Official Factorio Wiki - User contributions [en]

File:Alternate Solar Graph.png

2026-05-27T20:00:00Z

GregFirehawk: Added code

Alternate Graph showing solar power data
<pre>
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import numpy as np

x_day = np.linspace(0, 210, 210)
y_day = np.full_like(x_day, 60)

x_dusk = np.linspace(210, 294,84)
y_dusk = np.linspace(60, 0, 84)

x_night = np.linspace(294, 336, 42)
y_night = np.zeros_like(x_night)

x_dawn = np.linspace(336, 420, 84)
y_dawn = np.linspace(0, 60, 84)

x = np.concatenate([x_day, x_dusk, x_night, x_dawn])
y = np.concatenate([y_day, y_dusk, y_night, y_dawn])

accumulator = np.cumsum(y - 42) + 500
accumulator = np.clip(accumulator, 0, 5000)
accumulator = (accumulator / 5000) * 100

plt.plot(x, y, label="kW")
plt.plot (x, y - 42, label="Net kW @ 42kW")
plt.plot(x, accumulator, label="Accumulator %")
plt.legend()

plt.xticks(range(0, 425, 42))
plt.yticks(range(-50, 105, 10))
plt.grid()

negative_space = np.where(y-42 < 0)[0]
plt.plot(negative_space[0], 0, 'x')
plt.plot(negative_space[-1], 0, 'x')
plt.text(negative_space[0], 0, f"({negative_space[0]:.0f}, {0:.1f})")
plt.text(negative_space[-1], 0, f"({negative_space[-1]:.0f}, {0:.1f})")

plt.plot(np.argmax(accumulator), np.max(accumulator), 'o')
plt.text(np.argmax(accumulator), np.max(accumulator), f"({np.argmax(accumulator):.0f}, {np.max(accumulator):.1f})")
plt.plot(np.argmin(accumulator), np.min(accumulator), 'o')
plt.text(np.argmin(accumulator), np.min(accumulator), f"({np.argmin(accumulator):.0f}, {np.min(accumulator):.1f})")

print("Accumulators per Solar Panel: ", np.max((accumulator) - np.min(accumulator)) / 100)
#Check work
positive_trapezoid = ((420 - (negative_space[-1] - negative_space[0]) - 2) + 210) * 9 #Subtract 2 to avoid double ownership of indice.
negative_trapezoid = ((negative_space[-1] - negative_space[0]) + 42) * 21
print("Passed error check: ", negative_trapezoid == positive_trapezoid)

plt.show()
</pre>

Talk:Solar panel

2026-05-27T19:55:42Z

GregFirehawk: /* Ratios seem incorrect */

== Common ratios ==

I added the common rule-of-thumb 25 solar panels to 21 accumulators for 1 MW.
I guess on Vulcanus there are analogous ratios, for example 29/40 or 11/15 or 3/4 for 0.7257600. But I have not checked if the numbers are right
[[User:Qwr|Qwr]] ([[User talk:Qwr|talk]]) 05:26, 9 August 2025 (UTC)

== Ratios seem incorrect ==

Nauvis focused:

The solar panel effectively gives 70% of its throughput due to the day/night cycle. It linearly increases and decreases during dawn and dusk, and is at full 100% during the day. This all checks out with the 42kW average number. What doesn't check out is the ratio of ~0.85 accumulator per solar panel. Basic math says it should actually be 1.0584 accumulators per solar panel to maintain a continuous 42kW. Our goal is to buffer the excess 18kW produced during the day for use later. We effectively have 84 + 210 seconds of uptime at 60 kW, creating 17.64 MJ total. We want to buffer 30% of this, which is 5.292 MJ. Can someone explain to me what I'm missing here, because if our goal is to buffer over 5 MJ how can the ratio be less than 1 accumulator per panel? It seems the correct ratio would be 1:1.0584

I'm just trying to figure out if I'm crazy because seemingly a lot of people agree on the stated number here which doesn't pass a basic math check. I tried doing the calculation multiple different ways from different starting points and it always circled back to the same number

--[[User:GregFirehawk|GregFirehawk]] ([[User talk:GregFirehawk|talk]]) (Signature added after the fact)

@GregFirehawk I think you're getting a larger number because the solar panel production doesn't instantly drop to zero. I don't know how to justify it symbolically, but numerical integration (of <math>\int{solarPower(t)-42kW} dt</math>, with 4.2 second intervals) generates this graph. The peak is at ~4233 kJ, very close to the 25:21 ratio. 
[[File:Accumulator charge vs time.png]]

(Also, please remember to sign your additions, using <code><nowiki>--~~~~</nowiki></code> or the button after bold and italic.)

--[[User:Dalestan|Dalestan]] ([[User talk:Dalestan|talk]]) 14:24, 27 May 2026 (UTC)

I went and made my own graph and it makes sense now. Basically I only did a partial conversion from kW to net kW. I handled the integration based on the kW graph, but if you do the integration from the net kW graph it lines up. Should really convert things BEFORE integrating. Having everything in terms of gross instead of net kW is a little unintuitive so here

[[File:Alternate Solar Graph.png]]

I also rederived the ratio while I was doing this and got 0.8492530120481928 accumulators / panel, which is slightly different than whats currently listed. Anyway this cleared it up for me, hopefully the additional line on the graph makes it a little more intuitive/obvious for the next person. Thank you @Dalestan for replying, even though your explanation wasn't the best it did point me in the correct direction and that is plenty :)

-- [[User:GregFirehawk|GregFirehawk]] ([[User talk:GregFirehawk|talk]]) 19:55, 27 May 2026 (UTC)

File:Alternate Solar Graph.png

2026-05-27T19:28:03Z

GregFirehawk:

Alternate Graph showing solar power data

Burner inserter

2026-05-27T09:35:35Z

GregFirehawk: Adding a note regarding burners on fulgora

{{Languages}}
{{:Infobox:Burner inserter}}

The '''burner inserter''' is the most basic and slowest type of [[inserters]]. It is powered by burning [[fuel]], compared to the more advanced inserters which are powered by [[electric system|electricity]]. It will add fuel to its own supply if it picks any up, which makes it useful for filling [[boiler|boilers]] with [[coal]]. This has the advantage that it will continue working even if the power fails, as opposed to electrically-powered inserters which will be unable to function. It consumes no fuel while idle, though it consumes vastly more energy than most other inserters when active.

Even though it doesn't use electricity, a burner inserter can be connected to and controlled by the [[logistic network|logistic]] and the [[circuit network]].

Burner inserters, like all inserters, do not directly produce any [[pollution]] in their operation. However, burner inserters can still indirectly contribute to pollution by consuming fuel, which costs pollution to gather.

== Fuel consumption ==

A burner inserter consumes no power while idle and does not continuously consume the maximum amount of power when working. Burner Inserters spawn with an internal energy buffer of 500 kJ, represented as 25% the value of a piece of wood fuel (which is 2MJ). Aside from not having drain, all its other power characteristics are identical to the rest of the inserters. It simply pulls its joules from its fuel rather than your power grid. For more detailed information on inserter power characteristics, see the page [[Inserters]].

Burners also have a behavior known as "leeching" where they will pull fuel from their input and commandeer it for their own use. This leeching behavior is not exactly quantified, but it is triggered whenever the internal fuel inventory reaches zero, and performing the action also consumes fuel since motion is never free.

Continuous Runtime:
Referencing the main Inserters page, we see a burner consumes 66.9 kJ per item transfer. That means it can spin just below ~30 times from a single piece of wood (2 MJ). That makes ~60 for coal, and ~179 for solid fuel.

With a maximum speed of ~0.79 per second, or inversely ~1.27 seconds per spin, it can run full speed for ~141 seconds before needing refueling using solid fuel.

This calculation shows burners are viable with recyclers, which output a solid fuel every ~6 seconds.

== History ==
{{history|2.0.7|
* All inserters now have filter option.
* Energy consumption increased from 94.2 kW to 144 kW.
* Burner inserters now reliably pick up items off of [[fast transport belt]]s and [[express transport belt]]s.}}

{{history|0.13.2|
* Inserters connected to the circuit network now have the option to only read hand contents.}}

{{history|0.13.0|
* Inserters can now send the item held in hand to the circuit network.
* Inserters are able to squeeze things ''slightly'' better to belts.
* All types of inserters can be controlled by the circuit and logistic network, once the respective network is researched.
}}

{{history|0.12.16|
* Improved burner inserter's fuel searching logic; it will now search both transport belt lines for fuel}}

{{history|0.12.11|
* Burner inserter now grabs fuel for itself even if the target doesn't need it}}

{{history|0.12.2|
* Inserters will never take more than the max stack size of an item.
* Inserters and logistic robots no longer extract from enemy chests
* Inserters now correctly pick up items from splitters
}}

{{history|0.12.1|
* Burner inserters start with enough energy to pick up 1 item and fuel themselves.}}

{{history|0.12.0|
* Inserters can now extract from roboports and beacons.
* Inserters now take items from right behind them, not from the center of the pickup target entity.}}

{{history|0.10.0|
* New icon
* New sounds}}

{{history|0.9.2|
* Inserters can have arbitrary pickup and insert positions.}}

{{history|0.9.0|
* Inserter code optimisation, inserters that have nothing to do will sleep.}}

{{history|0.8.0|
* Improved inserter's ability to pull from train wagons.}}

{{history|0.7.1|
* Fast inserter now has the same speed as the smart inserter.}}

{{history|0.5.0|
* Inserter can now pick up up to 5 items when researched.}}

{{history|0.4.0|
* Smaller inserter bounding box}}

{{history|0.3.0|
* New Inserter graphics}}

{{history|0.2.1|
* The item in the hand of the inserter is returned to the player when mined.}}

{{history|0.2.0|
* Show direction of inserter}}

{{history|0.1.0|
* Introduced}}

== See also ==
* [[Inserters]]

{{LogisticsNav}}
{{C|Inserters}}

Fulgora

2026-05-27T09:02:46Z

GregFirehawk: Added more math

{{Languages}}
{{About/Space age}}
[[file:fulgora_preview.png|210px|right]]'''Fulgora''' is a new barren desert [[planet]]. Its surface is split between island-like plateaus, and deep oilsands. During the night, the planet is ravaged by lightning storms, damaging buildings.

[[Planet discovery Fulgora (research)]] is required to travel to the planet.

== Achievements ==
{{Achievement|visit-fulgora}}

== Exclusive Items ==
[[Scrap]] can only be found on Fulgora, in mineable scrap patches or from detritus scattered across the planet.

The following items are unlocked on Fulgora and can only be crafted on-planet:
* {{imagelink|Electromagnetic science pack|space-age=yes}}
* {{imagelink|Electromagnetic plant|space-age=yes}}
* {{imagelink|Lightning collector|space-age=yes}}
* {{imagelink|Lightning rod|space-age=yes}}
* {{imagelink|Recycler|space-age=yes}}

The following items are unlocked on Fulgora but can be crafted elsewhere:
* {{imagelink|Mech armor|space-age=yes}}
* {{imagelink|Personal battery MK3|space-age=yes}}
* {{imagelink|Energy shield MK2}}
* {{imagelink|Personal roboport MK2}}
* {{imagelink|Quality module 3|space-age=yes}}
* {{imagelink|Tesla turret|space-age=yes}}

==Surface==

===Properties===
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Fulgora Surface Properties
|-
! Property !! Value
|-
| Pollutant Type || None
|-
| Day Night Cycle || 3 Minutes
|-
| Magnetic Field|| 99
|-
| Solar Power || 20%
|-
| Pressure || 800
|-
| Gravity || 8
|}

== Biomes ==
Fulgora is split between two distinct biomes.
* '''Plateaus''' are islands dotted around the landscape. They are the only biome where factories can be built. Some plateaus are home to [[fulgoran ruin|alien ruins]], which have [[fulgoran lightning attractor]]s, which can protect your buildings until unlocking your own [[lightning rod]]s. Other plateaus hold [[scrap]], Fulgora's sole resource.
* '''Oilsands''' are the lowlands between the plateaus. No buildings can be built in them except for [[rail support]]s. You can walk through them, but occasional oilpatches will slow you to a crawl. An [[offshore pump]] can be placed on the edge of oilsands to produce an unlimited amount of [[heavy oil]]. 

