The four cargo categories
| Category | Official examples | Stored in | Carried by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liquid | Oil, fuel | Tanks and barrels | Tankers |
| Bulk | Sand, grain | Silos and heaps | Open wagons and trucks |
| Flatbed | Logs, steel | Open storage, loaded by crane | Flat wagons and trucks |
| Goods | Canned food, glass | Freight sheds | Closed vehicles |
The examples are the ones named in the official dev blog; the industries and cargo press release also names vegetables, paper and books without giving their category. Urban Games has not published the full list of 37, and third-party lists extracted from game files may change with patches. See the filterable cargo table in our planner.
How cargo moves now
Cargo no longer gets a destination when it is produced. It waits at its industry until one of your lines collects it, and you decide where it goes anywhere in your network. Map overlays show how much cargo is waiting and how much is in transit. Different cargo types also have delivery deadlines, and a launch review reports that some cargo spoils over time.
For planning, this means an industry does not "push" cargo to you: if nothing is collected, nothing moves. A line only earns its keep when pickup, transport and delivery all keep up with each other.
Docks, stations and warehouses
- Integrated loading docks come with each industry: cheapest, but the slowest to load.
- Specialized stations built inside an industry's catchment area load one cargo category faster, at a higher cost and with more pollution.
- Universal stations handle mixed cargo; the dev blog calls them the basic, slower but cost-efficient option.
- Warehouses are modular transfer and storage buildings that you can specialise by cargo category.
If vehicles queue at pickup, adding vehicles will not fix a slow dock. Compare the loading point with the line using the chain check in our cargo planner.
Industries and boosters
The official overview lists more than 35 industries, including offshore fishing grounds and oil platforms; the industries and cargo press release gives 32 industry types, double Transport Fever 2. Boosters raise output: workers from nearby towns, fertilizer for farms, and tools or machine parts for mines. Delivering a booster is a second supply chain, so size it like any other line.
Plan a chain with your own numbers
Pick one period, such as one in-game month. Note what the industry produces, what your first leg moves, any warehouse transfer, and the last leg. The lowest of these limits the whole chain. Our cargo line planner does this arithmetic and sizes the fleet; it does not use game recipes or profits.
Sources
- Urban Games — Dev Blog Episode 2: Industries and Cargo — Cargo types, categories, loading facilities and boosters; checked September 29, 2026.
- Games Press — Transport Fever 3: Industries & Cargo Revealed — Official press release: 32 industry types, 37 cargo types, named examples; checked September 29, 2026.
- Urban Games — Transport Fever 3 game overview — Game modes, climate zones, vehicle and industry totals; checked September 29, 2026.
- But Why Tho? — Transport Fever 3 review — Review-reported campaign and map-setup details; not official figures. Checked September 29, 2026.