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Factorio Production Calculator

Know exactly how many assemblers, furnaces, and chemical plants you need for any Factorio recipe. Covers the base game and Space Age, with modules, beacons, and belt throughput — every ratio worked out for you.

Game version

Machines
Modules
Beacons
Belts & power
Research

%

Quality (Beta)
Production plan
Space Age

Total machines

7

Target step

1

Total power

1.20 MW

Belts
0.14
Top raw input
1.50/s
copper-ore
Total crafts/s
8.13
Pollution
—
Coming soon
Ratio cheat sheet for Electronic circuit
1× Electronic circuit  :  1× Copper cable  :  3× Copper plate  :  2× Iron plate
RecipeMachineFractionalBuiltUtil.Crafts/sPower

Electronic circuit

1.00/s

Assembling machine 3

0.40140%2.50375 kW

Copper cable

3.00/s

Assembling machine 3

0.60160%2.50375 kW

Copper plate

1.50/s

Steel furnace

2.40380%0.63270 kW

Iron plate

1.00/s

Steel furnace

1.60280%0.63180 kW
Recipe chain

Electronic circuit

1.00/s · 1× Assembling machine 3
L0

Copper cable

3.00/s · 1× Assembling machine 3
L1

Copper plate

1.50/s · 3× Steel furnace
L2

Iron plate

1.00/s · 2× Steel furnace
L1
Data: Factorio 2.0.76 — © Wube Software Ltd.

Factorio production calculator. Assemblers, modules, beacons, belts, and power for any recipe.

A Factorio production calculator tells you exactly how many assemblers, furnaces, and chemical plants you need to make any recipe at your target rate. Covers the base game and Space Age, with modules, beacons, and belt throughput.

What is a Factorio production calculator?

A Factorio production calculator is a web tool that, given a target item and a desired output rate (items per second, per minute, or per hour), returns the exact number of machines, modules, beacons, belts, and megawatts of power required across the full recipe chain. It does the arithmetic players normally do by hand with the wiki: recipe time divided by machine speed, crafts per second, raw-ore feed rate, and how many yellow, red, blue, or turbo belts can carry the result.
This calculator ships the full Factorio 2.0 base-game recipe set and Space Age DLC support, including the Foundry (+50% built-in productivity), the Electromagnetic Plant (+50% productivity, 5 module slots), the Recycler with its hard -75% productivity penalty on Fulgora, and the Biochamber on Gleba. It uses the post-FFF #409 beacon diminishing-returns formula (effective transmission = 1.5×√n) and applies the -2.5% quality-module speed penalty exactly once per module — a calculation that has shipped wrong in at least one large competitor (FactorioLab issue #1718 documented a result more than ten times off the expected value). Every output is paired with a "show the math" panel that prints recipe time, machine speed, speed modifier, beacon contribution, productivity modifier, and the final division — so you can audit any number. The tool is, free, requires no account, and runs entirely in your browser.

How to use the Factorio calculator (and do the math yourself)

Using the calculator is three inputs on the default screen. Doing it by hand takes five steps — both are below.
Using the tool
1. Pick the target item from the autocomplete (defaults to Electronic Circuit).
2. Enter a target rate (defaults to 60 per minute) and optionally switch the unit to per second or per hour.
3. Read the hero result: total machines, primary-step assemblers with utilization, and total power draw. Expand "Advanced" to override machine tier, slot modules, add beacons, change belt tier, set mining productivity, or enable the Beta quality output.
By hand
1. Convert the target rate to items per second. 60 per minute = 1 per second.
2. Look up the recipe: recipe time $tr$, output per craft $o$.
3. Effective crafting speed: $seff = sbase \cdot (1 + smod + 1.5\sqrt{n} \cdot mb)$, where $sbase$ is the machine's base speed, $smod$ is the sum of in-machine speed modules, $n$ is the beacon count, and $mb$ is each beacon module's bonus.
4. Items per second per machine = $(seff / tr) \cdot o \cdot (1 + p)$, where $p$ is productivity.
5. Divide target by per-machine rate to get fractional machines. Round up. Utilization = fractional ÷ integer.
This is the same arithmetic every competent calculator performs. The difference is most hide it; ours prints every multiplier so you can verify and learn.

