Research the Cargo Workbench through Shipments for $5,000, buy the workstation separately from the Black Market, and install it in an available station slot at your base. It opens compatible cargo so you can take the contents instead of selling the shipment intact. Research alone does not put a workbench in your inventory.
Unlock and buy the Cargo Workbench
- Establish a base on a rented plot in a settlement.
- Open Shipments with H and find the Cargo Workbench research.
- Complete the $5,000 unlock.
- Open the Black Market through Lenny or your base laptop and purchase the workstation.
- Bring it to your base and install it in a free station slot.
The listed base purchase price is $15,000, separate from research. Check the current purchase screen before paying, and leave room for both transactions in your budget. The workbench item occupies two by two inventory cells before installation.
Check building station capacity
A building’s station limit is different from the number of cargo slots inside one workbench. Installing a Cargo Workbench uses a station position in that building.
| Building | Station slots |
|---|---|
| Trailer | 1 |
| Small House | 2 |
| Mansion | 3 |
| Workshop | 4 |
A Trailer can accommodate the bench, but its single station position means another workstation may already be using the space. Check the building’s installed stations before buying equipment you cannot place.
Open compatible cargo at the bench
Put compatible cargo into an available cargo slot and let its opening timer finish. The bench starts with two cargo slots. Processing time depends on the shipment, so use the timer shown for the load you are actually opening rather than expecting every container to finish together.
The bench also has two speed-up upgrade slots. These belong to the workbench itself and should not be confused with extra building station positions.
Contraband Cargo requires the separate Contraband Workbench. If your shipment is rejected, confirm its full item name before trying to replace your existing bench. A cargo-type mismatch is a different problem from a full processing slot.
Opening is useful when you want the contents. If your immediate goal is money, selling cargo intact to a Smuggler remains another option; the presence of a workbench does not mean every shipment must be processed.