=== Terrain ===
Fulgoran terrain is mainly composed of [[Oil ocean|oillands]], on which nothing except for [[rail support]]s can be built. Traversal by foot across the oillands is possible, but slow. The oillands are further divided into deep and shallow areas, with deep areas slowing down player movement even further and not even allowing for rail supports to be built until [[rail support foundations (research)]] is researched.

However, the oillands are also scattered with islands of various sizes, on which normal construction is possible. At first, these are the only place on Fulgora where factories can be built, as [[foundation]] for building on top of the oillands requires research that can not be performed until much later.

The islands come in three size classes:
* Small islands with high amounts of resources, but with little room to build on
* Medium islands with lower amounts of resources, and with sufficient room for a small factory
* Large islands with no resources, but with enough room to build the main part of a medium-sized factory

It is possible for two or more islands to overlap, potentially creating an even larger island that does have local resources. However, most islands are detached, meaning that transport between islands will have to occur by train. In many cases, the distance between two islands is also too vast for [[roboport]]s or [[big electric pole]]s to reach, thus requiring local [[logistic network|logistic]] and [[electric system|electric networks]] to be built, as neither roboports nor power poles can be built on the oillands without [[foundation]].

Islands are also scattered with [[fulgorite]], [[Fulgoran lightning attractor]]s, [[Fulgoran ruin]]s and [[Fulgoran vault ruin]]s, allowing players without the [[recycler]] to get access to basic resources.

== Mechanics ==
=== Lightning ===
During [[time|nighttime]], dense thunderstorms occur on Fulgora, with frequent lightning strikes occurring across the surface. Lightning will strike each [[chunk]] once, every 10 seconds or so (<code>lightnings_per_chunk_per_tick = 1 / (60 * 10), --cca once per chunk every 10 seconds (600 ticks)</code>)

If a lightning strike is set to occur near a [[lightning rod]], [[lightning collector]], or [[Fulgoran lightning attractor]], then the lightning will always hit said entity, rendering the lightning harmless. However, if such an entity can not be found, the lightning will strike where it occurs, causing damage to nearby entities.

Lightning will prefer striking the entity with the highest priority, choosing randomly between entities tied for highest priority.

The duration of lightning storms is 90 seconds, spanning half the cycle (during the in game sunrise and sunset phase as well as night)

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Lightning priority above 1
|-
! Entity !! Priority value
|-
| {{imagelink|Lightning collector}} || 10,000
|-
| {{imagelink|Lightning rod}} || 1,000
|-
| [[Fulgoran lightning attractor]] || 1,000
|-
| [[Fulgoran vault ruin]] || 95
|-
| Colossal [[Fulgoran ruin]] || 94
|-
| Huge [[Fulgoran ruin]] || 93
|-
| Big [[Fulgoran ruin]] || 92
|-
| Medium [[Fulgoran ruin]] || 91
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Lightning priority 1
! Entities !! Category
|-
| Anything with the "Metal" impact soundset/category?
|-
| {{imagelink|Pipe}} {{imagelink|Pipe to ground}} {{imagelink|Pump}} {{imagelink|Offshore pump}} || Pipes and pumps
|-
| {{imagelink|Small electric pole}} {{imagelink|Medium electric pole}} {{imagelink|Big electric pole}} {{imagelink|Substation}} || Electric poles
|-
| {{imagelink|Power switch}} {{imagelink|Accumulator}} || Electric routing
|-
| {{imagelink|Recycler}} {{imagelink|Assembling machine 1}} {{imagelink|Assembling machine 2}} {{imagelink|Assembling machine 3}} || Recyclers and assemblers
|-
| {{imagelink|Beacon}} || Beacons
|-
| {{imagelink|Radar}} || Radars
|-
| {{imagelink|Roboport}} {{imagelink|Logistic robot}} {{imagelink|Construction robot}} || Roboports and bots
|-
| {{imagelink|Burner inserter}} {{imagelink|Inserter}} {{imagelink|Long handed inserter}} {{imagelink|Fast inserter}} || Inserters (but not [[bulk inserter|bulk]]/[[stack inserter]]s)
|-
| {{imagelink|Iron chest}} {{imagelink|Steel chest}} {{imagelink|Storage chest}} {{imagelink|Passive provider chest}} {{imagelink|Active provider chest}} {{imagelink|Requester chest}} {{imagelink|Buffer chest}} || Metal chests (notably ''not'' [[wooden chest]]s)
|-
| {{imagelink|Cargo pod}} || Landed cargo pods
|-
| {{imagelink|Steel furnace}} {{imagelink|Electric furnace}} || Metal furnaces
|-
| {{imagelink|Heat exchanger}} {{imagelink|Heat pipe}} || Heat exchangers and pipes
|-
| {{imagelink|Fusion generator}} {{imagelink|Fusion reactor}} || Fusion power
|-
| {{imagelink|Car}} {{imagelink|Tank}} || Cars and tanks
|-
| {{imagelink|Train stop}} || Train stops
|-
| [https://lua-api.factorio.com/latest/prototypes/ElectricEnergyInterfacePrototype.html Electric energy interface] {{imagelink|Asteroid collector}} {{imagelink|Thruster}} || Some modded situations
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Lightning immune entities
! Entities !! Category
|-
| [https://lua-api.factorio.com/latest/prototypes/LegacyStraightRailPrototype.html Legacy rail] {{imagelink|Rail}} {{imagelink|Rail ramp|Rail ramp|Rail ramps and elevated rails}} {{imagelink|Rail support}} || Rail pieces
|-
| {{imagelink|Rail signal}} {{imagelink|Rail chain signal}} || Rail signals (notably not [[train stop]]s)
|-
| {{imagelink|Locomotive}} {{imagelink|Artillery wagon}} {{imagelink|Cargo wagon}} {{imagelink|Fluid wagon}} || Trains
|-
| {{imagelink|Wall}} {{imagelink|Land mine}} || Walls and mines
|-
| {{imagelink|Tree}} {{imagelink|Rock}} {{imagelink|Fulgorite}} || Trees and entities that count as a rock for [[Deconstruction planner|filtered destruction]]
|}

=== Lightning rods and collectors ===

[[Lightning rod]]s and [[lightning collector]]s serve a secondary function beyond protecting an area from lightning strikes. They convert lightning into stored power, which [[Power production#Lightning power|they quickly discharge]] into the local [[electric system]]. With enough [[accumulator]]s to last during daytime or between lightning strikes, this can serve as the factory's main power source.

With this, lightning on Fulgora becomes both a curse and a blessing: players must keep their factory covered by lightning rods or collectors to avoid damage, and nighttime exploration becomes dangerous and risky. However, to an established base, lightning become a convenient source of electric energy, which is especially important given the weak [[solar panel|solar output]] on Fulgora's surface and the difficulty of setting up a global electric network on Fulgora before [[foundation]] becomes available.

Every thunderbolt contains 1 GJ of energy, which is then extracted at the lightning rod/collectors efficiency rating (e.g. the base efficiency of a lightning rod is 20%, making the energy extracted 200 MW per bolt collected)

=== Natural resources ===
Aside from numerous items that can be collected by mining ancient ruins, only two "natural" resources occur on Fulgora, those being [[heavy oil]] and [[scrap]].

Heavy oil can be obtained in infinite and non-diminishing amounts by placing an [[offshore pump]] on the shore of an island, allowing it to collect heavy oil directly from the oillands.

Scrap is found in deposits on small and medium sized islands, as if it were an ore. However, in stark contrast to most other natural resources, scrap is not directly processed into a single basic resource like [[iron plate|iron]] or [[copper plate]]s using traditional production methods. Rather, it is [[recycler|recycled]] to produce a variety of items. [[Player]]s can also recycle by hand provided the recipe has been unlocked.
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Input !! Output !! Chance !! Rate
|-
|rowspan="12"| {{Imagelink|Scrap|space-age=yes}} || {{Imagelink|Iron gear wheel}} || 20% || 0.5/s
|-
| {{Imagelink|Solid fuel}} || 7% || 0.175/s
|-
| {{Imagelink|Concrete}} || 6% || 0.15/s
|-
| {{Imagelink|Ice|space-age=yes}} || 5% || 0.125/s
|-
| {{Imagelink|Steel plate}} || 4% || 0.1/s
|-
| {{Imagelink|Battery}} || 4% || 0.1/s
|-
| {{Imagelink|Stone}} || 4% || 0.1/s
|-
| {{Imagelink|Copper cable}} || 3% || 0.075/s
|-
| {{Imagelink|Advanced circuit}} || 3% || 0.075/s
|-
| {{Imagelink|Processing unit}} || 2% || 0.05/s
|-
| {{Imagelink|Low density structure}} || 1% || 0.025/s
|-
| {{Imagelink|Holmium ore|space-age=yes}} || 1% || 0.025/s
|}

Since this list includes intermediate products, such as [[processing unit]]s, but no iron or copper plates, players are generally forced to further recycle many of these items in order to obtain their ingredients. Players are thus left with the decision of what items to recycle, all while having to avoid cluttering their belts with unused resources.

== Access to basic resources ==

* [[Water]] can be obtained from [[ice]] (from recycling [[scrap]]) via [[ice melting]]
* [[Stone]] can be obtained by recycling [[scrap]]
* [[Iron ore]] can be obtained by recycling [[concrete]]
* [[Iron plate]] can be obtained by recycling [[iron gear wheel]], [[battery]], or [[electronic circuit]]
* [[Copper plate]] can be obtained by recycling [[copper cable]], [[battery]], or [[low density structure]]
* [[Coal]] cannot be obtained and must be shipped in from other planets. However:
** [[Plastic bar]] can be obtained by recycling [[advanced circuit]] or [[low density structure]]
** There are no [[enemies]] on-planet, so [[explosives]]-based ammunition or [[grenade]]s are not needed
* [[Crude oil]] is not available, but [[heavy oil]] is readily available using [[offshore pump]]s
* [[Copper ore]] is not available as the only recipe it is used in is copper plates and smelting processes cannot be reversed
* [[Uranium]] is not available eliminating nuclear power without importing from off planet

== Power Considerations ==
=== Lightning Power ===
According to the above mechanics section, lightning strikes a chunk (defined as a 32x32 tile region) once every 10 seconds. Presumably it chooses a random tile within that section, and if a lightning rod is present in said chunk it strikes that instead. The exact mechanism is not clear, and there is also Lightning Reach modifying the selection/range, but in simple terms we can consider it this way until more detailed information is added.

Every thunderbolt contains 1 GJ of raw energy, which can then be harnessed at the stated efficiency of the lightning rod/collector (20%/40%). Both the coverage range and efficiency can be improved with quality, this will not be considered currently and will be added at a later time.

Since lightning strikes each chunk once per 10 seconds on average, that means that each chunk can generate 200/400 MJ per strike. Since the storm spans 90 seconds, that converts to 1.8/3.6 GJ per chunk per cycle. Since a cycle span 360 seconds, that converts to an averaged 5/10 MW per chunk (10/20 MW production for the active half of the cycle). For reference a theoretically ideal chunk of accumulators (so no electrical poles or anything else, just a pure 16x16 grid of accumulators) has an electrical density of 1.28 GJ (16 x 16 x 5). This means the gross production of electricity from lightning exceeds what is possible to store with base quality accumulators even with the lowest 20% efficiency.

In practice though we are assuming are factory maintains a static linear power draw during both day and night, meaning we are only trying to store half the lightning with the rest being used immediately, and possibly a little extra buffer. This means the ratio of accumulator capacity to lightning energy is actually adequate when using lightning rods.

