Finding Fallout 4 Item IDs When the Wiki Just Isn't Working

You're standing in the middle of a radioactive wasteland, staring at a suit of Power Armor that’s missing a left leg. Or maybe you're out of 10mm ammo again. It happens. You open the console, ready to fix your problems with a quick command, but then you realize you don't actually know the Fallout 4 item IDs for the stuff you need. It’s a total buzzkill. Honestly, searching through massive, ad-bloated wikis just to find the code for a desk fan is the kind of friction that ruins the immersion of being a post-apocalyptic god.

Most people think these IDs are just static numbers etched into the game's code forever. That's mostly true, but if you've ever tried to spawn a Lever Action Rifle from the Far Harbor DLC and failed, you know there’s more to it than just copy-pasting a string of digits.

The Secret to Those First Two Digits

Here is the thing about Fallout 4 item IDs: they aren't all universal. If you are looking for base game items like a Stimpak (00023736) or Wood (000331e5), the IDs are always the same. Every single time. But the moment you start adding DLCs like Nuka-World or Automatron into the mix, things get weird.

The first two digits of a DLC item ID are actually "load order" placeholders. If you see an ID listed online as xx000800, those "xx" characters are basically the game saying, "Insert the position of this DLC here." For most people who have all the expansions, Far Harbor usually starts with 03. So, that fancy rifle isn't xx000800, it's 03000800. If you try to use the "xx" version, the console will just stare back at you with a "compiled script not saved" error. It’s annoying, but once you figure out your load order in a tool like Vortex or just by trial and error in the console, you’re golden.

Finding Any ID Without Leaving the Game

Stop Alt-Tabbing. Seriously. You don't need a second monitor or a phone propped up against your keyboard to find Fallout 4 item IDs. The game has a built-in search engine that almost nobody uses correctly.

It’s the help command.

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If you want the ID for a Fusion Core, you just type help "fusion core" 4. The quotation marks are vital if the item name has a space. If you just type help fusion core 4, the game gets confused and tries to find everything related to "fusion" and "core" separately. The "4" at the end tells the game to filter specifically for items, objects, and settings.

You’ll get a list. Look for the lines that start with WEAP for weapons, ARMO for armor, or ALCH for consumables like food and chems. It’s faster than any website, and it’s always 100% accurate to your specific modded setup.

Why Some IDs Don't Work

Sometimes you find the right ID, you type player.additem [ID] [amount], and nothing happens. Or worse, you get an item you didn't want. This usually happens because of "Oversized Item Lists."

Bethesda’s engine handles IDs in hexadecimal. This means they use numbers 0-9 and letters A-F. It's a base-16 system. If you're looking for a specific legendary effect ID, you have to be careful not to confuse an O (the letter) with a 0 (the number). Actually, there are no Os in hex. If you see one in a guide, it’s a typo.

Another common pitfall? Script-spawned items. Some items in Fallout 4 aren't actually items until a script creates them. These usually don't have a permanent ID you can just summon. If you're trying to spawn a "quest version" of an item, it might have a completely different ID than the "inventory version."

Essential IDs for the Lazy Survivor

Let's be real, you're probably here for the basics. The stuff that keeps you from having to scavenge every single aluminum tray in the Institute.

Shipment of Aluminum: 001EC116
Adhesive: 001BF72E (The literal gold of the Commonwealth)
Ceramic: 001BF72F
Circuitry: 001BF730
Screw: 001BF731

If you want the actual materials and not the "shipment" (which is basically a voucher you have to use at a workbench), the IDs are different. For example, raw Aluminum is 0006907a. Use the shipments if you're building a massive base at Sanctuary; use the raw materials if you're just trying to mod a gun at a weapon bench.

The Problem With Legendary Effects

Spawning a "Two-Shot" Gauss Rifle isn't as simple as one ID. Items and "Legendary Modifications" are two separate entities. To get that dream weapon, you first spawn the base Gauss Rifle (000d1eb0). Then, you drop it on the ground, open the console, click the gun so its ID appears at the top of the screen, and type amod 001cc2ad.

That 001cc2ad is the Fallout 4 item ID for the "Two-Shot" modifier.

It feels like cheating because it is. But in a game where a legendary Bloatfly can drop a wooden board that does "Freezing" damage, sometimes you just want to take matters into your own hands.

Navigating the Load Order Nightmare

If you use mods—and let's face it, if you're playing Fallout 4 in 2026, you're using mods—the item IDs for modded weapons are even more volatile than DLC IDs.

Every time you add a new mod, it gets a slot in your load order. That slot determines the first two digits of the ID. If you have 200 mods installed, your new laser sword might start with A7 or F4.

The most reliable way to find these is the help command mentioned earlier. If the mod is named "Mega Blaster," just type help "mega" 4 and scroll until you see an ID that doesn't start with 00.

Nuance and Limits

You can't just spawn everything.

Certain "Items" in the game are actually "Global Variables" or "Perks." If you try to player.additem a perk ID, the game will just shrug. You have to use player.addperk. It’s a small distinction, but it’s the difference between a working game and a crashed desktop.

Also, be careful with "Unique" items. Spawning a second "Kellogg’s Pistol" is fine, but spawning certain quest-critical items before the quest triggers can hard-lock your save file. The game expects certain items to exist only when a specific script says so. If you bypass that, the script might never fire, and you’ll be stuck staring at Preston Garvey while he refuses to acknowledge you’ve already found the item he’s looking for.

Practical Steps for Your Next Session

If you’re planning a heavy building session or a new playthrough, do yourself a favor:

1. Create a "Batch" File: Open Notepad. List your favorite commands like player.additem 0000000f 5000 (for caps). Save it as giveme.txt in your Fallout 4 folder. In-game, just type bat giveme. Boom. Instant supplies.
2. Identify Your DLC Codes: Open the console and click on a DLC-specific object (like a crate in Far Harbor). The first two digits of the ID that pops up are your load order for that entire DLC. Write them down.
3. Use the "ShowInventory" Command: If you have an item in your pocket and you want to know its ID to give more to a companion, type player.showinventory. It lists everything you're carrying and their IDs.

Managing Fallout 4 item IDs doesn't have to be a chore. Once you stop relying on external lists and start using the help command and the amod system, you effectively become the lead developer of your own wasteland. Just remember to save before you start messing with the console—Bethesda games are held together with digital duct tape, and one wrong ID can send a Brahmin flying into the stratosphere.