The Core Concept
A transport belt carries 7.5 items/second (15 items/second for fast belt, 22.5 for express belt).
A stone furnace smelts 1 plate per 3.2 seconds = 0.3125 plates/second. An electric furnace smelts 1 plate per 1.6 seconds = 0.625 plates/second.
Iron and Copper Smelting
| Belt Type | Plates/sec | Stone Furnaces | Electric Furnaces |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic belt (half) | 3.75 | 12 | 6 |
| Basic belt (full) | 7.5 | 24 | 12 |
| Fast belt | 15 | 48 | 24 |
| Express belt | 22.5 | 72 | 36 |
Steel Smelting
Steel needs 5 iron plates and takes 17.5 seconds in a stone furnace.
| Setup | Steel plates/sec | Furnaces needed |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | 0.28 | 1 furnace = 1 steel at a time |
| Optimized | 1.0 | 6 electric furnaces + beacon setup |
Pro tip: Steel is slow. Don't try to make large amounts of steel with stone furnaces. Electric furnaces or steel furnaces are highly recommended.
Visual Layout
A proper smelting column (simplified description):
Iron ore belt arrow Furnace Furnace Furnace... arrow Plate output belt arrow Chest or next assembler
Design principle: Always leave space to upgrade from stone to steel to electric furnaces without rebuilding the entire column.
Beaconed Smelting (Megabase)
With speed module 3 in furnaces plus speed beacons:
| Setup | Plates/sec per furnace | Furnaces for 1 belt |
|---|---|---|
| Beaconed electric | ~2.5 | 3 furnaces per half-belt |
Next: Production Ratio Reference — all ratios in one table.