An alternative way to view power using lightning is that each accumulator needs to store power for 180 seconds of uptime (half a cycle), meaning each accumulator at 5000 kJ effectively offers you 27.7... kW of usable power. Since every chunk offers you 5/10 MW, and each accumulator offers you 5 MJ, you effectively need 180/360 accumulators per chunk to match under ideal conditions. 180 accumulators is ~70% of the chunk's total size. This also establishes that for every 1 MW you need 36 accumulators somewhere in your factory

These calculations are theoretical and awaiting empirical confirmation

Note about drain: The lightning rods claim to have a drain of 150 MW, but this seems to work fundamentally differently to normal drain on every other electrical item. This 150 MW is not actually drained from the electrical grid as the name implies, as verified by the power panel, and its actual role in our calculations above is currently unclear

=== Alternative Power ===

The lightning mechanic offers free electricity, but this is not always adequate on its own and it may be desirable to setup auxiliary or backup power for when accumulators run low. The primary considerations or limiting factors to setting up power generation are water, and physical space due to the lack of usable land on the surface.

Using boilers with solid fuel offers 0.3 MW per unit of water, and offers an energy density of 0.05 MW per tile of surface area (36 tiles for two steam engines and a boiler).

Using a heat exchanger offers 0.97 MW per unit of water. To calculate the space efficiency as an ideal, we take the least common multiple that gives us a perfect ratio of heat exchangers to steam turbines, which is effectively 60 heat exchangers paired with 103 turbines. That gives a total area of 1905, and the 103 turbines generate 599.46 MW, meaning the ideal per tile density of energy is ~0.31468 NW, slightly better than regular boilers. This assumes ideal conditions and maximal utilization though, which is unlikely in practice. Also unlike the the boilers which produce their own heat, this setup will require additional space usage to create heat. Given the low practical likelihood of getting ideal utilization combined with the additional appendage requirement, we can declaratively say this is the less space efficient option, though it is significantly more water efficient.

Regarding heat production, heating towers offer 4.4... MW per tile, making them initially superior to nuclear at 1.6 MW per tile for a single reactor, but at scale due to the neighbor bonus nuclear can achieve higher energy density. Any reactor array larger than 1x2 will effectively achieve a higher energy density than heating towers. Using reactors will require importing fuel since its not natively available on planet. Nuclear fuel offers 400 GJ per stack or 80 GJ per rocket. Meanwhile solid fuel offers 1.5 GJ per stack with the heating tower efficiency bonus, but is extremely abundant on planet.

Solar panels do not require any water, but receive an 80% penalty on Fulgora, producing only 12 kW, or ~1.3 kW per tile. Note this is in kW, not MW. Given that fuel is abundant and space is limited and water is not impossible to acquire, this makes solar effectively worthless on Fulgora.

Water can also be imported from off planet if supply is a significant issue. A space platform can collect ice and drop it to the surface as a supplement, and if something more consistent is required water can always be transported from other planets. Transporting ice from Aquilo is significantly more efficient than the alternative of transporting water barrels offering twice the water per stack and 40 times as much per rocket. It is recommended to liquify the ice in orbit and then drop it in barrels. Electricity in orbit is free, and liquifying ice creates significantly more electrical overhead than unbarreling, which would lower net yield.

Remember for reference that lightning power has density of just ~6.94/~13.89 kW (not MW) per tile and is second to last only beating solar power. Also this number is raw energy, and does not take into consideration your ability to actually capture/store said energy. If your accumulator storage fails to fully accept any lightning while its full then your effective rate will be even lower. This calculation is based on the surface area taken by just the accumulators (180:5MW) and does not account for peripherals like power poles or the actual lightning rods themselves, which would skew the number further down slightly.

To recap:
- Heat Exchangers are ~3x more water efficient than boilers
- Boilers are roughly the same if not better in terms of density
- Solar panels should be avoided, effectively replaced by lightning

=== Optimization Tips ===
Fulgora has no pollution mechanic, and an overabundance of fuel. If electricity problems arise due to lack of power generation, burners are significantly more viable on Fulgora than in the base game and can help ease electrical consumption. Using burner miners, burner inserters, and steel furnaces can significantly ease electrical consumption as long as modules aren't required and throughput doesn't become an issue. This also helps use up excess solid fuel

==Space routes==
[[Fulgora]] is connected to 3 other planets: [[Nauvis]], [[Gleba]], and [[Aquilo]].

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Planet Distance
|-
! Planet !! Distance (km)
|-
| [[Nauvis]]|| 15,000
|-
| [[Gleba]]|| 15,000
|-
| [[Aquilo]]|| 30,000
|}

Asteroid rate graphs:

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
| [[File:Asteroid_chart_Nauvis_Fulgora.png]] Space route from Nauvis to Fulgora
| [[File:Asteroid_chart_Gleba_Fulgora.png]] Space route from Gleba to Fulgora
| [[File:Asteroid_chart_Fulgora_Aquilo.png]] Space route from Fulgora to Aquilo
|}

Graph legend:
<table class="wikitable">
<tr>
<th>Asteroid type</th>
<th>Chunk</th>
<th>Medium</th>
<th>Big</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>[[File:Metallic asteroid chunk.png|32px]] Metallic</td>
<td>● Blue</td>
<td>● Red</td>
<td>● Cyan</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>[[File:Carbonic asteroid chunk.png|32px]] Carbonic</td>
<td>● Orange</td>
<td>● Yellow</td>
<td>● Brown</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>[[File:Oxide asteroid chunk.png|32px]] Oxide</td>
<td>● Green</td>
<td>● Magenta</td>
<td>● Purple</td>
</tr>
</table>

==Orbit==

===Properties===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Property !! Value
|-
| Solar Power || 120%
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Asteroid Spawning Types
|-
! [[Asteroids| Asteroid]] Type !! Spawn Ratio
|-
| [[Metallic asteroid chunk]] || 4
|-
| [[Carbonic asteroid chunk]] || 3
|-
| [[Oxide asteroid chunk]] || 1
|-
| [[Promethium asteroid chunk]] || 0
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Asteroid Spawning Sizes
|-
! [[Asteroids| Asteroid]] Size !! Spawn %
|-
| Chunk || .25
|-
| Medium || .25
|-
| Big || 0
|-
| Huge || 0
|}

'''Note:'''
*Chunks spawn at Nauvis at 1.25%
*Huge Asteroids only spawn past [[Aquilo]]{{SA}}

== Gallery ==
<gallery widths="300px" heights="200px">
fulgora_landscape.png|Example landscape of Fulgora.
fulgora landscape titlescreen.png|Fulgora seen on the expansion's title screen.
</gallery>

== Trivia ==
* The planet's ruins suggest that an unknown civilization once existed there before the game's events.
* In mythology, Fulgora is the Roman personification of lightning, and a shieldmaiden to the god of thunder, Jupiter.
* The planet is based on real-world [[:Wikipedia:Desert planet|desert planets]], as well as lightning observed on other planets like Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.

== History ==
{{history|2.0.7|
* Introduced in [[Space Age]]{{SA}} expansion.
}}

== See also ==
* [[Aquilo]] {{SA}}
* [[Gleba]] {{SA}}
* [[Nauvis]]
* [[Vulcanus]] {{SA}}
* [[Space platform]] {{SA}}
* [[Tutorial:Scrap recycling strategies]] {{SA}}

{{C|Planets}}
{{SpaceNav}}

Fulgora

2026-05-27T08:34:33Z

GregFirehawk: Added info around lightning as an energy source

{{Languages}}
{{About/Space age}}
[[file:fulgora_preview.png|210px|right]]'''Fulgora''' is a new barren desert [[planet]]. Its surface is split between island-like plateaus, and deep oilsands. During the night, the planet is ravaged by lightning storms, damaging buildings.

[[Planet discovery Fulgora (research)]] is required to travel to the planet.

== Achievements ==
{{Achievement|visit-fulgora}}

== Exclusive Items ==
[[Scrap]] can only be found on Fulgora, in mineable scrap patches or from detritus scattered across the planet.

The following items are unlocked on Fulgora and can only be crafted on-planet:
* {{imagelink|Electromagnetic science pack|space-age=yes}}
* {{imagelink|Electromagnetic plant|space-age=yes}}
* {{imagelink|Lightning collector|space-age=yes}}
* {{imagelink|Lightning rod|space-age=yes}}
* {{imagelink|Recycler|space-age=yes}}

The following items are unlocked on Fulgora but can be crafted elsewhere:
* {{imagelink|Mech armor|space-age=yes}}
* {{imagelink|Personal battery MK3|space-age=yes}}
* {{imagelink|Energy shield MK2}}
* {{imagelink|Personal roboport MK2}}
* {{imagelink|Quality module 3|space-age=yes}}
* {{imagelink|Tesla turret|space-age=yes}}

==Surface==

===Properties===
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Fulgora Surface Properties
|-
! Property !! Value
|-
| Pollutant Type || None
|-
| Day Night Cycle || 3 Minutes
|-
| Magnetic Field|| 99
|-
| Solar Power || 20%
|-
| Pressure || 800
|-
| Gravity || 8
|}

== Biomes ==
Fulgora is split between two distinct biomes.
* '''Plateaus''' are islands dotted around the landscape. They are the only biome where factories can be built. Some plateaus are home to [[fulgoran ruin|alien ruins]], which have [[fulgoran lightning attractor]]s, which can protect your buildings until unlocking your own [[lightning rod]]s. Other plateaus hold [[scrap]], Fulgora's sole resource.
* '''Oilsands''' are the lowlands between the plateaus. No buildings can be built in them except for [[rail support]]s. You can walk through them, but occasional oilpatches will slow you to a crawl. An [[offshore pump]] can be placed on the edge of oilsands to produce an unlimited amount of [[heavy oil]]. 

=== Terrain ===
Fulgoran terrain is mainly composed of [[Oil ocean|oillands]], on which nothing except for [[rail support]]s can be built. Traversal by foot across the oillands is possible, but slow. The oillands are further divided into deep and shallow areas, with deep areas slowing down player movement even further and not even allowing for rail supports to be built until [[rail support foundations (research)]] is researched.

However, the oillands are also scattered with islands of various sizes, on which normal construction is possible. At first, these are the only place on Fulgora where factories can be built, as [[foundation]] for building on top of the oillands requires research that can not be performed until much later.

The islands come in three size classes:
* Small islands with high amounts of resources, but with little room to build on
* Medium islands with lower amounts of resources, and with sufficient room for a small factory
* Large islands with no resources, but with enough room to build the main part of a medium-sized factory

It is possible for two or more islands to overlap, potentially creating an even larger island that does have local resources. However, most islands are detached, meaning that transport between islands will have to occur by train. In many cases, the distance between two islands is also too vast for [[roboport]]s or [[big electric pole]]s to reach, thus requiring local [[logistic network|logistic]] and [[electric system|electric networks]] to be built, as neither roboports nor power poles can be built on the oillands without [[foundation]].

Islands are also scattered with [[fulgorite]], [[Fulgoran lightning attractor]]s, [[Fulgoran ruin]]s and [[Fulgoran vault ruin]]s, allowing players without the [[recycler]] to get access to basic resources.

== Mechanics ==
=== Lightning ===
During [[time|nighttime]], dense thunderstorms occur on Fulgora, with frequent lightning strikes occurring across the surface. Lightning will strike each [[chunk]] once, every 10 seconds or so (<code>lightnings_per_chunk_per_tick = 1 / (60 * 10), --cca once per chunk every 10 seconds (600 ticks)</code>)

If a lightning strike is set to occur near a [[lightning rod]], [[lightning collector]], or [[Fulgoran lightning attractor]], then the lightning will always hit said entity, rendering the lightning harmless. However, if such an entity can not be found, the lightning will strike where it occurs, causing damage to nearby entities.

Lightning will prefer striking the entity with the highest priority, choosing randomly between entities tied for highest priority.