Machines required — the full formula

m=rtargeto⋅(1+p)⋅sbase⋅(1+smod+1.5n⋅mb)trm = \dfrac{r_{\text{target}}}{o \cdot (1 + p) \cdot \dfrac{s_{\text{base}} \cdot (1 + s_{\text{mod}} + 1.5\sqrt{n} \cdot m_{b})}{t_{r}}}
  • mm = Fractional machine count (round up for the integer build).
  • rtargetr_{\text{target}} = Target output rate in items per second.
  • oo = Recipe output per craft (1 for green circuits, 2 for copper cable).
  • pp = Productivity bonus (machine built-in + modules + research).
  • sbases_{\text{base}} = Base crafting speed (AM3 = 1.25, Foundry = 4.0, EM Plant = 2.0).
  • smods_{\text{mod}} = Sum of in-machine speed-module bonuses (T3 speed = +0.5 each).
  • nn = Beacons affecting this machine.
  • mbm_{b} = Speed bonus of each module slotted in a beacon.
  • trt_{r} = Recipe time in seconds as shown in the recipe card.
This is the formula Wube published after Friday Facts #409, when beacon diminishing returns replaced the old flat +50%-per-beacon rule. One beacon transmits 1.5× its module's bonus, 2 beacons transmit 2.12× (total), 8 transmit 4.24×, 12 transmit 5.20×. You do not get 12 × +50% = +600% speed from twelve T3-loaded beacons; you get +260%. Productivity modules cut speed by 15% each (T3) and are banned from beacons; quality modules are also banned; speed modules carry a -2.5% quality penalty each.

Worked examples with the full math

60 iron plates per minute on a steel furnace

Target: 1 iron plate/sec. Recipe time 3.2 s, output 1, steel furnace speed 2.0, no modules. Crafts/sec = 2.0 / 3.2 = 0.625. Machines = 1.0 / 0.625 = 1.6 → 2 steel furnaces (80% utilization).

60 green circuits per minute on Assembling Machine 3

Target: 1 electronic circuit/sec. Recipe time 0.5 s, AM3 speed 1.25, no modules. Crafts/sec = 1.25 / 0.5 = 2.5. Machines = 1.0 / 2.5 = 0.4 → 1 AM3 (40% utilization). For a mall this is fine; for throughput aim at 6-8/sec so the machine runs above 80%.

60 red science per minute with 4× Prod 3

Target: 1 automation science/sec. Recipe time 5 s, AM3 speed 1.25, 4× T3 prod = +40% productivity, -60% speed. Effective speed = 1.25 × 0.4 = 0.5. Items/sec/machine = (0.5 / 5) × 1.4 = 0.14. Machines = 1.0 / 0.14 = 7.14 → 8 AM3s (89.3% utilization). Raw savings: ~29% fewer gears and cables consumed.

Foundry casting steel on Vulcanus

Target: 30 steel plate/sec. Recipe "Casting steel", recipe time 3.2 s, Foundry speed 4.0 with built-in +50% productivity, 4× Prod 3 = +40% prod, -60% speed. Effective speed = 4.0 × 0.4 = 1.6. Items/sec = (1.6 / 3.2) × (1 + 0.5 + 0.4) = 0.95. Machines = 30 / 0.95 = 32 Foundries (98.7% utilization). Power ≈ 32 × 2500 kW × 1.8 = 144 MW.

12 beacons around one AM3 with T3 speed modules

Base AM3 speed 1.25. Twelve beacons, 2× T3 speed each (+0.5 per module = +1.0 per beacon). Per-beacon transmission = 1.5/√12 ≈ 0.433. Total from 12 beacons = 12 × 0.433 = +5.196 (not +12.0 — diminishing returns from FFF #409). Effective speed = 1.25 × 6.196 = 7.745. Green-circuit output jumps from 0.21/sec to 15.49/sec per AM3.

Fulgora recycling: holmium ore from scrap

Scrap recycling returns ~25% of each listed output; holmium ore drops at 1% chance per scrap craft. Recycler speed 0.5, recipe time 0.2 s, productivity locked at -75%. Expected holmium-ore/sec per recycler = (0.5/0.2) × 0.25 × 0.01 = 0.00625/sec. For 1 holmium plate/sec you need smelting plus ~160 recyclers running flat out — which is why Fulgora bases are huge. Some competitors explicitly disable Fulgora recycling; this calculator does not.

Rocket fuel from solid fuel on Nauvis

Target: 1 rocket fuel/sec. Recipe time 30 s, chemical plant speed 1.0, no modules. Crafts/sec = 1/30 = 0.0333. Machines = 1.0 / 0.0333 = 30 chemical plants (100% utilization). Ingredients: 10 solid fuel/sec and 10 light oil/sec — implying a whole solid-fuel sub-factory upstream.

