Dirty Business Counterfeiting Guide — July 2026 | Dirty Business Wiki

Counterfeiting is an Early Access-only production line in Dirty Business — it does not appear in the free demo. When unlocked, it lets you print fake three currency denominations, each with distinct paper stock, ink cycles, drying time, and buyer demand. Done well, counterfeiting offers strong margins with a different risk rhythm than weed or weapons. Done poorly, failed sheets and chemical trash spike heat fast.

Availability and Prerequisites

Counterfeiting requires full EA purchase and appropriate base rooms unlocked through base building and upgrades. You need printer hardware, drying racks, storage for finished bundles, and disposal for misprints and chemical waste.

Before starting, stabilize at least one other income line — usually weed — so counterfeiting setup does not bankrupt your operation. Read the beginner guide if you have not finished core tutorials.

Three Currency Denominations

Full EA counterfeiting supports three currencies (low, medium, and high denomination equivalents in the game economy). Each tier differs in:

• Print duration — Higher denominations take longer per sheet but pay more per bundle.
• Material cost — Specialty paper and ink scale with tier.
• Detection risk on failed quality — Bad batches create more evidence volume.
• Order board frequency — Some buyers prefer small bills for street routes; others want high-denom bundles for bulk contracts.

Compare expected profit per hour on the tier list before dedicating entire rooms to top-tier prints.

Production Workflow

Typical counterfeiting flows through:

1. Stock preparation — Load paper, ink, and security thread analogs per recipe.
2. Printing — Run batches on dedicated presses; do not mix denominations mid-queue without clearing setup time.
3. Drying — Wet sheets must finish drying or QC fails. Drying rack count is a common bottleneck.
4. Cutting and bundling — Convert sheets to sellable units matching order specs.
5. Storage and delivery — Move bundles to secure storage, then outbound via distribution channels.

Failed prints go straight to disposal — never let misprints sit in open bins. Pair this line with evidence disposal upgrades early.

Base Layout Tips

Counterfeiting loves dry, isolated rooms away from grow humidity. Place presses near drying racks and cutting tables to minimize worker travel. Power draw adds up when multiple presses run; upgrade generators via base upgrades before parallel printing.

Finished bundles compete for secure storage with weapons and packaged LSD. Plan shelf space or accept fewer concurrent orders.

Orders and Laundering Logic

Buyers treat counterfeit bundles like any product — quantity, tier, and timing matter. Counterfeiting orders often pair well with street dealers and front companies that launder face-value into spendable empire cash. Read base distribution for how channels convert product to balance sheet growth.

Avoid accepting more print volume than drying racks can finish before deadline. Late delivery penalties erase the margin advantage counterfeiting usually holds over weed.

Risk Compared to Other Lines

Counterfeiting generates paper and chemical evidence rather than metal scrap or plant waste. Volume spikes during failed QC or canceled batches. Heat feels spiky if you print max tier without disposal headroom.

Relative to LSD production, counterfeiting is less lab-intensive but more storage-heavy. Many players run counterfeiting mid-game while reserving lab space for later LSD expansion.

Workers and Scheduling

Assign dedicated printers and haulers during peak batches. Workers who wander between weed and presses waste setup timers. See hire workers for role assignment tips.

In co-op, one player can own the entire counterfeiting floor while others handle elevator delivery — outlined in co-op.

Integration with Tools and Updates

Community tools may add margin calculators as formulas get verified. Counterfeiting balance is patch-sensitive — check updates when print times or payouts shift.

Recommended Path Into Counterfeiting

1. Master weed and disposal in demo or early EA
2. Add weapons for high-value order experience
3. Unlock counterfeiting rooms and run low denomination until drying is stable
4. Add higher denominations per tier list rankings
5. Link outbound flow to street dealers or cartel routes when ready

Counterfeiting rewards patience and drying discipline more than raw click speed. Treat it as a mid-game stabilizer and scale only when your base can absorb the storage and evidence load. Confirm controls for press interactions, and gate full EA unlocks against walkthrough progression if story flags apply.