The duration of lightning storms is 90 seconds, spanning half the cycle (during the in game sunrise and sunset phase as well as night)

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Lightning priority above 1
|-
! Entity !! Priority value
|-
| {{imagelink|Lightning collector}} || 10,000
|-
| {{imagelink|Lightning rod}} || 1,000
|-
| [[Fulgoran lightning attractor]] || 1,000
|-
| [[Fulgoran vault ruin]] || 95
|-
| Colossal [[Fulgoran ruin]] || 94
|-
| Huge [[Fulgoran ruin]] || 93
|-
| Big [[Fulgoran ruin]] || 92
|-
| Medium [[Fulgoran ruin]] || 91
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Lightning priority 1
! Entities !! Category
|-
| Anything with the "Metal" impact soundset/category?
|-
| {{imagelink|Pipe}} {{imagelink|Pipe to ground}} {{imagelink|Pump}} {{imagelink|Offshore pump}} || Pipes and pumps
|-
| {{imagelink|Small electric pole}} {{imagelink|Medium electric pole}} {{imagelink|Big electric pole}} {{imagelink|Substation}} || Electric poles
|-
| {{imagelink|Power switch}} {{imagelink|Accumulator}} || Electric routing
|-
| {{imagelink|Recycler}} {{imagelink|Assembling machine 1}} {{imagelink|Assembling machine 2}} {{imagelink|Assembling machine 3}} || Recyclers and assemblers
|-
| {{imagelink|Beacon}} || Beacons
|-
| {{imagelink|Radar}} || Radars
|-
| {{imagelink|Roboport}} {{imagelink|Logistic robot}} {{imagelink|Construction robot}} || Roboports and bots
|-
| {{imagelink|Burner inserter}} {{imagelink|Inserter}} {{imagelink|Long handed inserter}} {{imagelink|Fast inserter}} || Inserters (but not [[bulk inserter|bulk]]/[[stack inserter]]s)
|-
| {{imagelink|Iron chest}} {{imagelink|Steel chest}} {{imagelink|Storage chest}} {{imagelink|Passive provider chest}} {{imagelink|Active provider chest}} {{imagelink|Requester chest}} {{imagelink|Buffer chest}} || Metal chests (notably ''not'' [[wooden chest]]s)
|-
| {{imagelink|Cargo pod}} || Landed cargo pods
|-
| {{imagelink|Steel furnace}} {{imagelink|Electric furnace}} || Metal furnaces
|-
| {{imagelink|Heat exchanger}} {{imagelink|Heat pipe}} || Heat exchangers and pipes
|-
| {{imagelink|Fusion generator}} {{imagelink|Fusion reactor}} || Fusion power
|-
| {{imagelink|Car}} {{imagelink|Tank}} || Cars and tanks
|-
| {{imagelink|Train stop}} || Train stops
|-
| [https://lua-api.factorio.com/latest/prototypes/ElectricEnergyInterfacePrototype.html Electric energy interface] {{imagelink|Asteroid collector}} {{imagelink|Thruster}} || Some modded situations
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Lightning immune entities
! Entities !! Category
|-
| [https://lua-api.factorio.com/latest/prototypes/LegacyStraightRailPrototype.html Legacy rail] {{imagelink|Rail}} {{imagelink|Rail ramp|Rail ramp|Rail ramps and elevated rails}} {{imagelink|Rail support}} || Rail pieces
|-
| {{imagelink|Rail signal}} {{imagelink|Rail chain signal}} || Rail signals (notably not [[train stop]]s)
|-
| {{imagelink|Locomotive}} {{imagelink|Artillery wagon}} {{imagelink|Cargo wagon}} {{imagelink|Fluid wagon}} || Trains
|-
| {{imagelink|Wall}} {{imagelink|Land mine}} || Walls and mines
|-
| {{imagelink|Tree}} {{imagelink|Rock}} {{imagelink|Fulgorite}} || Trees and entities that count as a rock for [[Deconstruction planner|filtered destruction]]
|}

=== Lightning rods and collectors ===

[[Lightning rod]]s and [[lightning collector]]s serve a secondary function beyond protecting an area from lightning strikes. They convert lightning into stored power, which [[Power production#Lightning power|they quickly discharge]] into the local [[electric system]]. With enough [[accumulator]]s to last during daytime or between lightning strikes, this can serve as the factory's main power source.

With this, lightning on Fulgora becomes both a curse and a blessing: players must keep their factory covered by lightning rods or collectors to avoid damage, and nighttime exploration becomes dangerous and risky. However, to an established base, lightning become a convenient source of electric energy, which is especially important given the weak [[solar panel|solar output]] on Fulgora's surface and the difficulty of setting up a global electric network on Fulgora before [[foundation]] becomes available.

Every thunderbolt contains 1 GJ of energy, which is then extracted at the lightning rod/collectors efficiency rating (e.g. the base efficiency of a lightning rod is 20%, making the energy extracted 200 MW per bolt collected)

=== Natural resources ===
Aside from numerous items that can be collected by mining ancient ruins, only two "natural" resources occur on Fulgora, those being [[heavy oil]] and [[scrap]].

Heavy oil can be obtained in infinite and non-diminishing amounts by placing an [[offshore pump]] on the shore of an island, allowing it to collect heavy oil directly from the oillands.

Scrap is found in deposits on small and medium sized islands, as if it were an ore. However, in stark contrast to most other natural resources, scrap is not directly processed into a single basic resource like [[iron plate|iron]] or [[copper plate]]s using traditional production methods. Rather, it is [[recycler|recycled]] to produce a variety of items. [[Player]]s can also recycle by hand provided the recipe has been unlocked.
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Input !! Output !! Chance !! Rate
|-
|rowspan="12"| {{Imagelink|Scrap|space-age=yes}} || {{Imagelink|Iron gear wheel}} || 20% || 0.5/s
|-
| {{Imagelink|Solid fuel}} || 7% || 0.175/s
|-
| {{Imagelink|Concrete}} || 6% || 0.15/s
|-
| {{Imagelink|Ice|space-age=yes}} || 5% || 0.125/s
|-
| {{Imagelink|Steel plate}} || 4% || 0.1/s
|-
| {{Imagelink|Battery}} || 4% || 0.1/s
|-
| {{Imagelink|Stone}} || 4% || 0.1/s
|-
| {{Imagelink|Copper cable}} || 3% || 0.075/s
|-
| {{Imagelink|Advanced circuit}} || 3% || 0.075/s
|-
| {{Imagelink|Processing unit}} || 2% || 0.05/s
|-
| {{Imagelink|Low density structure}} || 1% || 0.025/s
|-
| {{Imagelink|Holmium ore|space-age=yes}} || 1% || 0.025/s
|}

Since this list includes intermediate products, such as [[processing unit]]s, but no iron or copper plates, players are generally forced to further recycle many of these items in order to obtain their ingredients. Players are thus left with the decision of what items to recycle, all while having to avoid cluttering their belts with unused resources.

== Access to basic resources ==

* [[Water]] can be obtained from [[ice]] (from recycling [[scrap]]) via [[ice melting]]
* [[Stone]] can be obtained by recycling [[scrap]]
* [[Iron ore]] can be obtained by recycling [[concrete]]
* [[Iron plate]] can be obtained by recycling [[iron gear wheel]], [[battery]], or [[electronic circuit]]
* [[Copper plate]] can be obtained by recycling [[copper cable]], [[battery]], or [[low density structure]]
* [[Coal]] cannot be obtained and must be shipped in from other planets. However:
** [[Plastic bar]] can be obtained by recycling [[advanced circuit]] or [[low density structure]]
** There are no [[enemies]] on-planet, so [[explosives]]-based ammunition or [[grenade]]s are not needed
* [[Crude oil]] is not available, but [[heavy oil]] is readily available using [[offshore pump]]s
* [[Copper ore]] is not available as the only recipe it is used in is copper plates and smelting processes cannot be reversed
* [[Uranium]] is not available eliminating nuclear power without importing from off planet

== Power Considerations ==
=== Lightning Power ===
According to the above mechanics section, lightning strikes a chunk (defined as a 32x32 tile region) once every 10 seconds. Presumably it chooses a random tile within that section, and if a lightning rod is present in said chunk it strikes that instead. The exact mechanism is not clear, and there is also Lightning Reach modifying the selection/range, but in simple terms we can consider it this way until more detailed information is added.

Every thunderbolt contains 1 GJ of raw energy, which can then be harnessed at the stated efficiency of the lightning rod/collector (20%/40%). Both the coverage range and efficiency can be improved with quality, this will not be considered currently and will be added at a later time.

Since lightning strikes each chunk once per 10 seconds on average, that means that each chunk can generate 200/400 MJ per strike. Since the storm spans 90 seconds, that converts to 1.8/3.6 GJ per chunk per cycle. Since a cycle span 360 seconds, that converts to an averaged 5/10 MW per chunk (10/20 MW production for the active half of the cycle). For reference a theoretically ideal chunk of accumulators (so no electrical poles or anything else, just a pure 16x16 grid of accumulators) has an electrical density of 1.28 GJ (16 x 16 x 5). This means the gross production of electricity from lightning exceeds what is possible to store with base quality accumulators even with the lowest 20% efficiency.

In practice though we are assuming are factory maintains a static linear power draw during both day and night, meaning we are only trying to store half the lightning with the rest being used immediately, and possibly a little extra buffer. This means the ratio of accumulator capacity to lightning energy is actually adequate when using lightning rods.

These calculations are theoretical and awaiting empirical confirmation

Note about drain: The lightning rods claim to have a drain of 150 MW, but this seems to work fundamentally differently to normal drain on every other electrical item. This 150 MW is not actually drained from the electrical grid as the name implies, as verified by the power panel, and its actual role in our calculations above is currently unclear

=== Alternative Power ===

The lightning mechanic offers free electricity, but this is not always adequate on its own and it may be desirable to setup auxiliary or backup power for when accumulators run low. The primary considerations or limiting factors to setting up power generation are water, and physical space due to the lack of usable land on the surface.

Using boilers with solid fuel offers 0.3 MW per unit of water, and offers an energy density of 0.05 MW per tile of surface area (36 tiles for two steam engines and a boiler).

Using a heat exchanger offers 0.97 MW per unit of water. To calculate the space efficiency as an ideal, we take the least common multiple that gives us a perfect ratio of heat exchangers to steam turbines, which is effectively 60 heat exchangers paired with 103 turbines. That gives a total area of 1905, and the 103 turbines generate 599.46 MW, meaning the ideal per tile density of energy is ~0.31468 NW, slightly better than regular boilers. This assumes ideal conditions and maximal utilization though, which is unlikely in practice. Also unlike the the boilers which produce their own heat, this setup will require additional space usage to create heat. Given the low practical likelihood of getting ideal utilization combined with the additional appendage requirement, we can declaratively say this is the less space efficient option, though it is significantly more water efficient.

Regarding heat production, heating towers offer 4.4... MW per tile, making them initially superior to nuclear at 1.6 MW per tile for a single reactor, but at scale due to the neighbor bonus nuclear can achieve higher energy density. Any reactor array larger than 1x2 will effectively achieve a higher energy density than heating towers. Using reactors will require importing fuel since its not natively available on planet. Nuclear fuel offers 400 GJ per stack or 80 GJ per rocket. Meanwhile solid fuel offers 1.5 GJ per stack with the heating tower efficiency bonus, but is extremely abundant on planet.

Solar panels do not require any water, but receive an 80% penalty on Fulgora, producing only 12 kW, or ~1.3 kW per tile. Note this is in kW, not MW. Given that fuel is abundant and space is limited and water is not impossible to acquire, this makes solar effectively worthless on Fulgora.

Water can also be imported from off planet if supply is a significant issue. A space platform can collect ice and drop it to the surface as a supplement, and if something more consistent is required water can always be transported from other planets. Transporting ice from Aquilo is significantly more efficient than the alternative of transporting water barrels offering twice the water per stack and 40 times as much per rocket. It is recommended to liquify the ice in orbit and then drop it in barrels. Electricity in orbit is free, and liquifying ice creates significantly more electrical overhead than unbarreling, which would lower net yield.

Remember for reference that lightning power has density of just ~4.88/~9.77 kW (not MW) per tile and is second to last only beating solar power. Also this number is raw energy, and does not take into consideration your ability to actually capture/store said energy. If your accumulator storage fails to fully accept any lightning while its full then your effective rate will be even lower. An important distinction here is that unlike the other methods this space can technically be double allocated, as it refers to the chunk size. If you have higher quality accumulators which can store all the energy in less than a chunk of space, the remaining space can technically be double allocated thereby increasing your effective rating. In practice this is unrealistic though unless you are mixing higher quality accumulators with lower efficiency lightning harvest options, which is generally undesirable since wattage is the main priority. That means we can continue to consider this hypothetical equivalent as a 16x16 grid of accumulators, and since this is currently only an area/footprint calculation we can assume the necessary substations and lightning harvesters are included.