Ratio tips every Factorio player should know

  • Recipe time is not real time. A 6-second recipe on an AM3 (speed 1.25) really takes 6 ÷ 1.25 = 4.8 real seconds per craft. The recipe card shows the base; divide by crafting speed for the stopwatch time. This is the #1 confusion for new players.
  • Productivity modules are not allowed on every recipe. Barreling, fuel reprocessing, satellites, the Kovarex catalyst portion, and several Space Age rocket-part recipes refuse productivity. Our calculator grays the slot out automatically.
  • Beacons no longer give a flat +50% speed. Since FFF #409 (Space Age 2.0), the formula is 1.5×√n. One beacon = 1.5×, four = 3.0×, eight = 4.24×, twelve = 5.20×. Doubling from 4 to 8 beacons gives 41% more effect, not 100%.
  • Round up, never round down. A fractional 4.2 assemblers means you build 5. Four assemblers at 105% capacity is impossible — assemblers cap at 100% utilization, so four machines will starve your belt.
  • Under 60% utilization means you are over-building. If the result is 1.3 electric furnaces (43% utilization on an integer build of 2), drop to steel furnaces — two steel furnaces would clock near 80% and cost less power.
  • The Foundry and Electromagnetic Plant have +50% built-in productivity, stacking with productivity modules. On Vulcanus, casting steel on a Foundry with 4× Prod 3 gives an effective +90% productivity.
  • Speed modules in beacons carry a -2.5% quality penalty each. Twelve beacons × 2 modules × -2.5% = -60% quality. Combine with quality modules in the main machine and one competitor's math was documented as more than ten times off.
  • When a number looks wrong, expand "show the math" and audit the multipliers. If they still look wrong, you have found a bug — report it and we will fix it.

Factorio calculator — frequently asked questions

Is this Factorio calculator free?

Yes — free, no account, no login. Everything runs in your browser; no data leaves your device.

Does it support the Space Age DLC?

Yes. The game-mode toggle switches between Factorio 2.0 (base) and Space Age, which enables the Foundry, Electromagnetic Plant, Biochamber, Recycler, quality modules, turbo belts, and the Fulgora, Vulcanus, and Gleba recipe sets. Aquilo cryogenic recipes and space-platform asteroid processing are tagged "coming in Phase 2".

How many Assembling Machine 3s do I need for 60 red circuits per minute?

60 advanced circuits per minute = 1 per second. The recipe takes 6 seconds and outputs 1. One AM3 (speed 1.25) produces 1.25 / 6 = 0.208/sec. You need 1.0 / 0.208 = 4.80 → 5 AM3s at 96% utilization.

Why does the calculator say 14.29 machines and not 15?

14.29 is the exact fractional answer — the number that would produce the target rate at 100% utilization. You round up to 15 because you cannot build 0.29 of an assembler. The fraction is shown because it tells you how saturated your build is (14.29 / 15 = 95.3% utilization).

Do beacons still give +50% speed each in Space Age?

No. Since Friday Facts #409 (October 2024), the beacon formula is 1.5 × √n per machine. One beacon transmits 150% of its module's bonus; two transmit 212%; four 300%; eight 424%; twelve 520%. Calculators still using the pre-2.0 flat rule will overstate throughput badly at high beacon counts.

Can I use a Space Age Foundry in the base game?

No. The Foundry, Electromagnetic Plant, Biochamber, Recycler, and Cryogenic Plant are Space Age DLC content, only selectable with the game mode set to Space Age.

How do I calculate module effects?

Add each module's bonus to the appropriate multiplier. 4× T3 speed = +200% speed, +280% power consumption, -10% quality. Productivity stacks with base speed multiplicatively against recipe time and multiplies output per craft. The "show the math" panel prints every modifier used.

Why does my result change when I switch belt tier?

The machine count stays the same, but the belt count changes. Yellow belts carry 15 items/sec, red 30, blue 45, turbo 60. For 50 items/sec, yellow needs 4 belts; blue needs 2. Pick the belt you will actually build.

Does it handle Fulgora recycling correctly?

Yes. The Recycler's 25% return rate, 0.5 crafting speed, hard -75% productivity cap, and quality-module compatibility are modeled. We use expected-value rates to account for the game's floor(0.25 × count + random) rounding. Some established Factorio calculators explicitly disable Fulgora recycling; ours does not.

How accurate is this calculator?

Recipe data is extracted from the public Wube repository github.com/wube/factorio-data at the latest stable-release tag (Factorio 2.0.76). Formulas follow the official wiki, FFF #375 (quality), and FFF #409 (beacons). Unit tests cover the FactorioLab issue #1718 scenario: EM plant + 4 beacons with T3 quality speed modules must return -94% quality, not -9.2%.

