When it comes to upgrading workbenches or crafting stations, as long as you have collected or built all of the needed resources at least once, you'll get the recipe in the building menu.

You don't need to hoard everything, just having had the required ingredients once in the inventory is enough for the game to tell you the exact composition.

And, adding to what xx mentioned, some crafting stations interact with each other as well. Still, the recipe will tell you when something like that happens.