Factorio Ratios Guide: Production, Power, Oil, Science & Space Age
Use these Factorio ratios as a fast planning reference for production blocks, belts, solar, steam power, oil cracking, science packs, and Space Age systems. Memorized ratios work well for simple builds; modules, beacons, quality, spoilage, and mixed machine tiers are where a calculator becomes the safer choice.
Last updated: April 24, 2026. Sources are listed at the end of this guide.
Factorio Ratio Cheat Sheet
These are the ratios most players can use immediately. Each assumes normal recipe behavior unless the note says otherwise.
| Area | Ratio or Rate | Use Case | Important Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solar Power | 25 solar panels : 21 accumulators | Stable Nauvis solar field planning | Equivalent to about 0.84 accumulators per solar panel. |
| Steam Power | 1 boiler : 2 steam engines | Early and mid-game power | Current 2.0 full pump setups differ from older guides. |
| Belts | 15 / 30 / 45 / 60 items per second | Yellow, red, blue, and Space Age turbo belts | Throughput limits can break otherwise correct machine ratios. |
| Electronic Circuits | 3 copper cable assemblers : 2 circuit assemblers | Basic circuit production blocks | Assumes the same assembler tier and no module differences. |
| Advanced Oil to Petroleum | 20 refineries : 5 heavy cracking : 17 light cracking | Petroleum-focused oil production | Simplified close ratio: 8 : 2 : 7. |
| Classic Science Sync | 5 : 6 : 5 : 12 : 7 : 7 | Automation, logistic, military, chemical, production, utility | Assumes all assemblers are the same tier. |
How Factorio Ratios Work
Every production ratio starts with a recipe, a crafting time, a machine speed, and the amount produced per craft. A ratio is only exact while those assumptions stay the same.
machines needed = target output rate / (recipe output per craft * crafting speed / recipe time)For a quick hand calculation, choose a target output per second or per minute, compute one machine's effective output, then divide the target by that rate.
Production Ratios
The most useful production ratios are small blocks you repeat often: circuits, gears, science inputs, smelting lanes, and module builds. They are reliable when every machine in the block uses the same assembler tier and no module or beacon differences.
Electronic Circuits
Use 3 copper cable assemblers for every 2 electronic circuit assemblers when both recipes run in the same assembler tier. This is one of the most common early-game ratio blocks.
If copper cable is made in a faster machine, or circuit assemblers use productivity modules, recalculate the block.
Belts as a Reality Check
A correct machine ratio can still fail if the belt cannot carry the output. A yellow belt carries 15 items/s, red carries 30 items/s, blue carries 45 items/s, and Space Age turbo belts carry 60 items/s.
For example, a block outputting 50 items/s needs more than one blue belt or a different logistics plan.
Use Calculator for Modules
Once productivity modules or beacons enter the design, simple ratios become less useful. Machine count, ingredient demand, belt demand, and power draw all shift together.
Open the Factorio calculator for module-heavy or beaconed production lines.
Power Ratios: Solar and Steam
Solar Panel to Accumulator Ratio
On Nauvis, the practical solar power rule is 25 solar panels to 21 accumulators. This is the safer way to write the ratio because it avoids the common reversed wording mistake.
- One normal solar panel averages about 42 kW over a full Nauvis day/night cycle.
- Plan about 23.8 solar panels per 1 MW of continuous factory load.
- Plan about 20.2 accumulators per 1 MW for night coverage.
Steam Engine Ratio
The core steam ratio is still 1 boiler to 2 steam engines. Current Factorio 2.0 / Space Age data changes the full offshore-pump scaling compared with older 1:20:40 references.
- One boiler outputs enough steam for two steam engines.
- Current official data lists a full optimal setup as 1 offshore pump : 200 boilers : 400 steam engines.
- Older guides using 1 offshore pump : 20 boilers : 40 steam engines describe older game data.
Oil Processing Ratios
Oil ratios are goal-specific. A petroleum-focused plastic or sulfur build is different from a rocket-fuel build that intentionally preserves light oil, or a lubricant build that preserves heavy oil.
| Oil Setup | Ratio | Best For | Practical Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Advanced oil to petroleum | 20 advanced oil : 5 heavy cracking : 17 light cracking | Petroleum gas, plastic, sulfur | Use 8 : 2 : 7 as a close simpler build ratio. |
| Coal liquefaction to petroleum | 60 liquefaction : 39 heavy cracking : 55 light cracking | Coal-rich maps and late-game oil backup | Use 12 : 8 : 11 as a close simpler ratio. |
The common oil failure mode is backing up one fluid and stalling the entire system. Use pumps, circuit-controlled cracking, or a calculator output when you need to preserve heavy oil or light oil for another recipe.
Science Pack Ratios
For the classic pre-Space-Age science set, the synchronized assembler ratio is:
This assumes all listed science packs use the same assembling machine tier. With assembling machine 3, the official wiki example aligns this setup around 75 items per minute.
Space Age: When Ratios Stop Being Static
Space Age adds more cases where a fixed ratio table is only a starting point. Planet-specific recipes, quality probabilities, spoilage, and space platform logistics all change what "balanced" means.
Quality
Quality modules add a chance for higher-quality outputs and reduce speed. Exact output rates become probability-based instead of a single fixed item rate.
Planets
Vulcanus, Fulgora, Gleba, and Aquilo each change recipes, machines, logistics, and power assumptions.
Spoilage
Gleba production can spoil, so freshness and timing are part of the practical ratio.
Space Platforms
Interplanetary logistics introduces travel time, platform production, cargo capacity, and launch cadence.
Planning a module-heavy or Space Age factory?
Use the live calculator for planet settings, module effects, quality, and full recipe chains.
Factorio Ratios FAQ
What are the most important Factorio ratios?
The most useful ratios to memorize are 25 solar panels to 21 accumulators, 1 boiler to 2 steam engines, belt throughput of 15/30/45/60 items per second, 3 copper cable assemblers to 2 electronic circuit assemblers, and the classic science ratio 5:6:5:12:7:7.
What is the best solar panel ratio?
On Nauvis, use 25 solar panels to 21 accumulators, or about 0.84 accumulators per solar panel. Space Age planet modifiers change how attractive solar power is on each planet.
What is the current steam engine ratio?
Use 1 boiler to 2 steam engines. For full offshore pump scaling, current Factorio 2.0 data differs from many older guides, so check version-specific data before copying legacy 1:20:40 builds.
Do modules change ratios?
Yes. Productivity modules, speed modules, beacons, and quality modules all change the effective production math. Fixed ratios are best for simple unmoduled builds.
Sources and Further Reading
These references were used to verify the ratio notes and version-specific details in this guide.