Production Ratios — Factorio Ratio Reference

Production Ratios

The Production Ratios section is your reference guide for Factorio's math. Every recipe has a precise input/output ratio. Understanding these ratios lets you build factories that run at exactly the throughput you need — no overproduction, no starvation.

Why Ratios Matter

Factorio's production chain is a system of ratios. If assemblers run faster than their upstream suppliers, they starve. If they run slower, you waste potential.

For example: 1 Green Circuit requires 3 Iron Plates + 2 Copper Cable (made from 1 Copper Plate). If your iron supply is 60 items/min but your copper output is only enough for 30 items/min, green circuit production caps at copper throughput.

Knowing ratios lets you balance your factory on paper before you build it.

Core Smelting Ratios

Furnace Ratio

Stone furnace vs. steel furnace, ore to plate conversion rate:

• 1 Stone Furnace smelts ore at 0.3125 plates/second
• 1 Steel Furnace smelts ore at 0.5 plates/second (60% faster)
• 1 Electric Furnace smelts ore at 0.5 plates/second (same speed, no fuel needed)

Steel Ratio

• 1 Steel Plate requires 5 Iron Plates
• Ratio: For every 1 steel plate/second, you need 5 iron plates/second dedicated to steel.

Circuit Ratios

Copper Cable Ratio

• 1 Copper Plate makes 2 Copper Cable
• 1 Electronic Circuit requires 2 Copper Cable
• Net: 1 copper plate feeds 1 green circuit assembler

Green Circuit Ratio

• 1 Electronic Circuit = 3 Iron Plates + 2 Copper Cable
• The 2 copper cables come from 1 copper plate
• Standard ratio: 3 green circuit assemblers need ~1.5 belts of iron and ~1 belt of copper supply

Red Circuit Ratio (Advanced Circuit)

• 1 Advanced Circuit = 2 Electronic Circuits + 2 Copper Cable + 1 Plastic Bar
• Supply chain: 3 red circuit assemblers consume roughly 1 full belt of green circuits

Blue Circuit Ratio (Processing Unit)

• 1 Processing Unit = 2 Advanced Circuits + 20 Electronic Circuits
• Total raw: 1 blue circuit needs ~40 iron plates + ~30 copper plates worth of intermediates
• Very high demand — always build dedicated blue circuit sub-factories

Science Pack Ratios

Red Science Ratio

• 1 Iron Gear + 1 Copper Plate → 1 Red Science Pack
• 5 assemblers = ~1 red science per second

Green Science Ratio

• 1 Inserter + 1 Transport Belt → 1 Green Science Pack
• 1 inserter assembler feeds ~12 science assemblers; 1 belt assembler feeds ~24

Blue Science Ratio

• 1 Advanced Circuit + 1 Engine Unit → 1 Blue Science Pack
• Bottleneck: Engine unit production (needs steel + pipes + gears)

Module & Beacon Ratios

Speed Module Effect

Speed modules increase assembler speed multiplicatively:

• Speed Module 1: +20% speed per module
• With 8 speed beacons (Speed 3): assembler runs at ~700% base speed

Productivity Module Effect

Productivity modules reduce total raw material cost:

• Productivity Module 3: +10% productivity per module
• Critical for: Rocket parts, blue circuits, science packs with high intermediate costs

Beacon Density (2.0 update)

In Factorio 2.0, the maximum beacons affecting a single machine is reduced compared to 1.1. Plan for 6-8 beacons per machine for late-game layouts, not the old 12-beacon standard.

Quick Reference Table

Related Sections

• Getting Started — Use these ratios in context
• Base Design — Layout your factory around these ratios