Can I share my calculation with a teammate?

Yes. Every input is encoded in the URL, so "Copy link" produces a permalink that reproduces the exact scenario. Unlike calculators whose URL state is explicitly unstable, ours uses a versioned schema so older links continue to resolve after updates.

What recipes does productivity work on in Space Age?

Most intermediate and end-product recipes. The exceptions: barreling/unbarreling, fuel reprocessing, satellite assembly, the Kovarex catalyst portion, space-platform and asteroid recipes, and several Space Age rocket-part intermediates. The calculator disables the productivity slot when the selected recipe refuses it.

Does this work on my phone?

Yes. The calculator is: inputs stack on top, the result card scales to screen width, and the step table becomes a collapsible accordion on narrow screens. Most Factorio calculators are desktop-only; this one is not.

Glossary of Factorio production terms

Recipe time

Base time in seconds a recipe takes at crafting speed 1.0, as shown on the in-game recipe card. Real time = recipe time ÷ effective crafting speed.

Crafting speed

A machine's multiplier on recipe time. AM1 = 0.5, AM2 = 0.75, AM3 = 1.25, Foundry = 4.0, EM Plant = 2.0, Electric Furnace = 2.0, Recycler = 0.5.

Productivity

Bonus that multiplies output per craft without extra ingredients. Prod 3 = +10%; Foundry, EM Plant, and Biochamber have +50% built-in. Forbidden on barreling, satellites, fuel reprocessing, and some Space Age recipes.

Module slots

Modules a machine can hold. AM3 = 4, Electric Furnace = 2, Foundry = 4, EM Plant = 5, Cryogenic Plant = 8, Recycler = 4 (no productivity allowed).

Beacon

Space Age-reworked transmitter that broadcasts module effects to nearby machines with diminishing returns: transmission = 1.5 × √n per FFF #409. Accepts only speed and efficiency modules.

Beacon transmission efficiency

Per-beacon multiplier on module effects. Normal = 1.5, uncommon 1.7, rare 1.9, epic 2.1, legendary 2.5. Divided by √n when n beacons share one machine.

Quality tier

Space Age 5-tier system: Normal, Uncommon (+30%), Rare (+60%), Epic (+90%), Legendary (+150%). Promotion chain per roll = 0.9p / 0.09p / 0.009p / 0.001p (source: FFF #375).

Utilization

Fractional machine count ÷ integer machine count. 14.29 / 15 = 95.3% means the machine runs 95.3% of the time. Below 60% usually means drop one machine tier.

Recycler

Space Age Fulgora machine, speed 0.5, 4 module slots, hard -75% productivity penalty. Returns ~25% of listed outputs per craft. Accepts quality modules for upcycling; productivity is banned.

Fulgora scrap recycling

Fulgora's resource loop: scrap feeds recyclers that produce a random mix of iron, copper, plastic, battery, holmium ore, solid fuel, concrete, and LDS.

Gleba (Phase 2 coming)

Space Age planet with spoilage mechanics. Phase 1 ships biochamber recipes without spoilage-time simulation; full freshness decay is on the Phase 2 roadmap.

Aquilo (Phase 2 coming)

Cold Space Age planet with cryogenic-plant-exclusive recipes. Phase 1 disables Aquilo; Phase 2 adds full support.

FFF #375

Factorio Friday Facts post introducing Quality. Source of the 0.9 / 0.09 / 0.009 / 0.001 promotion-chain probabilities and the +30/+60/+90/+150 quality stat multipliers.

FFF #409

Factorio Friday Facts post redesigning beacons for Space Age 2.0. Source of the 1.5 × √n diminishing-returns formula that replaced the pre-2.0 flat +50%-per-beacon rule.

מקורות והפניות

  1. wiki.factorio.com — Official Wube-run wiki; canonical reference for every item, recipe, and machine spec used by this calculator.
  2. wube/factorio-data on GitHub — Wube's open-source prototype definitions (recipes.lua, item.lua, entities). Primary upstream for every ratio the solver uses.
  3. Friday Facts #409 — Diminishing beacons. Defines the transmission = 1.5 × √n formula used for beacon effect scaling in Space Age.
  4. Friday Facts #375 — Quality. Defines the 90 / 9 / 0.9 / 0.1 % promotion cascade that governs how quality modules push items up the rarity ladder.
  5. lua-api.factorio.com — Official modding API documentation. Authoritative reference for machine crafting_speed, energy_usage, effect_receiver and prototype fields the solver reads.

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