Colonization is, at its core, a game that emphasizes resource production and management. Its economic system focuses on harvesting raw resources and converting them into finished goods: for example, putting weavers to work, turning abundunt cotton into more profitable cloth. These resources and goods can then be bought and sold in Europe and with the natives, creating an incentive for players to produce not only a large quantity of goods, but ones of high quality too.
Each city can contain its own supply of specific resources in its warehouse (the default amount of goods at Normal speed is 100 of each). As settlements produce goods, wagon trains can carry them to sea ports, where ships can transport them to Europe. The market, particularly for some items like silver, is sensitive to rapid fluctuations in supply, causing demand to drop if the market is flooded with an excess of one good: thus, a diverse economy focusing on finished products is destined to be the most profitable. The table below outlines the available resources and average prices.
Note: There are 16 resources that can be bought and sold. The "Requires" column indicates that some resources are needed to produce another (e.g. furs are needed to make coats). The "Sell/Buy" prices show the initial costs associated with selling and buying the item in Europe, respectively (that is, from the colonists’ point of view; you get 19 gold per silver when you sell, and it costs 20 gold to buy 1 silver). These prices can fluctuate. The information below is accurate as of Colonization v1.00.
| Image | Name | Requires | Sell | Buy |
 |
Food | – | 1-2 | 8-10 |
 |
Lumber | – | 1 | 3-4 |
 |
Silver | – | 19 | 20 |
 |
Cotton | – | 3-5 | 5-7 |
 |
Fur | – | 4-6 | 6-8 |
 |
Sugar | – | 4-6 | 6-8 |
 |
Tobacco | – | 3-5 | 5-7 |
 |
Ore | – | 2-4 | 5-7 |
 |
Cloth | Cotton | 8-12 | 9-13 |
 |
Coats | Fur | 8-12 | 9-13 |
 |
Rum | Sugar | 8-12 | 9-13 |
 |
Cigars | Tobacco | 8-12 | 9-13 |
 |
Tools | Ore | 1-2 | 2-3 |
 |
Guns | Tools | 3-5 | 6-8 |
 |
Horses | – | 1-2 | 2-3 |
 |
Trade Goods | – | 1-2 | 2-3 |
In addition to goods that can be bought and sold at market, cities can also produce items that do not have a price value. These products are used in other game mechanics: Crosses for immigration, Liberty Bells for rebel sentiment, etc. There are 4 of these resources.
| Image | Name | Associated Buildings | Use |
 |
Crosses | Church, Cathedral | Increases the rate of immigration |
 |
Education | Schoolhouse, College, University | Allows colonists to learn an advanced profession |
 |
Hammers | Carpenter’s Shop, Lumber Mill | Increases the rate of building construction |
 |
Liberty Bells | Printing Press, Newspaper | Increases rebel sentiment |