Stool

A stool is a type of furniture which your colonists can sit on. Stools can be placed at tables to allow your colonists to eat there; in front of televisions to let them watch; or in front of production benches to provide comfort as they work, improving their mood and allowing them to work longer before needing a break.

Acquisition

It is constructed with 25 Stuff (Metallic/Woody/Stony, 250 for SMVs) in 450 ticks (7.5 secs).

Analysis

Stools are the bottom tier seating, providing less comfort than both dining chairs and armchairs. They require no research, have no crafting skill requirement, are the least time and resource intensive and can be made from stone as well as wood or metals, Thus, they can be useful in the early game when resources and time are tight and you may not have the crafters or research to construct better seating options. Additionally, the ability to construct stools out of stone can give them greater utility in wood-poor environments.

Chairs (or, better, armchairs) are generally preferred for preventing the "uncomfortable" mood debuff and can even grant positive moods at good qualities. For pawns with jobs that can done sitting in a chair (any job at a "production bench" of some sort), a normal quality stool will prevent the uncomfortable debuff (-3) all day, while an excellent quality stool will maintain the "comfortable" buff (+4) all day. A legendary stool, with a comfort level of 102% can maintain the +8 bonus all day, however even a good quality armchair is superior in comfort and significantly more likely to be crafted. So while a masterwork or legendary stool may be retained as useful into the midgame, switching or skipping to dining chairs or armchairs as soon as possible is recommended. Nothing quite like butchering or smelting in a top-quality armchair.

Thus, every dining table, recreation item, and production bench that allows sitting should (eventually) have at least a stool, and preferably a chair or armchair, installed. Priority should be given to objects in continuous use, such as stoves and research benches, with less used objects such as telescopes and the last seats at a poker table changed over last. However, switching from stools to a more comfortable form of seating such as armchairs should be prioritized, and long before mid-game there should be no need to construct stools for comfort at all.

Cover baiting

Stools have the dubious distinction of providing only 20% cover. While this seems like a purely negative trait, it makes stools very effective at luring raiders into very poor defensive positions to predictably position them without affording them too much of an advantage.

Resource Compression

A niche use for the stool is resource compression for caravaning or using transport pods. A constructed stool has a base mass of 3 kg but can be deconstructed into 12-13 units of its component material (or x10 for small volume materials). As these 12-13 units often weigh more than the 3kg of the stool, more material can be carried for the same mass by keeping it in stool form and deconstructing it at the end of travel, if you are willing to lose some resources to transport more.

For example, 25 units of steel can be compressed into a 3 kg stool, which then gets deconstructed for at least 6 kg, allowing you to carry at least twice the steel you normally would.

Resource compression has a drawback in that you will lose 50% of the invested resources, 12-13 out of the 25 units of material used. However, when the alternative is abandoning 50% of the material anyway due to weight restrictions, there is no reason not to do so if time permits.

However, due to the increased work to make the stool, as well as rounding losses, the use of Plant pots is typically superior for this purpose.

Comfort

Comfort is a measure of how fast a pawn will refill their comfort meter. A pawn sitting in a chair a higher comfort value will regain comfort proportionally faster. Comfort varies by quality but not material. Stools of the same quality level will all have the same quality, regardless of what they're constructed from.

Quality	Awful	Poor	Normal	Good	Excellent	Masterwork	Legendary
Comfort	38%	44%	50%	56%	62%	73%	85%