To recap:
- Heat Exchangers are ~3x more water efficient than boilers
- Boilers are roughly the same if not better in terms of density
- Solar panels should be avoided, effectively replaced by lightning

=== Optimization Tips ===
Fulgora has no pollution mechanic, and an overabundance of fuel. If electricity problems arise due to lack of power generation, burners are significantly more viable on Fulgora than in the base game and can help ease electrical consumption. Using burner miners, burner inserters, and steel furnaces can significantly ease electrical consumption as long as modules aren't required and throughput doesn't become an issue. This also helps use up excess solid fuel

==Space routes==
[[Fulgora]] is connected to 3 other planets: [[Nauvis]], [[Gleba]], and [[Aquilo]].

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Planet Distance
|-
! Planet !! Distance (km)
|-
| [[Nauvis]]|| 15,000
|-
| [[Gleba]]|| 15,000
|-
| [[Aquilo]]|| 30,000
|}

Asteroid rate graphs:

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
| [[File:Asteroid_chart_Nauvis_Fulgora.png]] Space route from Nauvis to Fulgora
| [[File:Asteroid_chart_Gleba_Fulgora.png]] Space route from Gleba to Fulgora
| [[File:Asteroid_chart_Fulgora_Aquilo.png]] Space route from Fulgora to Aquilo
|}

Graph legend:
<table class="wikitable">
<tr>
<th>Asteroid type</th>
<th>Chunk</th>
<th>Medium</th>
<th>Big</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>[[File:Metallic asteroid chunk.png|32px]] Metallic</td>
<td>● Blue</td>
<td>● Red</td>
<td>● Cyan</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>[[File:Carbonic asteroid chunk.png|32px]] Carbonic</td>
<td>● Orange</td>
<td>● Yellow</td>
<td>● Brown</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>[[File:Oxide asteroid chunk.png|32px]] Oxide</td>
<td>● Green</td>
<td>● Magenta</td>
<td>● Purple</td>
</tr>
</table>

==Orbit==

===Properties===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Property !! Value
|-
| Solar Power || 120%
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Asteroid Spawning Types
|-
! [[Asteroids| Asteroid]] Type !! Spawn Ratio
|-
| [[Metallic asteroid chunk]] || 4
|-
| [[Carbonic asteroid chunk]] || 3
|-
| [[Oxide asteroid chunk]] || 1
|-
| [[Promethium asteroid chunk]] || 0
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Asteroid Spawning Sizes
|-
! [[Asteroids| Asteroid]] Size !! Spawn %
|-
| Chunk || .25
|-
| Medium || .25
|-
| Big || 0
|-
| Huge || 0
|}

'''Note:'''
*Chunks spawn at Nauvis at 1.25%
*Huge Asteroids only spawn past [[Aquilo]]{{SA}}

== Gallery ==
<gallery widths="300px" heights="200px">
fulgora_landscape.png|Example landscape of Fulgora.
fulgora landscape titlescreen.png|Fulgora seen on the expansion's title screen.
</gallery>

== Trivia ==
* The planet's ruins suggest that an unknown civilization once existed there before the game's events.
* In mythology, Fulgora is the Roman personification of lightning, and a shieldmaiden to the god of thunder, Jupiter.
* The planet is based on real-world [[:Wikipedia:Desert planet|desert planets]], as well as lightning observed on other planets like Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.

== History ==
{{history|2.0.7|
* Introduced in [[Space Age]]{{SA}} expansion.
}}

== See also ==
* [[Aquilo]] {{SA}}
* [[Gleba]] {{SA}}
* [[Nauvis]]
* [[Vulcanus]] {{SA}}
* [[Space platform]] {{SA}}
* [[Tutorial:Scrap recycling strategies]] {{SA}}

{{C|Planets}}
{{SpaceNav}}

Solar panel

2026-05-27T08:29:27Z

GregFirehawk: added joules produced per cycle

{{languages}}
{{:Infobox:Solar panel}}

'''Solar panels''' are an unlimited source of free [[Electric system|energy]] that produce no [[pollution]]. On a planet, the power output varies based on the [[Time#Days|time of day]]. During the day (half of a day/night cycle), all panels provide a constant, maximum power level. Generated power will increase/decrease linearly during dawn and dusk, and no power is produced at night.

The baseline power generated by a panel is 60 kW; this represents 100% power production.

On [[Nauvis]], one solar panel produces 17640 kJ per cycle, or an average of 42 kW over a day/night cycle.

In [[Space Age]]{{SA}}, different planets provide a bonus or penalty to panel output. These modifiers are based on 60 kW as the baseline 100% power of a panel. Planets also have their own day/night cycle lengths, but the average power produced by panels over a full day/night cycle is always 70% of the peak power.

[[Space platform]]s{{SA}} do not have day/night cycles; panels produce a constant amount of power while at a location in space. If a platform is moving between locations, the power output will raise or lower based on how far it is between the source location and destination. If the source location offers 200% solar power, and the destination has 300%, then a platform halfway between will have its solar panels offer 250% power.

[[Quality]]{{SA}} panels also provide higher than 100% power output.

== Energy management ==
As already stated, solar panels produce energy only during the day, but you likely want your factory to run at night as well. [[Accumulator]]s can be charged up with solar panels during the day to power the base at night.

Accumulators are not the only way to work with solar energy. Sometimes it is more economical to just avoid consuming energy at night. For example, if you power a bunch of [[electric mining drill]]s and [[electric furnace]]s to produce [[Iron plate|iron]] and [[copper plate]]s, you could build more drills and furnaces than you actually need, and store the excess metal production during the day. At night you can shut down the drills and furnaces, and let your factory run with the stored plates. Instead of storing energy, you would be storing what the energy is used for. The easiest way to achieve this is by connecting all your extractors and furnaces to an electric network with exactly enough solar panels to make them work during the day, and keeping this network away from your factory's main electric network.

== Notes ==
* A single (normal quality) solar panel outputs an average of 42 kW over a day on [[Nauvis]] and requires 0.84672 ≈ 0.85 accumulators to sustain a constant power output through the night.
* It takes approximately 23.8 solar panels to operate 1 MW of factory '''and''' charge 20.2 accumulators to sustain that 1 MW through the night.
** The common rule-of-thumb is 25 solar panels to 21 accumulators to generate about 1 MW (really 1.04 MW + 5/3 kW). A simpler close ratio is 6 solar panels to 5 accumulators, ≈ 0.83 accumulators / solar panels.
* The optimal ratio for normal quality solar panels to charge enough normal quality accumulators on Nauvis is 2646 accumulators for 3125 solar panels (supplying 42 kW per solar panel).
[[File:Solar efficiency.png|thumb|none|400px|Solar efficiency graph over time. (click to enlarge)]]

== Space Age ==
{{About/Space age}}
In Space Age, the closer a planet is to the sun, the more power a solar panel on its surface produces. Additionally, as there is no nighttime in space, solar panels on space platforms will generate energy constantly, and at a higher rate than on a planet's surface.

{|class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
! Location !! In atmosphere !! In space
|-
| [[Vulcanus]] || 400% || 600%
|-
| [[Nauvis]] || 100% || 300%
|-
| [[Gleba]] || 50% || 200%
|-
| [[Fulgora]] || 20% || 120%
|-
| [[Aquilo]] || 1% || 60%
|-
| [[Solar system edge]] || N/A || 1%
|-
| [[Shattered planet]] || N/A || 1%
|}

== Optimal ratios ==
The optimal ratio of solar panels to accumulators varies depending on the [[Quality|qualities]]{{SA}} of both the solar panels and accumulators, as well as the planets they're constructed on.

{|class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
! Location
! Accumulators per solar panel
! Approximate Ratios
|-
| [[Nauvis]]
| {{Quality|0.8467200|1.1007360|1.3547520|1.6087680|2.1168000}}
| {{Quality|25:21|25:28|25:34|25:40|25:53}}
|-
| [[Vulcanus]]{{SA}}
| {{Quality|0.7257600|0.9434880|1.1612160|1.3789440|1.8144000}}
| {{Quality|25:18|25:24|25:29|25:34|25:45}}
|-
| [[Gleba]]{{SA}}
| {{Quality|0.6048000|0.7862400|0.9676800|1.1491200|1.5120000}}
| {{Quality|5:3|5:4|1:1|5:6|5:8}}
|-
| [[Fulgora]]{{SA}}
| {{Quality|0.0725760|0.0943488|0.1161216|0.1378944|0.1814400}}
| {{Quality|14:1|11:1|9:1|7:1|11:2}}
|-
| [[Aquilo]]{{SA}}
| {{Quality|0.0241920|0.0314496|0.0387072|0.0459648|0.0604800}}
| {{Quality|41:1|32:1|26:1|22:1|17:1}}
|}

Note that the quality shown in the table is the quality of the '''solar panels''' only, and assumes normal accumulator quality. When using accumulators of other qualities, divide the ratio shown by 2/3/4/6 for uncommon/rare/epic/legendary, respectively. All ratios are exact numbers with no rounding.

== Achievements ==
{{Achievement|solar-power}}
{{Achievement|solaris}}
{{Achievement|steam-all-the-way}}

== Gallery ==
<gallery widths="300px" heights="200px">
Solar array01.png|A typical solar power array with accumulators.
Solar farm titlescreen.png|Construction robots are building a solar farm, seen on the expansion's title screen.
Solar outpost titlescreen.png|An outpost powered by solar arrays, seen on the expansion's title screen.
</gallery>

== History ==
{{history|0.13.2|
* Changed tech requirement from Adv. Electronics to Electronics.}}

{{history|0.12.11|
* Energy of the solar panel is now fractioned between all the networks it's connected to.}}

{{history|0.12.0|
* Massive optimisations to solar panel logic.}}

{{history|0.11.0|
* Significantly slowed crafting speed to 10 secs from 0.5 sec.}}

{{history|0.7.1|
* Made solar panels pre-science pack 3.}}

{{history|0.5.0|
* Unplugged icon shown when not connected to any power transfer device.}}

{{history|0.3.0|
* New solar panel graphics.}}

{{history|0.2.1|
* Priority of power consumption changed to consume from solar panel first.}}

{{history|0.1.0|
* Introduced}}

== See also ==
* [[Electric system]]
* [[Accumulator]]
* [[Power_production#Optimal_ratio|Calculating the optimal ratio of accumulators to solar panels]]
* A [https://forums.factorio.com/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=9314 Solar Power Excel sheet]
* [https://forums.factorio.com/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=8949 (Forum topic) The way I solar]
* [[Game-day]]

{{ProductionNav}}
{{C|Energy}}

Talk:Solar panel

2026-05-27T08:08:15Z

GregFirehawk: /* Ratios seem incorrect */

Talk:Solar panel

2026-05-27T08:02:12Z

GregFirehawk: /* Ratios seem incorrect */ new section

Fulgora

2026-05-27T04:18:45Z

GregFirehawk: Mentioned burner miners

{{Languages}}
{{About/Space age}}
[[file:fulgora_preview.png|210px|right]]'''Fulgora''' is a new barren desert [[planet]]. Its surface is split between island-like plateaus, and deep oilsands. During the night, the planet is ravaged by lightning storms, damaging buildings.

[[Planet discovery Fulgora (research)]] is required to travel to the planet.

== Achievements ==
{{Achievement|visit-fulgora}}

== Exclusive Items ==
[[Scrap]] can only be found on Fulgora, in mineable scrap patches or from detritus scattered across the planet.

