Project Zomboid B42 Nails: Find Boxes Fast for Carpentry Project Zomboid B42: Nails Loot targets + checklists + nails math. Filter Clear Jump Guide Notes # B42 Nails Are Weird Now: Find Them Fast in Project Zomboid Without Derailing Carpentry In Build 42 (Unstable), nails aren’t gone—they’re just concentrated in the usual “hardware” places and showing up more often as boxes you have to open. If your early carpentry plans are stalling, stop looting kitchens and hit hardware containers: tool sheds, garage shelves, warehouse crates, and construction storage. Keep nails boxed until you’re ready to build, then unbox on-site so you don’t carry five pounds of regret. Jump straight to <a href="#quick-start">Quick-Start</a>. <a id="quick-start"></a> ## Quick-Start: The 10-Minute Nail Run (B42) 1.  **Decide your minimum win condition:** one *Box of Nails* (or two, if you’re planning barricades + sheet ropes). 2.  **Start with the low-drama spawns:** residential **garages**, **tool sheds**, and **utility outbuildings** before you wander into a downtown death funnel. 3.  **Loot like you mean it:** open every storage container that looks “hardware-adjacent” (shelves, crates, boxes), not every dresser in town. 4.  **Grab boxes first, loose nails second:** boxes are the carry-weight hack; loose nails add up fast. 5.  **If RNG is cruel, switch modes:** pick a quiet house and dismantle wooden furniture/fixtures for nails instead of rolling more dice on loot. 6.  **Unbox at the job site:** right-click the *Box of Nails* and open it only when you’re actively building/barricading. ```txt Nail Run “Go-Bag” (early B42) - Hammer (building + barricades) - Screwdriver (general utility) - Empty bag space (nails add weight fast) - Food + water for 1 in-game day - Optional: a second bag to haul planks + boxes home ``` ## Why nails feel “deleted” in B42 (even when they aren’t) Build 42 is explicitly unstable and still settling its balance and systems. That matters because *loot feel* is the first thing to swing when item distributions, container logic, and crafting funnels get tuned. And yeah—players noticed. There are multiple B42-era threads that boil down to: “I’ve looted a bunch of places and I’m finding zero nails.” Here’s the practical takeaway: nails are a **specialized loot item**. If you loot like you’re looking for cereal and bandages, you’ll *feel* like nails vanished. If you loot like you’re looking for tools and building supplies, you’ll find them. ## Where to look first: containers that actually pay out Use this like a priority ladder. Don’t treat it as a checklist you must complete—treat it as “how to stop wasting daylight.” | Priority | Location type | Containers to spam | Why it works | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | S |  Garages + tool sheds | shelves, boxes, tool storage | Nails/boxes show up where “hardware” lives, and these spots are usually safer than town centers. | | S |  Warehouses + storage units | crates, pallets, stacked boxes | Bulk building supplies; best chance to leave with multiple boxes. | | A |  Hardware/tool stores | shelves, back rooms | High reward, higher risk (noise, zombies, urban density). | | B |  Construction/industrial yards | storage, crates | Great if accessible, but usually “zombie tax” applies. | | C |  Regular houses | *only* garages/utility areas | Bedrooms/kitchens are mostly time sinks for nails. | ### What to ignore (unless you’re already there) - Kitchens, bedrooms, bathrooms: great for survival basics, awful for nails. - Office desks and filing cabinets: treat as “paper and sadness.” - Random loot wandering: if you can’t define what container you’re hunting, you’re not hunting. ## Box of Nails 101: the UI gotcha and the carry-weight win Two things trip people up in B42: 1) **Boxes need to be opened.** If your crafting menu says you need nails but you *only* have a *Box of Nails*, unbox it at the worksite. 2) **Boxes are lighter than loose nails.