How it works
Plan a practical ore-to-plate smelting district with capacity, fuel and scale in mind. Each stage in the walkthrough below has a distinct practical objective; complete the current supply or control loop before expanding it.
Practical advice
List the destinations for iron and copper: gears, circuits, steel and science. Prioritize keeping current consumption stable over forecasting arbitrary future megabase demand.
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.
Smelting and furnace factory design: complete walkthrough
Identify consumption
List the destinations for iron and copper: gears, circuits, steel and science. Prioritize keeping current consumption stable over forecasting arbitrary future megabase demand.
Select the furnace tier
Start with stone furnaces, then evaluate steel or electric furnaces based on technology and power. Each option changes footprint, fuel or electricity requirements; ratios depend on the chosen machines.
Lay out inputs and outputs
Provide incoming ore on belts, fuel if needed, and a clear outgoing plate belt. Keep inserter directions obvious and avoid crossing power poles through essential future expansion space.
Test the limiting throughput
Check full-belt output, inserter transfer and ore supply while assemblers actually consume plates. If the output belt is saturated, faster furnaces may not raise delivered materials.
Expand in modules
Copy one proven furnace block at a time. Recalculate when adding modules, productivity, beacons or Space Age foundries; old vanilla ratios may not apply.