The following items are unlocked on Fulgora and can only be crafted on-planet:
* {{imagelink|Electromagnetic science pack|space-age=yes}}
* {{imagelink|Electromagnetic plant|space-age=yes}}
* {{imagelink|Lightning collector|space-age=yes}}
* {{imagelink|Lightning rod|space-age=yes}}
* {{imagelink|Recycler|space-age=yes}}

The following items are unlocked on Fulgora but can be crafted elsewhere:
* {{imagelink|Mech armor|space-age=yes}}
* {{imagelink|Personal battery MK3|space-age=yes}}
* {{imagelink|Energy shield MK2}}
* {{imagelink|Personal roboport MK2}}
* {{imagelink|Quality module 3|space-age=yes}}
* {{imagelink|Tesla turret|space-age=yes}}

==Surface==

===Properties===
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Fulgora Surface Properties
|-
! Property !! Value
|-
| Pollutant Type || None
|-
| Day Night Cycle || 3 Minutes
|-
| Magnetic Field|| 99
|-
| Solar Power || 20%
|-
| Pressure || 800
|-
| Gravity || 8
|}

== Biomes ==
Fulgora is split between two distinct biomes.
* '''Plateaus''' are islands dotted around the landscape. They are the only biome where factories can be built. Some plateaus are home to [[fulgoran ruin|alien ruins]], which have [[fulgoran lightning attractor]]s, which can protect your buildings until unlocking your own [[lightning rod]]s. Other plateaus hold [[scrap]], Fulgora's sole resource.
* '''Oilsands''' are the lowlands between the plateaus. No buildings can be built in them except for [[rail support]]s. You can walk through them, but occasional oilpatches will slow you to a crawl. An [[offshore pump]] can be placed on the edge of oilsands to produce an unlimited amount of [[heavy oil]]. 

=== Terrain ===
Fulgoran terrain is mainly composed of [[Oil ocean|oillands]], on which nothing except for [[rail support]]s can be built. Traversal by foot across the oillands is possible, but slow. The oillands are further divided into deep and shallow areas, with deep areas slowing down player movement even further and not even allowing for rail supports to be built until [[rail support foundations (research)]] is researched.

However, the oillands are also scattered with islands of various sizes, on which normal construction is possible. At first, these are the only place on Fulgora where factories can be built, as [[foundation]] for building on top of the oillands requires research that can not be performed until much later.

The islands come in three size classes:
* Small islands with high amounts of resources, but with little room to build on
* Medium islands with lower amounts of resources, and with sufficient room for a small factory
* Large islands with no resources, but with enough room to build the main part of a medium-sized factory

It is possible for two or more islands to overlap, potentially creating an even larger island that does have local resources. However, most islands are detached, meaning that transport between islands will have to occur by train. In many cases, the distance between two islands is also too vast for [[roboport]]s or [[big electric pole]]s to reach, thus requiring local [[logistic network|logistic]] and [[electric system|electric networks]] to be built, as neither roboports nor power poles can be built on the oillands without [[foundation]].

Islands are also scattered with [[fulgorite]], [[Fulgoran lightning attractor]]s, [[Fulgoran ruin]]s and [[Fulgoran vault ruin]]s, allowing players without the [[recycler]] to get access to basic resources.

== Mechanics ==
=== Lightning ===
During [[time|nighttime]], dense thunderstorms occur on Fulgora, with frequent lightning strikes occurring across the surface. Lightning will strike each [[chunk]] once, every 10 seconds or so (<code>lightnings_per_chunk_per_tick = 1 / (60 * 10), --cca once per chunk every 10 seconds (600 ticks)</code>)

If a lightning strike is set to occur near a [[lightning rod]], [[lightning collector]], or [[Fulgoran lightning attractor]], then the lightning will always hit said entity, rendering the lightning harmless. However, if such an entity can not be found, the lightning will strike where it occurs, causing damage to nearby entities.

Lightning will prefer striking the entity with the highest priority, choosing randomly between entities tied for highest priority.

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Lightning priority above 1
|-
! Entity !! Priority value
|-
| {{imagelink|Lightning collector}} || 10,000
|-
| {{imagelink|Lightning rod}} || 1,000
|-
| [[Fulgoran lightning attractor]] || 1,000
|-
| [[Fulgoran vault ruin]] || 95
|-
| Colossal [[Fulgoran ruin]] || 94
|-
| Huge [[Fulgoran ruin]] || 93
|-
| Big [[Fulgoran ruin]] || 92
|-
| Medium [[Fulgoran ruin]] || 91
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Lightning priority 1
! Entities !! Category
|-
| Anything with the "Metal" impact soundset/category?
|-
| {{imagelink|Pipe}} {{imagelink|Pipe to ground}} {{imagelink|Pump}} {{imagelink|Offshore pump}} || Pipes and pumps
|-
| {{imagelink|Small electric pole}} {{imagelink|Medium electric pole}} {{imagelink|Big electric pole}} {{imagelink|Substation}} || Electric poles
|-
| {{imagelink|Power switch}} {{imagelink|Accumulator}} || Electric routing
|-
| {{imagelink|Recycler}} {{imagelink|Assembling machine 1}} {{imagelink|Assembling machine 2}} {{imagelink|Assembling machine 3}} || Recyclers and assemblers
|-
| {{imagelink|Beacon}} || Beacons
|-
| {{imagelink|Radar}} || Radars
|-
| {{imagelink|Roboport}} {{imagelink|Logistic robot}} {{imagelink|Construction robot}} || Roboports and bots
|-
| {{imagelink|Burner inserter}} {{imagelink|Inserter}} {{imagelink|Long handed inserter}} {{imagelink|Fast inserter}} || Inserters (but not [[bulk inserter|bulk]]/[[stack inserter]]s)
|-
| {{imagelink|Iron chest}} {{imagelink|Steel chest}} {{imagelink|Storage chest}} {{imagelink|Passive provider chest}} {{imagelink|Active provider chest}} {{imagelink|Requester chest}} {{imagelink|Buffer chest}} || Metal chests (notably ''not'' [[wooden chest]]s)
|-
| {{imagelink|Cargo pod}} || Landed cargo pods
|-
| {{imagelink|Steel furnace}} {{imagelink|Electric furnace}} || Metal furnaces
|-
| {{imagelink|Heat exchanger}} {{imagelink|Heat pipe}} || Heat exchangers and pipes
|-
| {{imagelink|Fusion generator}} {{imagelink|Fusion reactor}} || Fusion power
|-
| {{imagelink|Car}} {{imagelink|Tank}} || Cars and tanks
|-
| {{imagelink|Train stop}} || Train stops
|-
| [https://lua-api.factorio.com/latest/prototypes/ElectricEnergyInterfacePrototype.html Electric energy interface] {{imagelink|Asteroid collector}} {{imagelink|Thruster}} || Some modded situations
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Lightning immune entities
! Entities !! Category
|-
| [https://lua-api.factorio.com/latest/prototypes/LegacyStraightRailPrototype.html Legacy rail] {{imagelink|Rail}} {{imagelink|Rail ramp|Rail ramp|Rail ramps and elevated rails}} {{imagelink|Rail support}} || Rail pieces
|-
| {{imagelink|Rail signal}} {{imagelink|Rail chain signal}} || Rail signals (notably not [[train stop]]s)
|-
| {{imagelink|Locomotive}} {{imagelink|Artillery wagon}} {{imagelink|Cargo wagon}} {{imagelink|Fluid wagon}} || Trains
|-
| {{imagelink|Wall}} {{imagelink|Land mine}} || Walls and mines
|-
| {{imagelink|Tree}} {{imagelink|Rock}} {{imagelink|Fulgorite}} || Trees and entities that count as a rock for [[Deconstruction planner|filtered destruction]]
|}

=== Lightning rods and collectors ===

[[Lightning rod]]s and [[lightning collector]]s serve a secondary function beyond protecting an area from lightning strikes. They convert lightning into stored power, which [[Power production#Lightning power|they quickly discharge]] into the local [[electric system]]. With enough [[accumulator]]s to last during daytime or between lightning strikes, this can serve as the factory's main power source.

With this, lightning on Fulgora becomes both a curse and a blessing: players must keep their factory covered by lightning rods or collectors to avoid damage, and nighttime exploration becomes dangerous and risky. However, to an established base, lightning become a convenient source of electric energy, which is especially important given the weak [[solar panel|solar output]] on Fulgora's surface and the difficulty of setting up a global electric network on Fulgora before [[foundation]] becomes available.

=== Natural resources ===
Aside from numerous items that can be collected by mining ancient ruins, only two "natural" resources occur on Fulgora, those being [[heavy oil]] and [[scrap]].

Heavy oil can be obtained in infinite and non-diminishing amounts by placing an [[offshore pump]] on the shore of an island, allowing it to collect heavy oil directly from the oillands.

Scrap is found in deposits on small and medium sized islands, as if it were an ore. However, in stark contrast to most other natural resources, scrap is not directly processed into a single basic resource like [[iron plate|iron]] or [[copper plate]]s using traditional production methods. Rather, it is [[recycler|recycled]] to produce a variety of items. [[Player]]s can also recycle by hand provided the recipe has been unlocked.
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Input !! Output !! Chance !! Rate
|-
|rowspan="12"| {{Imagelink|Scrap|space-age=yes}} || {{Imagelink|Iron gear wheel}} || 20% || 0.5/s
|-
| {{Imagelink|Solid fuel}} || 7% || 0.175/s
|-
| {{Imagelink|Concrete}} || 6% || 0.15/s
|-
| {{Imagelink|Ice|space-age=yes}} || 5% || 0.125/s
|-
| {{Imagelink|Steel plate}} || 4% || 0.1/s
|-
| {{Imagelink|Battery}} || 4% || 0.1/s
|-
| {{Imagelink|Stone}} || 4% || 0.1/s
|-
| {{Imagelink|Copper cable}} || 3% || 0.075/s
|-
| {{Imagelink|Advanced circuit}} || 3% || 0.075/s
|-
| {{Imagelink|Processing unit}} || 2% || 0.05/s
|-
| {{Imagelink|Low density structure}} || 1% || 0.025/s
|-
| {{Imagelink|Holmium ore|space-age=yes}} || 1% || 0.025/s
|}

Since this list includes intermediate products, such as [[processing unit]]s, but no iron or copper plates, players are generally forced to further recycle many of these items in order to obtain their ingredients. Players are thus left with the decision of what items to recycle, all while having to avoid cluttering their belts with unused resources.

== Access to basic resources ==

* [[Water]] can be obtained from [[ice]] (from recycling [[scrap]]) via [[ice melting]]
* [[Stone]] can be obtained by recycling [[scrap]]
* [[Iron ore]] can be obtained by recycling [[concrete]]
* [[Iron plate]] can be obtained by recycling [[iron gear wheel]], [[battery]], or [[electronic circuit]]
* [[Copper plate]] can be obtained by recycling [[copper cable]], [[battery]], or [[low density structure]]
* [[Coal]] cannot be obtained and must be shipped in from other planets. However:
** [[Plastic bar]] can be obtained by recycling [[advanced circuit]] or [[low density structure]]
** There are no [[enemies]] on-planet, so [[explosives]]-based ammunition or [[grenade]]s are not needed
* [[Crude oil]] is not available, but [[heavy oil]] is readily available using [[offshore pump]]s
* [[Copper ore]] is not available as the only recipe it is used in is copper plates and smelting processes cannot be reversed
* [[Uranium]] is not available eliminating nuclear power without importing from off planet

== Power Considerations ==
The lightning mechanic offers free electricity, but this is not always adequate on its own and it may be desirable to setup auxiliary or backup power for when accumulators run low. The primary considerations or limiting factors to setting up power generation are water, and physical space due to the lack of usable land on the surface.

Using boilers with solid fuel offers 0.3 MW per unit of water, and offers an energy density of 0.05 per tile of surface area (36 tiles for two steam engines and a boiler).

Using a heat exchanger offers 0.97 MW per unit of water. To calculate the space efficiency as an ideal, we take the least common multiple that gives us a perfect ratio of heat exchangers to steam turbines, which is effectively 60 heat exchangers paired with 103 turbines. That gives a total area of 1905, and the 103 turbines generate 599.46 MW, meaning the ideal per tile density of energy is ~0.31468, slightly better than regular boilers. This assumes ideal conditions and maximal utilization though, which is unlikely in practice. Also unlike the the boilers which produce their own heat, this setup will require additional space usage to create heat. Given the low practical likelihood of getting ideal utilization combined with the additional appendage requirement, we can declaratively say this is the less space efficient option, though it is significantly more water efficient.