Stats table

Feature	Toggle
Quality

Stool		Beauty	Comfort	Work to Build	HP	Flammability	Market Value
Quality	Material	Beauty	Comfort	Work to Build	HP	Flammability	Market Value
Awful	Bioferrite	0	0.38	001,125 ticks (18.75 secs)	150	75%	11
Awful	Gold	-2	0.38	000,405 ticks (6.75 secs)	45	40%	1,250
Awful	Granite blocks	0	0.38	002,840 ticks (47.33 secs)	128	0%	16
Awful	Limestone blocks	0	0.38	002,840 ticks (47.33 secs)	116	0%	16
Awful	Marble blocks	0	0.38	002,615 ticks (43.58 secs)	90	0%	16
Awful	Plasteel	0	0.38	000,990 ticks (16.5 secs)	210	0%	114
Awful	Sandstone blocks	0	0.38	002,390 ticks (39.83 secs)	105	0%	16
Awful	Silver	-1	0.38	000,450 ticks (7.5 secs)	53	40%	126
Awful	Slate blocks	0	0.38	002,840 ticks (47.33 secs)	98	0%	16
Awful	Steel	0	0.38	000,450 ticks (7.5 secs)	75	40%	25
Awful	Jade	-1	0.38	002,250 ticks (37.5 secs)	38	0%	67
Awful	Uranium	0	0.38	000,855 ticks (14.25 secs)	188	0%	77
Awful	Wood	0	0.38	000,315 ticks (5.25 secs)	49	100%	16
Poor	Bioferrite	0	0.44	001,125 ticks (18.75 secs)	150	75%	17
Poor	Gold	10	0.44	000,405 ticks (6.75 secs)	45	40%	1,875
Poor	Granite blocks	0	0.44	002,840 ticks (47.33 secs)	128	0%	25
Poor	Limestone blocks	0	0.44	002,840 ticks (47.33 secs)	116	0%	25
Poor	Marble blocks	0	0.44	002,615 ticks (43.58 secs)	90	0%	24
Poor	Plasteel	0	0.44	000,990 ticks (16.5 secs)	210	0%	171
Poor	Sandstone blocks	0	0.44	002,390 ticks (39.83 secs)	105	0%	23
Poor	Silver	3	0.44	000,450 ticks (7.5 secs)	53	40%	189
Poor	Slate blocks	0	0.44	002,840 ticks (47.33 secs)	98	0%	25
Poor	Steel	0	0.44	000,450 ticks (7.5 secs)	75	40%	37
Poor	Jade	5	0.44	002,250 ticks (37.5 secs)	38	0%	100
Poor	Uranium	0	0.44	000,855 ticks (14.25 secs)	188	0%	115
Poor	Wood	0	0.44	000,315 ticks (5.25 secs)	49	100%	23
Normal	Bioferrite	0	0.5	001,125 ticks (18.75 secs)	150	75%	23
Normal	Gold	20	0.5	000,405 ticks (6.75 secs)	45	40%	2,500
Normal	Granite blocks	0	0.5	002,840 ticks (47.33 secs)	128	0%	33
Normal	Limestone blocks	0	0.5	002,840 ticks (47.33 secs)	116	0%	33
Normal	Marble blocks	1	0.5	002,615 ticks (43.58 secs)	90	0%	32
Normal	Plasteel	0	0.5	000,990 ticks (16.5 secs)	210	0%	230
Normal	Sandstone blocks	0	0.5	002,390 ticks (39.83 secs)	105	0%	31
Normal	Silver	6	0.5	000,450 ticks (7.5 secs)	53	40%	250
Normal	Slate blocks	0	0.5	002,840 ticks (47.33 secs)	98	0%	33
Normal	Steel	0	0.5	000,450 ticks (7.5 secs)	75	40%	49
Normal	Jade	10	0.5	002,250 ticks (37.5 secs)	38	0%	133
Normal	Uranium	0	0.5	000,855 ticks (14.25 secs)	188	0%	153
Normal	Wood	0	0.5	000,315 ticks (5.25 secs)	49	100%	31
Good	Bioferrite	0	0.56	001,125 ticks (18.75 secs)	150	75%	29
Good	Gold	40	0.56	000,405 ticks (6.75 secs)	45	40%	3,000
Good	Granite blocks	0	0.56	002,840 ticks (47.33 secs)	128	0%	41
Good	Limestone blocks	0	0.56	002,840 ticks (47.33 secs)	116	0%	41
Good	Marble blocks	2	0.56	002,615 ticks (43.58 secs)	90	0%	40
Good	Plasteel	0	0.56	000,990 ticks (16.5 secs)	210	0%	285
