How it works
Improve equipment tiers with quality modules without accidentally destroying useful products. Each stage in the walkthrough below has a distinct practical objective; complete the current supply or control loop before expanding it.
Practical advice
Space Age quality has Normal, Uncommon, Rare, Epic and Legendary. Higher quality affects eligible item properties and changes inventory organization.
Mistakes to avoid
Never assume an unrelated blueprint or another version of Factorio has identical recipes, technology unlocks or machine ratios. Use the checkpoints in this guide to diagnose your own save.
Quality and recycler optimization: complete walkthrough
Understand the five tiers
Space Age quality has Normal, Uncommon, Rare, Epic and Legendary. Higher quality affects eligible item properties and changes inventory organization.
Start with one component
Select a suitable production chain and add relevant quality modules. Track actual outcomes instead of expecting a fixed guarantee from a small sample.
Separate variants
Store or route quality tiers intentionally; recipes and construction may require compatible variants for the next step.
Design recycling loops
Use a recycler where the recipe and item permit it, and model what you lose as well as what you recover.
Measure the tradeoff
Judge quality production against resource consumption, electricity and factory complexity. Not every item deserves an expensive legendary loop.