Regarding heat production, heating towers offer 4.4... MW per tile, making them initially superior to nuclear at 1.6 MW per tile for a single reactor, but at scale due to the neighbor bonus nuclear can achieve higher energy density. Any reactor array larger than 1x2 will effectively achieve a higher energy density than heating towers. Using reactors will require importing fuel since its not natively available on planet. Nuclear fuel offers 400 GJ per stack or 80 GJ per rocket. Meanwhile solid fuel offers 1.5 GJ per stack with the heating tower efficiency bonus, but is extremely abundant on planet.

Solar panels do not require any water, but receive an 80% penalty on fulgora, producing only 12 kW, or ~1.3 kW per tile. Note this is in kW, not MW. Given that fuel is abundant and space is limited and water is not impossible to acquire, this makes solar effectively worthless on Fulgora.

Water can also be imported from off planet if supply is a significant issue. A space platform can collect ice and drop it to the surface as a supplement, and if something more consistent is required water can always be transported from other planets. Transporting ice from Aquilo is significantly more efficient than the alternative of transporting water barrels offering twice the water per stack and 40 times as much per rocket. It is recommended to liquify the ice in orbit and then drop it in barrels. Electricity in orbit is free, and liquifying ice creates significantly more electrical overhead than unbarreling, which would lower net yield.

Another tip to consider is remembering the existence of burner inserters. Pollution is not a factor on Fulgora, and fuel is abundant often to the point of excess, meaning burners are an ideal choice as long as throughput is acceptable. This can help ease the burden on the electrical grid significantly under the right conditions. Steel furnaces are similarly viable if modules aren't needed, and burner miners warrant greater consideration than usual

To recap:
- Boilers are more efficient for density
- Heat exchangers are more efficient for water usage
- Solar panels should be avoided.

==Space routes==
[[Fulgora]] is connected to 3 other planets: [[Nauvis]], [[Gleba]], and [[Aquilo]].

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Planet Distance
|-
! Planet !! Distance (km)
|-
| [[Nauvis]]|| 15,000
|-
| [[Gleba]]|| 15,000
|-
| [[Aquilo]]|| 30,000
|}

Asteroid rate graphs:

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
| [[File:Asteroid_chart_Nauvis_Fulgora.png]] Space route from Nauvis to Fulgora
| [[File:Asteroid_chart_Gleba_Fulgora.png]] Space route from Gleba to Fulgora
| [[File:Asteroid_chart_Fulgora_Aquilo.png]] Space route from Fulgora to Aquilo
|}

Graph legend:
<table class="wikitable">
<tr>
<th>Asteroid type</th>
<th>Chunk</th>
<th>Medium</th>
<th>Big</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>[[File:Metallic asteroid chunk.png|32px]] Metallic</td>
<td>● Blue</td>
<td>● Red</td>
<td>● Cyan</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>[[File:Carbonic asteroid chunk.png|32px]] Carbonic</td>
<td>● Orange</td>
<td>● Yellow</td>
<td>● Brown</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>[[File:Oxide asteroid chunk.png|32px]] Oxide</td>
<td>● Green</td>
<td>● Magenta</td>
<td>● Purple</td>
</tr>
</table>

==Orbit==

===Properties===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Property !! Value
|-
| Solar Power || 120%
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Asteroid Spawning Types
|-
! [[Asteroids| Asteroid]] Type !! Spawn Ratio
|-
| [[Metallic asteroid chunk]] || 4
|-
| [[Carbonic asteroid chunk]] || 3
|-
| [[Oxide asteroid chunk]] || 1
|-
| [[Promethium asteroid chunk]] || 0
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Asteroid Spawning Sizes
|-
! [[Asteroids| Asteroid]] Size !! Spawn %
|-
| Chunk || .25
|-
| Medium || .25
|-
| Big || 0
|-
| Huge || 0
|}

'''Note:'''
*Chunks spawn at Nauvis at 1.25%
*Huge Asteroids only spawn past [[Aquilo]]{{SA}}

== Gallery ==
<gallery widths="300px" heights="200px">
fulgora_landscape.png|Example landscape of Fulgora.
fulgora landscape titlescreen.png|Fulgora seen on the expansion's title screen.
</gallery>

== Trivia ==
* The planet's ruins suggest that an unknown civilization once existed there before the game's events.
* In mythology, Fulgora is the Roman personification of lightning, and a shieldmaiden to the god of thunder, Jupiter.
* The planet is based on real-world [[:Wikipedia:Desert planet|desert planets]], as well as lightning observed on other planets like Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.

== History ==
{{history|2.0.7|
* Introduced in [[Space Age]]{{SA}} expansion.
}}

== See also ==
* [[Aquilo]] {{SA}}
* [[Gleba]] {{SA}}
* [[Nauvis]]
* [[Vulcanus]] {{SA}}
* [[Space platform]] {{SA}}
* [[Tutorial:Scrap recycling strategies]] {{SA}}

{{C|Planets}}
{{SpaceNav}}

Fulgora

2026-05-27T04:14:04Z

GregFirehawk: Added information for on surface power generation beyond relying on lightning

{{Languages}}
{{About/Space age}}
[[file:fulgora_preview.png|210px|right]]'''Fulgora''' is a new barren desert [[planet]]. Its surface is split between island-like plateaus, and deep oilsands. During the night, the planet is ravaged by lightning storms, damaging buildings.

[[Planet discovery Fulgora (research)]] is required to travel to the planet.

== Achievements ==
{{Achievement|visit-fulgora}}

== Exclusive Items ==
[[Scrap]] can only be found on Fulgora, in mineable scrap patches or from detritus scattered across the planet.

The following items are unlocked on Fulgora and can only be crafted on-planet:
* {{imagelink|Electromagnetic science pack|space-age=yes}}
* {{imagelink|Electromagnetic plant|space-age=yes}}
* {{imagelink|Lightning collector|space-age=yes}}
* {{imagelink|Lightning rod|space-age=yes}}
* {{imagelink|Recycler|space-age=yes}}

The following items are unlocked on Fulgora but can be crafted elsewhere:
* {{imagelink|Mech armor|space-age=yes}}
* {{imagelink|Personal battery MK3|space-age=yes}}
* {{imagelink|Energy shield MK2}}
* {{imagelink|Personal roboport MK2}}
* {{imagelink|Quality module 3|space-age=yes}}
* {{imagelink|Tesla turret|space-age=yes}}

==Surface==

===Properties===
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Fulgora Surface Properties
|-
! Property !! Value
|-
| Pollutant Type || None
|-
| Day Night Cycle || 3 Minutes
|-
| Magnetic Field|| 99
|-
| Solar Power || 20%
|-
| Pressure || 800
|-
| Gravity || 8
|}

== Biomes ==
Fulgora is split between two distinct biomes.
* '''Plateaus''' are islands dotted around the landscape. They are the only biome where factories can be built. Some plateaus are home to [[fulgoran ruin|alien ruins]], which have [[fulgoran lightning attractor]]s, which can protect your buildings until unlocking your own [[lightning rod]]s. Other plateaus hold [[scrap]], Fulgora's sole resource.
* '''Oilsands''' are the lowlands between the plateaus. No buildings can be built in them except for [[rail support]]s. You can walk through them, but occasional oilpatches will slow you to a crawl. An [[offshore pump]] can be placed on the edge of oilsands to produce an unlimited amount of [[heavy oil]]. 

=== Terrain ===
Fulgoran terrain is mainly composed of [[Oil ocean|oillands]], on which nothing except for [[rail support]]s can be built. Traversal by foot across the oillands is possible, but slow. The oillands are further divided into deep and shallow areas, with deep areas slowing down player movement even further and not even allowing for rail supports to be built until [[rail support foundations (research)]] is researched.

However, the oillands are also scattered with islands of various sizes, on which normal construction is possible. At first, these are the only place on Fulgora where factories can be built, as [[foundation]] for building on top of the oillands requires research that can not be performed until much later.

The islands come in three size classes:
* Small islands with high amounts of resources, but with little room to build on
* Medium islands with lower amounts of resources, and with sufficient room for a small factory
* Large islands with no resources, but with enough room to build the main part of a medium-sized factory

It is possible for two or more islands to overlap, potentially creating an even larger island that does have local resources. However, most islands are detached, meaning that transport between islands will have to occur by train. In many cases, the distance between two islands is also too vast for [[roboport]]s or [[big electric pole]]s to reach, thus requiring local [[logistic network|logistic]] and [[electric system|electric networks]] to be built, as neither roboports nor power poles can be built on the oillands without [[foundation]].

Islands are also scattered with [[fulgorite]], [[Fulgoran lightning attractor]]s, [[Fulgoran ruin]]s and [[Fulgoran vault ruin]]s, allowing players without the [[recycler]] to get access to basic resources.

== Mechanics ==
=== Lightning ===
During [[time|nighttime]], dense thunderstorms occur on Fulgora, with frequent lightning strikes occurring across the surface. Lightning will strike each [[chunk]] once, every 10 seconds or so (<code>lightnings_per_chunk_per_tick = 1 / (60 * 10), --cca once per chunk every 10 seconds (600 ticks)</code>)

If a lightning strike is set to occur near a [[lightning rod]], [[lightning collector]], or [[Fulgoran lightning attractor]], then the lightning will always hit said entity, rendering the lightning harmless. However, if such an entity can not be found, the lightning will strike where it occurs, causing damage to nearby entities.

Lightning will prefer striking the entity with the highest priority, choosing randomly between entities tied for highest priority.

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Lightning priority above 1
|-
! Entity !! Priority value
|-
| {{imagelink|Lightning collector}} || 10,000
|-
| {{imagelink|Lightning rod}} || 1,000
|-
| [[Fulgoran lightning attractor]] || 1,000
|-
| [[Fulgoran vault ruin]] || 95
|-
| Colossal [[Fulgoran ruin]] || 94
|-
| Huge [[Fulgoran ruin]] || 93
|-
| Big [[Fulgoran ruin]] || 92
|-
| Medium [[Fulgoran ruin]] || 91
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Lightning priority 1
! Entities !! Category
|-
| Anything with the "Metal" impact soundset/category?
|-
| {{imagelink|Pipe}} {{imagelink|Pipe to ground}} {{imagelink|Pump}} {{imagelink|Offshore pump}} || Pipes and pumps
|-
| {{imagelink|Small electric pole}} {{imagelink|Medium electric pole}} {{imagelink|Big electric pole}} {{imagelink|Substation}} || Electric poles
|-
| {{imagelink|Power switch}} {{imagelink|Accumulator}} || Electric routing
|-
| {{imagelink|Recycler}} {{imagelink|Assembling machine 1}} {{imagelink|Assembling machine 2}} {{imagelink|Assembling machine 3}} || Recyclers and assemblers
|-
| {{imagelink|Beacon}} || Beacons
|-
| {{imagelink|Radar}} || Radars
|-
| {{imagelink|Roboport}} {{imagelink|Logistic robot}} {{imagelink|Construction robot}} || Roboports and bots
|-
| {{imagelink|Burner inserter}} {{imagelink|Inserter}} {{imagelink|Long handed inserter}} {{imagelink|Fast inserter}} || Inserters (but not [[bulk inserter|bulk]]/[[stack inserter]]s)
|-
| {{imagelink|Iron chest}} {{imagelink|Steel chest}} {{imagelink|Storage chest}} {{imagelink|Passive provider chest}} {{imagelink|Active provider chest}} {{imagelink|Requester chest}} {{imagelink|Buffer chest}} || Metal chests (notably ''not'' [[wooden chest]]s)
|-
| {{imagelink|Cargo pod}} || Landed cargo pods
|-
| {{imagelink|Steel furnace}} {{imagelink|Electric furnace}} || Metal furnaces
|-
| {{imagelink|Heat exchanger}} {{imagelink|Heat pipe}} || Heat exchangers and pipes
|-
| {{imagelink|Fusion generator}} {{imagelink|Fusion reactor}} || Fusion power
|-
| {{imagelink|Car}} {{imagelink|Tank}} || Cars and tanks
|-
| {{imagelink|Train stop}} || Train stops
|-
| [https://lua-api.factorio.com/latest/prototypes/ElectricEnergyInterfacePrototype.html Electric energy interface] {{imagelink|Asteroid collector}} {{imagelink|Thruster}} || Some modded situations
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Lightning immune entities
! Entities !! Category
|-
| [https://lua-api.factorio.com/latest/prototypes/LegacyStraightRailPrototype.html Legacy rail] {{imagelink|Rail}} {{imagelink|Rail ramp|Rail ramp|Rail ramps and elevated rails}} {{imagelink|Rail support}} || Rail pieces
|-
| {{imagelink|Rail signal}} {{imagelink|Rail chain signal}} || Rail signals (notably not [[train stop]]s)
|-
| {{imagelink|Locomotive}} {{imagelink|Artillery wagon}} {{imagelink|Cargo wagon}} {{imagelink|Fluid wagon}} || Trains
|-
| {{imagelink|Wall}} {{imagelink|Land mine}} || Walls and mines
|-
| {{imagelink|Tree}} {{imagelink|Rock}} {{imagelink|Fulgorite}} || Trees and entities that count as a rock for [[Deconstruction planner|filtered destruction]]
|}

=== Lightning rods and collectors ===

[[Lightning rod]]s and [[lightning collector]]s serve a secondary function beyond protecting an area from lightning strikes. They convert lightning into stored power, which [[Power production#Lightning power|they quickly discharge]] into the local [[electric system]]. With enough [[accumulator]]s to last during daytime or between lightning strikes, this can serve as the factory's main power source.