** The wiki’s B42-era numbers make the point brutally clear: loose nails get heavy fast, while boxing is a big encumbrance discount. ```txt Box discipline (how to not hate your backpack) - Loot run: keep nails boxed - Base: store spare boxes in a labeled crate (“BUILDING”) - Work session: unbox only what you need for the current project - Mobile defense: carry a small loose stack (e.g., for quick barricades), not your whole stash ``` ## Barricade math: how many nails you actually burn If you’re barricading early, your nail stash disappears faster than your canned beans. The simplest sanity rule: - **Each wooden plank barricade takes 2 nails (and a hammer).** | Job | Nails needed | Notes | | --- | --- | --- | |  1 plank on 1 window | 2 | Quick early defense; do this on your most exposed windows first. | |  4 planks on 1 window (max) | 8 | High nail + time cost; reserve for “this window cannot fail” spots. | |  Sheet rope escape line | Nails required | Don’t build a rooftop exit and then realize you’re one nail short. | ## Emergency nails: turn a quiet house into a hardware store When the loot route fails, stop gambling and start manufacturing. The nails page calls out the simplest fallback: **nails can be obtained by dismantling**. ### The “dismantle for nails” loop 1. Pick a low-risk residential area (clear a couple houses, close curtains, keep noise down). 2. Target **wooden furniture/fixtures** first (anything that looks like planks held together). 3. Dismantle, loot the output, and keep moving—don’t turn it into a 3-day renovation project. 4. Convert your haul into *a base stash*, not a backpack load. ### Pro tip: dismantle with a goal, not a vibe If you need nails for: - **A starter base:** prioritize enough for 4–8 planks total, then stop and go back to survival. - **Barricades:** do a “one-plank-per-window” pass first, then upgrade only the windows that matter. - **Rope exits:** build the rope line early so you don’t forget the nails requirement. ## Troubleshooting: when you still can’t find nails If you’ve hit multiple garages/sheds and still have zero nails, one of these is usually true: - You’re looting the wrong containers (too much house interior, not enough storage). - You found boxes and didn’t open them. - Your world is set to stingy loot (or you’re on a server with tight settings). - You’re on an unstable point release where distributions have shifted—re-check after hotfixes. ## The veteran takeaway: nails are ammo now B42 nails feel like ammo for your base: you don’t think about them until the moment you’re mid-build, over-encumbered, and the dinner bell you rang two blocks ago finally arrives at your front door. Loot like you’re shopping for hardware, keep nails boxed like magazines, and always have an emergency “dismantle fallback” for when the loot tables decide you’re not allowed to have nice things. Action Steps Recap: Hit garages/sheds first, prioritize boxes, unbox at the worksite, and dismantle wood furniture when loot RNG refuses to cooperate. ## Patch-History (Collapsible) <details> <summary>Build 42 milestones and what they changed for nail-chasing</summary> | Date | Change Note | Impact on early-game priorities | | --- | --- | --- | | 2024-12-17 | Build 42 Unstable goes live. | Expect tuning + “loot feel” swings; build a flexible plan (loot loop + dismantle fallback). | | 2024-12-23 | Players report “where are the nails?” in early B42. | Stop wasting time in houses; pivot to garages/warehouses and hardware containers. | | 2025-03-31 | Steam discussion repeats the “no nails found” problem. | Validate the issue, then teach container targeting + box opening. | | 2025-12-11 | Unstable 42 MP Released (42.13 line). | If you’re in MP, treat every update as a potential “re-check recipes/loot” moment. | | 2025-12-18 | 42.13.1 UNSTABLE HOTFIX Released. | Reminder that unstable point releases move quickly; don’t assume last week’s advice is perfect forever. | | 2025-12-17 | Players still asking about nails in 42.13.0. | Reinforces: nails aren’t “fixed” by time alone—loot loop discipline matters. | </details> Related Articles Nailed It: Carpentry Survival in Project Zomboid (Build 41 & 42) Carpentry Survival: Project Zomboid B41 & B42 Tips Tools Zomboid Water Woes: Boil Without the Drama Zomboid Respawn Nightmares? 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