Factory Guide
Everything you need to know about building your factory
Getting Started
First Steps
Open the Build tool B select Generator, and place it. It auto-assigns the coal-burning recipe.
Add a Coal Miner (to fuel your Generator) and Iron/Copper Miners for resources. Set recipes via the sidebar after placing.
Use the Belt tool V to connect Miner outputs to machine inputs. Items flow in the arrow direction.
Click a machine with the Select tool S to open its sidebar. Choose what it produces.
Place Depots in Collect mode at the end of production lines to gather items into your inventory.
Once you have research packs, build Labs and set a research target to unlock upgrades.
Machines
There are 6 machine types, each with a specific role in your factory. All machines occupy 1 tile.
Extracts raw ores from the ground. Needs no input — just set a recipe and it produces resources from nothing. Connect its output to belts to move ores along.
Refines raw ores into usable plates. Takes one input and produces one output. Requires power to operate.
Combines ingredients into intermediate products and research packs. Takes up to 2 inputs. Requires power.
Consumes research packs to complete upgrades. Set a research target, then feed the required pack types via belts.
Burns coal to produce power for your factory. Auto-assigns the "Burn Coal" recipe. Each generator produces 20 MW.
Transfers items between belts and your inventory. In Collect mode, pulls items off belts into inventory. In Supply mode, pushes items from inventory onto belts.
Items & Resources
Your factory processes 17 different items across 5 categories. Raw ores are mined, then refined and assembled into increasingly complex products — culminating in Stars, the main scoring items.
Raw Resources
Smelted Materials
Intermediates
Research Packs
The first research pack you can produce. Unlocks basic upgrades like miner and smelter speed. Made from Copper Plates and Iron Gears.
Mid-tier research pack. Unlocks assembler speed, belt throughput, and grid expansion. Requires Circuits and Stone Bricks.
Advanced research pack. Unlocks lab speed, generator efficiency, and power output. Requires Circuits and Iron Gears.
Stars
The entry-level star. Assembled from basic plates — a good first scoring goal.
Requires Bronze Stars and Circuits. A step up in factory complexity.
Requires Silver Stars and Iron Gears. Demands a well-oiled production line.
The ultimate prize. Requires Gold Stars and Blue Research Packs — only the most optimized factories can produce these.
Belts & Transport
Conveyor belts move items between machines. There are 4 belt types and 3 speed tiers.
Standard conveyor belt. Moves items in one direction.
90-degree turn. Press R to rotate through all 8 orientations (4 right turns + 4 left turns).
Splits one input into three outputs. 1 input belt + 3 output belts in a T-shape.
Merges three inputs into one output. 3 input belts + 1 output belt in a T-shape.
Belt Speed Tiers
| Tier | Speed | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Slow | 1 tile/s | Default tier |
| Normal | 2 tile/s | Double throughput |
| Fast | 4 tile/s | Maximum throughput |
Power System
Most machines need power to operate. Generators burn coal to produce electricity.
How Power Works
- Generators produce 20 MW each (affected by
power_outputupgrade: +15%/level) - Smelters, Assemblers, and Labs each consume 5 MW
- Miners, Generators, and Depots require 0 MW
- If power generation < consumption, powered machines show "No Power"
- One coal lasts 180 seconds in a Generator (affected by
generator_effupgrade)
Power Planning
| Machine | Power Draw | Per Generator (20 MW) |
|---|---|---|
| Smelter | 5 MW | 4 Smelters |
| Assembler | 5 MW | 4 Assemblers |
| Lab | 5 MW | 4 Labs |
| Miner | 0 MW | Unlimited |
| Depot | 0 MW | Unlimited |
Research & Upgrades
Labs consume research packs to unlock powerful upgrades. Set a research target, then feed the required packs to your Labs.
How Research Works
- Assemble research packs (Red, Green, Blue) using Assemblers
- Feed packs to Labs via belts
- Set a Research Target in the upgrade panel
- Labs consume 1 of each required pack per cycle (60s base, affected by
lab_speed) - Once enough cycles complete, the upgrade level increases
Upgrade Reference
| Upgrade | Category | Effect | Max Level | Research Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miner Speed | machine | +10% speed per level | 20 | 3/lvl |
| Smelter Speed | machine | +10% speed per level | 20 | 3/lvl |
| Assembler Speed | machine | +10% speed per level | 20 | 3/lvl |
| Lab Speed | machine | +10% speed per level | 15 | 5/lvl |
| Generator Efficiency | machine | +15% fuel efficiency per level | 10 | 5/lvl |
| Grid Expansion | factory | +1 tile per side per level | 25 | 5/lvl 5/lvl |
| Belt Throughput | factory | +25% belt speed per level | 10 | 5/lvl |
| Power Output | factory | +15% MW per generator per level | 10 | 5/lvl 5/lvl |
round(baseCost × level^1.6) — costs scale up significantly at higher levels.Stars & Scoring
Stars are the main scoring system in Factory Builder. Producing stars is the ultimate measure of your factory's success — collect them to climb the leaderboard and prove your optimization skills.
How Scoring Works
Stars are assembled in Assemblers like any other item, but they require expensive ingredients and long crafting times. Each tier builds on the previous — you need Bronze Stars to make Silver, Silver to make Gold, and Gold to make Prismatic. Collect Stars into your inventory via Depots to bank your score.
Star Tiers
Star Production Chain
- Stars are your factory's score — the more you collect, the higher you rank on the leaderboard
- Higher-tier stars are worth more, but take significantly longer to produce
- You need a well-established factory with research upgrades before tackling Gold and Prismatic stars
- Don't forget to place Depots in Collect mode at the end of your star production lines to bank them into your inventory
- Prismatic Stars require Blue Research Packs as an input — balance your research and star production carefully
Controls & Keybindings
Master these shortcuts to build faster.
Tool Modes
| Key | Tool | Description |
|---|---|---|
| S | Select tool | Click machines to inspect |
| B | Build tool | Place machines on the grid |
| V | Belt tool | Place conveyor belts |
| X | Demolish tool | Remove machines or belts |
| R | Rotate | Rotate placement direction |
| ESC | Back to Select | Cancel current tool |
Camera Controls
| Input | Action |
|---|---|
| Middle Mouse Drag | Pan camera |
| Right Mouse Drag | Orbit camera |
| Scroll Wheel | Zoom in/out |
Tips & Strategies
Early Game Strategy
Production Chain Examples
Common Mistakes
Generators need coal delivered via belt from a Miner with the "Mine Coal" recipe set.
Miners start idle. Click them and pick a recipe to begin production.
Machines stall at 100% when their output buffer (100 items) is full. Always connect outputs to belts and eventually to Depots.
Check the arrow on belts. Press R to rotate before placing.
Optimization Tips
- Use Splitters to fan one belt output to multiple machines
- Use Combiners to merge multiple miners into one processing line
- Upgrade belt speed to prevent belts from becoming bottlenecks
- Expand your grid early — grid_expand gives you more building space
- Balance miner-to-smelter ratios: one smelter takes 60s per plate vs. 30s per ore from a miner, so a 2:1 smelter-to-miner ratio keeps smelters fed