Town Shops: the 7 commercial cargoes
Commercial districts appear blue in the land-use layer. Vegetables and Fish need no processing at all, which is why the manual suggests them as a first cargo chain.
| Cargo | Made by | Industries upstream | Warehouse | Full chain possible in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beverages | Brewery: 8 Grain + 3 Glass → 8 Beverages | Crop Farm, Sand Dredger, Sand Pit, Glassworks | Goods | Temperate, Dry, Subarctic |
| Books | Printing Factory: 4 Paper + 2 Dyes → 4 Books | Logging Camp, Oil Platform, Oil Well, Oil Refinery, Saw Mill, Chemical Plant, Paper Mill | Goods | Subarctic |
| Canned Food | Canning Factory: 2 Fish or 2 Meat + 1 Sheet Metal → 2 Canned Food | Coal Mine, Crop Farm, Fishing Grounds, Iron Ore Mine, Livestock Farm, Steel Mill | Goods | All 4 climates |
| Clothes | Textile Factory: 4 Fabric + 2 Dyes → 3 Clothes | Cotton Farm, Crop Farm, Oil Platform, Oil Well, Livestock Farm, Oil Refinery, Chemical Plant, Weaving Mill | Goods | All 4 climates |
| Fish | Fishing Grounds: No input → up to 12 Fish per cycle | None: it ships straight from the producer | Goods | Temperate, Subarctic, Tropic |
| Meat | Livestock Farm: 7 Grain → 3 Meat + 4 Wool | Crop Farm | Goods | All 4 climates |
| Vegetables | Crop Farm: No input → up to 16 Vegetables + 24 Grain per cycle | None: it ships straight from the producer | Goods | All 4 climates |
Sources: TF3 manual · Industries and Cargo · TF3 manual · Towns · TF3 manual · Tips and Tricks
Town Industry: the 8 industrial cargoes
Industrial districts appear yellow in the land-use layer. Planks and Fuel need one processing step everywhere; Bricks and Cement depend on the climate.
| Cargo | Made by | Industries upstream | Warehouse | Full chain possible in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bricks | Brickworks: 4 Clay → 4 Bricks | Clay Pit | Goods | Temperate, Dry |
| Cement | Cement Plant: 4 Stone → 2 Cement | Quarry | Bulk | Subarctic, Tropic |
| Fuel | Oil Refinery: 4 Crude Oil → 2 Fuel + 1 Fertilizer + 4 Chemicals | Oil Platform, Oil Well | Liquid | All 4 climates |
| Furniture | Furniture Factory: 4 Planks + 1 Glass → 2 Furniture | Logging Camp, Sand Dredger, Sand Pit, Glassworks, Saw Mill | Goods | All 4 climates |
| Machines | Machine Factory: 7 Steel + 4 Plastic → 7 Machines | Coal Mine, Iron Ore Mine, Oil Platform, Oil Well, Oil Refinery, Steel Mill, Chemical Plant | Flatbed | All 4 climates |
| Planks | Saw Mill: 4 Logs → 8 Planks + 4 Sawdust | Logging Camp | Flatbed | All 4 climates |
| Tools | Tools Factory: 4 Planks + 2 Plastic → 5 Tools | Logging Camp, Oil Platform, Oil Well, Oil Refinery, Saw Mill, Chemical Plant | Goods | All 4 climates |
| Vehicles | Vehicle Factory: 1 Tires + 4 Sheet Metal + 1 Machines → 1 Vehicles | Coal Mine, Iron Ore Mine, Oil Platform, Oil Well, Rubber Farm, Oil Refinery, Steel Mill, Tire Factory, Chemical Plant, Machine Factory | Flatbed | Tropic |
Sources: TF3 manual · Industries and Cargo · TF3 manual · Towns
When a town asks for more
All buildings in a district share its cargo demands. More complex cargo types are needed in smaller quantities per year. Watch the town window as the town levels up, because a new demand is easy to miss.
| Town level | New cargo demand |
|---|---|
| Start | One Town Shops demand and one Town Industry demand |
| Level 5 | Second Town Shops demand |
| Level 7 | Second Town Industry demand |
| Level 9 | Third Town Shops demand, possibly one of the most complex cargo types |
| Level 11 | Third Town Industry demand, possibly one of the most complex cargo types |
Sources: TF3 manual · Towns
How deliveries turn into town growth
Each delivered cargo item awards raw experience: 10 XP for the least complex cargo types, 20 XP for the next level and 40 XP for the most complex. Final XP is raw XP multiplied by a factor from the town’s Authority and Supplies ratings; your headquarters adds a bonus that starts at 5%.
A town needs 1,000 XP to reach level 2, and each later level needs 1.5 times the previous step. The cargo part of the Supplies rating takes the better-supplied of the two districts, while Authority follows its weakest rating, including on-time Delivery.
The manual gives the three XP bands but does not map each cargo type to a band.
Sources: TF3 manual · Towns
Deliver to the right district
- Open the town window and read both district demands.
- Switch on the land-use layer: blue buildings are commercial, yellow are industrial.
- Place the cargo stop so its catchment covers buildings of the demanding district.
- Check the Supplies tab after a delivery cycle; actively used supply links are animated in the world.
- Revisit the line when the town reaches levels 5, 7, 9 and 11.
Sources: TF3 manual · Towns · TF3 manual · Tips and Tricks
Short chains by climate
| Climate | Raw producer straight to town | One processing step |
|---|---|---|
| Temperate | Fish, Vegetables | Bricks, Meat, Planks |
| Dry | Vegetables | Bricks, Meat, Planks |
| Subarctic | Fish, Vegetables | Cement, Meat, Planks |
| Tropic | Fish, Vegetables | Cement, Meat, Planks |
Sources: TF3 manual · Industries and Cargo
Where this answer comes from
Checked 2026-10-14. Each claim links to the published material it comes from. Inspection sequences are Routebook’s editorial suggestions.
- TF3 manual · Industries and Cargo Official wiki
- TF3 manual · Towns Official wiki
- TF3 manual · Tips and Tricks Official wiki