Popular Recipes & Core Production Chains

Introduction

Some recipes show up everywhere. They feed your most important components and unlock the fastest progress. This guide highlights the core chains worth automating early and explains how to scale them without wasting resources.

Note: Recipe names and ratios can change over time. Always confirm numbers in the calculator before building.

1) Core Materials First

Every factory needs a steady base of core materials. These are the inputs that feed almost everything else.

Why they matter

• They are used in multiple downstream chains
• Shortages here ripple across the entire factory
• They are the easiest lines to scale early

Automation tip

Build these lines with extra buffer space and straightforward logistics so you can double output later.

2) Components That Unlock Everything

Once your base materials are stable, components become your next bottleneck. Electronics, circuits, and processed materials often gate advanced buildings.

Strategy

• Identify 2-3 component chains you use most
• Build them close to their inputs
• Route outputs to a small buffer so demand spikes don't stall the line

3) Plastics and Advanced Materials

Plastics and other advanced materials tend to have multi-step chains and higher resource demand.

Scaling advice

• Expand in small increments (add one row of machines at a time)
• Make sure each upstream input can keep up
• Avoid overbuilding until demand is consistent

4) Byproduct-Heavy Recipes

Some chains produce useful byproducts. These can become powerful if you route them correctly, but dangerous if you ignore them.

Best practices

• Add a dedicated byproduct lane
• Reuse byproducts where possible
• Add a controlled sink for overflow

5) Blueprint and Special Outputs

Blueprint-style items or special outputs often have the longest chains. Save them for after your core materials and key components are stable.

Tip

If a chain is long, break it into modules. Treat each module as a standalone line with clear inputs and outputs.

Example: How to Decide What to Automate Next

1. Pick a target output you want to scale.
2. Trace its inputs back 2-3 layers.
3. Identify the first input that is consistently short.
4. Automate or expand that chain first.

Quick Checklist

• Core materials automated
• Top 2-3 components stable
• Byproducts routed or sunk
• Advanced materials scaled gradually

Conclusion

There is no single "best" recipe list. The right order depends on your goals, but most successful factories follow the same rule: stabilize core materials, then scale components, then tackle advanced chains.

Use the calculator to verify ratios and keep your scaling decisions grounded in real numbers.