floor first
Furnaces and kilns are fire risks. Put them on stone floors, in a shed, away from wooden walls.
Chapter 11
What each level unlocks
The ladder players report.
| Level | Unlocks |
|---|---|
| 0 | Break large stones |
| 1 | Stone blocks |
| 2 | Fire pit, stone anvil, stone walls, door and window frames |
| 3 to 4 | No new Masonry recipes. Furnaces and forges need no Masonry level. |
| 5 | Brick fence. Improved brick structures that can be plastered and painted, and give more XP. |
| 6 to 10 | Stone tool heads from flat stones at 6, 7 and 8. Each level adds 400 health to a new stone wall, up to 4,000 at 10. |
Watch out: gates move
Your Build menu greys out what you cannot make. Trust it over this table.
Chapter 12
Training plan: 0 to 10
Blocks are 20 XP and always useful. Walls are 20 XP and always useful. The grind builds the base.
Levels 0 to 1: break stones
Read A Bricklayer's Life. Gather large stones. Break them all. Get a chisel from Knapping.
Levels 1 to 3: cut blocks
Every stone becomes a block. Stack them. Read Masonry II. Build the fire pit and stone anvil at 2.
Levels 3 to 6: stations and inner walls
Read III. Build the furnace and forge for your smith. Build inner walls and frames. Mix cement in batches.
Levels 6 to 10: the perimeter
Read IV and V. Now build the outer stone wall. Each segment at high level is a fortress panel.
Level by level: Masonry
The best single thing to do at each level. Read the matching book first when one exists.
| Level | Do this for most of your XP | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 0 to 1 | Read A Bricklayer’s Life. Break large stones | Level 0 XP, and the stones you need |
| 1 to 2 | Cut every stone into a block | 20 XP each, never wasted |
| 2 to 3 | Fire pit, stone anvil, first stone walls | 20 XP per wall, 30 for the anvil |
| 3 to 4 | Read Masonry II. Door and window frames | More builds |
| 4 to 5 | More stone walls and frames | 20 XP each. Furnaces and forges give no Masonry XP |
| 5 to 6 | Read Masonry III. Brick fences and walls | Level 5 improved bricks give more XP |
| 6 to 7 | Chisel large stone axe heads from flat stones | 60 XP each. Needs a club hammer and a mason’s chisel |
| 7 to 8 | Read Masonry IV. Chisel stone maul heads | 70 XP each, from flat stones |
| 8 to 9 | Start the outer perimeter | High level walls have high health |
| 9 to 10 | Read Masonry V. Finish the perimeter | Every panel is XP |
Stone yard checklist
Materials
Tools
Plan
Your ticks are saved in this browser, on this device only.
Chapter 13
Tips, tricks and fixes
20 tips from the wall
Setup
- Take Construction Worker, or the Mason or Handy trait.
- Knap 3 chisels before you start.
- Read the book before a block session.
- Haul stone by car.
- Find sand and clay spots early.
Working
- Break large stones for level 1.
- Cut every stone into a block.
- Do not spend blocks on decoration.
- Mix cement in batches. 2 clay, 1 sand, 10 liters water.
- Concrete powder is faster but finite.
- Build stations before walls.
- Build the perimeter last, at high level.
The base
- Stone floors under kilns and furnaces.
- Stations in a shed, not the bedroom.
- Bricks come from Pottery. Level it too.
- Brick walls can be plastered and painted.
- Keep fire away from wooden walls.
- Wood perimeter first, stone over months.
- Check the Build menu for real materials.
- Pair with a blacksmith. They need you.
Fix-it table
| Problem | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| No Make Stone Block. | Masonry 0, or no chisel or hammer. | Break stones to level 1. Knap a chisel. |
| I cannot build a wall. | Masonry below 2, or no cement. | Level up. Mix cement. |
| No cement recipe. | No bucket, sand or clay. | Carve or loot a bucket. Shovel sand. Dig clay. |
| Out of sand. | Tile depleted. | Find another sandy spot. |
| The furnace recipe wants odd materials. | Old guide. | Read the Build menu on your version. |
| I cannot make bricks. | Bricks are Pottery. | Level Pottery. Fire them in a kiln. |
| My wall is weak. | Built at low level. | Level up. Rebuild the outer wall later. |
| The chisel broke. | Wear. | Knap another. |
| Stone is too heavy to carry. | It is. | Car trunk. Several trips. |
| The kiln set fire to the shed. | Wood walls. | Stone floor and stone walls around fire. |
Chapter 14
Mason's test
7 questions. Get them all right and you can build a castle.
Chapter 15
Words and sources
Mason's word list
- Stone block
- A cut stone ready for building. 1 stone makes 1.
- Clay cement
- Clay, sand and water mixed in a bucket.
- Mortar
- The stuff between blocks. Cement or concrete.
- Mineral deposit
- A boulder of limestone or flint you can break.
- Mason's chisel
- The cutting tool. Stone or metal.
- Fire pit
- A stone hearth for cooking and warmth.
- Stone anvil
- The starter anvil, used up by the forge build.
- Kiln
- A pottery oven. Fires bricks and crucibles.
How sure are we?
Every fact here was checked in September 2026. We checked the game files for version 42.21.0. Order of trust: the official wiki, then well-sourced fan guides, then player reports.
- What the skill does, stone types, bricks from Pottery, XP from masonry recipes. Confirmed on the official wiki.
- 20 XP per block and per wall, level 1 and 2 gates, cement recipe. Fan guides for 42.x citing the wiki's recipe tables.
- 4,000 wall health at level 10, level 5 brick features. A fan guide from late 2025. Numbers may have shifted.
- Stone anvil at Masonry 2 and forge materials. A fan check on 42.20.4.
- Checked against the game files (42.21.0): block, wall, fire pit and anvil XP and levels, the cement recipe, stone wall health (400 per Masonry level), furnace, forge and kiln materials, and the Mason trait. Whether stone can burn is not in the files we checked.
- Job and trait values. May change.
Sources
- PZwiki (the official wiki): Masonry, Masonry (Building), Masonry (crafting)
- Gamers.wiki masonry guide for 42.x (blocks, cement, tools)
- Build42guide.wiki skill leveling page (XP values)
- Vortex Gaming masonry guide (wall health, level 5 features)
- PZfans metalworking overhaul for 42.20.4 (stone anvil, forge materials)
- Projectzomboid.wiki pottery and masonry page (cement budget)