Good	Sandstone blocks	0	0.56	002,390 ticks (39.83 secs)	105	0%	39
Good	Silver	12	0.56	000,450 ticks (7.5 secs)	53	40%	315
Good	Slate blocks	0	0.56	002,840 ticks (47.33 secs)	98	0%	41
Good	Steel	0	0.56	000,450 ticks (7.5 secs)	75	40%	61
Good	Jade	20	0.56	002,250 ticks (37.5 secs)	38	0%	166
Good	Uranium	0	0.56	000,855 ticks (14.25 secs)	188	0%	191
Good	Wood	0	0.56	000,315 ticks (5.25 secs)	49	100%	39
Excellent	Bioferrite	0	0.62	001,125 ticks (18.75 secs)	150	75%	34
Excellent	Gold	60	0.62	000,405 ticks (6.75 secs)	45	40%	3,500
Excellent	Granite blocks	0	0.62	002,840 ticks (47.33 secs)	128	0%	49
Excellent	Limestone blocks	0	0.62	002,840 ticks (47.33 secs)	116	0%	49
Excellent	Marble blocks	3	0.62	002,615 ticks (43.58 secs)	90	0%	48
Excellent	Plasteel	0	0.62	000,990 ticks (16.5 secs)	210	0%	345
Excellent	Sandstone blocks	0	0.62	002,390 ticks (39.83 secs)	105	0%	47
Excellent	Silver	18	0.62	000,450 ticks (7.5 secs)	53	40%	375
Excellent	Slate blocks	0	0.62	002,840 ticks (47.33 secs)	98	0%	49
Excellent	Steel	0	0.62	000,450 ticks (7.5 secs)	75	40%	74
Excellent	Jade	30	0.62	002,250 ticks (37.5 secs)	38	0%	200
Excellent	Uranium	0	0.62	000,855 ticks (14.25 secs)	188	0%	230
Excellent	Wood	0	0.62	000,315 ticks (5.25 secs)	49	100%	47
Masterwork	Bioferrite	0	0.73	001,125 ticks (18.75 secs)	150	75%	57
Masterwork	Gold	100	0.73	000,405 ticks (6.75 secs)	45	40%	4,500
Masterwork	Granite blocks	0	0.73	002,840 ticks (47.33 secs)	128	0%	82
Masterwork	Limestone blocks	0	0.73	002,840 ticks (47.33 secs)	116	0%	82
Masterwork	Marble blocks	5	0.73	002,615 ticks (43.58 secs)	90	0%	80
Masterwork	Plasteel	0	0.73	000,990 ticks (16.5 secs)	210	0%	570
Masterwork	Sandstone blocks	0	0.73	002,390 ticks (39.83 secs)	105	0%	78
Masterwork	Silver	30	0.73	000,450 ticks (7.5 secs)	53	40%	630
Masterwork	Slate blocks	0	0.73	002,840 ticks (47.33 secs)	98	0%	82
Masterwork	Steel	0	0.73	000,450 ticks (7.5 secs)	75	40%	123
Masterwork	Jade	50	0.73	002,250 ticks (37.5 secs)	38	0%	335
Masterwork	Uranium	0	0.73	000,855 ticks (14.25 secs)	188	0%	385
Masterwork	Wood	0	0.73	000,315 ticks (5.25 secs)	49	100%	78
Legendary	Bioferrite	0	0.85	001,125 ticks (18.75 secs)	150	75%	114
Legendary	Gold	160	0.85	000,405 ticks (6.75 secs)	45	40%	5,500
Legendary	Granite blocks	0	0.85	002,840 ticks (47.33 secs)	128	0%	164
Legendary	Limestone blocks	0	0.85	002,840 ticks (47.33 secs)	116	0%	164
Legendary	Marble blocks	8	0.85	002,615 ticks (43.58 secs)	90	0%	160
Legendary	Plasteel	0	0.85	000,990 ticks (16.5 secs)	210	0%	1,145
Legendary	Sandstone blocks	0	0.85	002,390 ticks (39.83 secs)	105	0%	156
Legendary	Silver	48	0.85	000,450 ticks (7.5 secs)	53	40%	1,260
Legendary	Slate blocks	0	0.85	002,840 ticks (47.33 secs)	98	0%	164
Legendary	Steel	0	0.85	000,450 ticks (7.5 secs)	75	40%	245
Legendary	Jade	80	0.85	002,250 ticks (37.5 secs)	38	0%	665
Legendary	Uranium	0	0.85	000,855 ticks (14.25 secs)	188	0%	765
Legendary	Wood	0	0.85	000,315 ticks (5.25 secs)	49	100%	156