With this, lightning on Fulgora becomes both a curse and a blessing: players must keep their factory covered by lightning rods or collectors to avoid damage, and nighttime exploration becomes dangerous and risky. However, to an established base, lightning become a convenient source of electric energy, which is especially important given the weak [[solar panel|solar output]] on Fulgora's surface and the difficulty of setting up a global electric network on Fulgora before [[foundation]] becomes available.

=== Natural resources ===
Aside from numerous items that can be collected by mining ancient ruins, only two "natural" resources occur on Fulgora, those being [[heavy oil]] and [[scrap]].

Heavy oil can be obtained in infinite and non-diminishing amounts by placing an [[offshore pump]] on the shore of an island, allowing it to collect heavy oil directly from the oillands.

Scrap is found in deposits on small and medium sized islands, as if it were an ore. However, in stark contrast to most other natural resources, scrap is not directly processed into a single basic resource like [[iron plate|iron]] or [[copper plate]]s using traditional production methods. Rather, it is [[recycler|recycled]] to produce a variety of items. [[Player]]s can also recycle by hand provided the recipe has been unlocked.
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Input !! Output !! Chance !! Rate
|-
|rowspan="12"| {{Imagelink|Scrap|space-age=yes}} || {{Imagelink|Iron gear wheel}} || 20% || 0.5/s
|-
| {{Imagelink|Solid fuel}} || 7% || 0.175/s
|-
| {{Imagelink|Concrete}} || 6% || 0.15/s
|-
| {{Imagelink|Ice|space-age=yes}} || 5% || 0.125/s
|-
| {{Imagelink|Steel plate}} || 4% || 0.1/s
|-
| {{Imagelink|Battery}} || 4% || 0.1/s
|-
| {{Imagelink|Stone}} || 4% || 0.1/s
|-
| {{Imagelink|Copper cable}} || 3% || 0.075/s
|-
| {{Imagelink|Advanced circuit}} || 3% || 0.075/s
|-
| {{Imagelink|Processing unit}} || 2% || 0.05/s
|-
| {{Imagelink|Low density structure}} || 1% || 0.025/s
|-
| {{Imagelink|Holmium ore|space-age=yes}} || 1% || 0.025/s
|}

Since this list includes intermediate products, such as [[processing unit]]s, but no iron or copper plates, players are generally forced to further recycle many of these items in order to obtain their ingredients. Players are thus left with the decision of what items to recycle, all while having to avoid cluttering their belts with unused resources.

== Access to basic resources ==

* [[Water]] can be obtained from [[ice]] (from recycling [[scrap]]) via [[ice melting]]
* [[Stone]] can be obtained by recycling [[scrap]]
* [[Iron ore]] can be obtained by recycling [[concrete]]
* [[Iron plate]] can be obtained by recycling [[iron gear wheel]], [[battery]], or [[electronic circuit]]
* [[Copper plate]] can be obtained by recycling [[copper cable]], [[battery]], or [[low density structure]]
* [[Coal]] cannot be obtained and must be shipped in from other planets. However:
** [[Plastic bar]] can be obtained by recycling [[advanced circuit]] or [[low density structure]]
** There are no [[enemies]] on-planet, so [[explosives]]-based ammunition or [[grenade]]s are not needed
* [[Crude oil]] is not available, but [[heavy oil]] is readily available using [[offshore pump]]s
* [[Copper ore]] is not available as the only recipe it is used in is copper plates and smelting processes cannot be reversed
* [[Uranium]] is not available eliminating nuclear power without importing from off planet

== Power Considerations ==
The lightning mechanic offers free electricity, but this is not always adequate on its own and it may be desirable to setup auxiliary or backup power for when accumulators run low. The primary considerations or limiting factors to setting up power generation are water, and physical space due to the lack of usable land on the surface.

Using boilers with solid fuel offers 0.3 MW per unit of water, and offers an energy density of 0.05 per tile of surface area (36 tiles for two steam engines and a boiler).

Using a heat exchanger offers 0.97 MW per unit of water. To calculate the space efficiency as an ideal, we take the least common multiple that gives us a perfect ratio of heat exchangers to steam turbines, which is effectively 60 heat exchangers paired with 103 turbines. That gives a total area of 1905, and the 103 turbines generate 599.46 MW, meaning the ideal per tile density of energy is ~0.31468, slightly better than regular boilers. This assumes ideal conditions and maximal utilization though, which is unlikely in practice. Also unlike the the boilers which produce their own heat, this setup will require additional space usage to create heat. Given the low practical likelihood of getting ideal utilization combined with the additional appendage requirement, we can declaratively say this is the less space efficient option, though it is significantly more water efficient.

Regarding heat production, heating towers offer 4.4... MW per tile, making them initially superior to nuclear at 1.6 MW per tile for a single reactor, but at scale due to the neighbor bonus nuclear can achieve higher energy density. Any reactor array larger than 1x2 will effectively achieve a higher energy density than heating towers. Using reactors will require importing fuel since its not natively available on planet. Nuclear fuel offers 400 GJ per stack or 80 GJ per rocket. Meanwhile solid fuel offers 1.5 GJ per stack with the heating tower efficiency bonus, but is extremely abundant on planet.

Solar panels do not require any water, but receive an 80% penalty on fulgora, producing only 12 kW, or ~1.3 kW per tile. Note this is in kW, not MW. Given that fuel is abundant and space is limited and water is not impossible to acquire, this makes solar effectively worthless on Fulgora.

Water can also be imported from off planet if supply is a significant issue. A space platform can collect ice and drop it to the surface as a supplement, and if something more consistent is required water can always be transported from other planets. Transporting ice from Aquilo is significantly more efficient than the alternative of transporting water barrels offering twice the water per stack and 40 times as much per rocket. It is recommended to liquify the ice in orbit and then drop it in barrels. Electricity in orbit is free, and liquifying ice creates significantly more electrical overhead than unbarreling, which would lower net yield.

Another tip to consider is remembering the existence of burner inserters. Pollution is not a factor on Fulgora, and fuel is abundant often to the point of excess, meaning burners are an ideal choice as long as throughput is acceptable. This can help ease the burden on the electrical grid significantly under the right conditions. Steel furnaces are similarly viable if modules aren't needed

To recap:
- Boilers are more efficient for density
- Heat exchangers are more efficient for water usage
- Solar panels should be avoided.

==Space routes==
[[Fulgora]] is connected to 3 other planets: [[Nauvis]], [[Gleba]], and [[Aquilo]].

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Planet Distance
|-
! Planet !! Distance (km)
|-
| [[Nauvis]]|| 15,000
|-
| [[Gleba]]|| 15,000
|-
| [[Aquilo]]|| 30,000
|}

Asteroid rate graphs:

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
| [[File:Asteroid_chart_Nauvis_Fulgora.png]] Space route from Nauvis to Fulgora
| [[File:Asteroid_chart_Gleba_Fulgora.png]] Space route from Gleba to Fulgora
| [[File:Asteroid_chart_Fulgora_Aquilo.png]] Space route from Fulgora to Aquilo
|}

Graph legend:
<table class="wikitable">
<tr>
<th>Asteroid type</th>
<th>Chunk</th>
<th>Medium</th>
<th>Big</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>[[File:Metallic asteroid chunk.png|32px]] Metallic</td>
<td>● Blue</td>
<td>● Red</td>
<td>● Cyan</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>[[File:Carbonic asteroid chunk.png|32px]] Carbonic</td>
<td>● Orange</td>
<td>● Yellow</td>
<td>● Brown</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>[[File:Oxide asteroid chunk.png|32px]] Oxide</td>
<td>● Green</td>
<td>● Magenta</td>
<td>● Purple</td>
</tr>
</table>

==Orbit==

===Properties===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Property !! Value
|-
| Solar Power || 120%
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Asteroid Spawning Types
|-
! [[Asteroids| Asteroid]] Type !! Spawn Ratio
|-
| [[Metallic asteroid chunk]] || 4
|-
| [[Carbonic asteroid chunk]] || 3
|-
| [[Oxide asteroid chunk]] || 1
|-
| [[Promethium asteroid chunk]] || 0
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Asteroid Spawning Sizes
|-
! [[Asteroids| Asteroid]] Size !! Spawn %
|-
| Chunk || .25
|-
| Medium || .25
|-
| Big || 0
|-
| Huge || 0
|}

'''Note:'''
*Chunks spawn at Nauvis at 1.25%
*Huge Asteroids only spawn past [[Aquilo]]{{SA}}

== Gallery ==
<gallery widths="300px" heights="200px">
fulgora_landscape.png|Example landscape of Fulgora.
fulgora landscape titlescreen.png|Fulgora seen on the expansion's title screen.
</gallery>

== Trivia ==
* The planet's ruins suggest that an unknown civilization once existed there before the game's events.
* In mythology, Fulgora is the Roman personification of lightning, and a shieldmaiden to the god of thunder, Jupiter.
* The planet is based on real-world [[:Wikipedia:Desert planet|desert planets]], as well as lightning observed on other planets like Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.

== History ==
{{history|2.0.7|
* Introduced in [[Space Age]]{{SA}} expansion.
}}

== See also ==
* [[Aquilo]] {{SA}}
* [[Gleba]] {{SA}}
* [[Nauvis]]
* [[Vulcanus]] {{SA}}
* [[Space platform]] {{SA}}
* [[Tutorial:Scrap recycling strategies]] {{SA}}

{{C|Planets}}
{{SpaceNav}}

Boiler

2026-05-24T03:23:44Z

GregFirehawk: Added some calculations and adjusted tip

{{Languages}}{{:Infobox:Boiler}}

The '''boiler''' uses [[fuel]] to convert [[water]] into [[steam]] at 165°C suitable for use in a [[steam engine]]. It has two water connectors on opposite ends and passes water through to adjacent equipment such as other boilers. The boiler features a single output for the steam it produces. It only consumes fuel as it creates steam. Boilers used in conjunction with [[offshore pump]]s and steam engines are a vital part of early [[power production|power generation]].

For each unit of water, 10 units of steam are produced. Inserting one [[coal]] (4 MJ) into a boiler then using the resulting steam in a steam engine will supply 4 MJ of energy to an electrical system. It costs 300 kJ to heat 1 unit of water to into 10 steam at 165°C, so one boiler will produce 60 steam per second.

[[Inserter]]s can insert fuel into boilers. However, using powered inserters to move fuel into a boiler can be problematic should fuel become unavailable: if no power is being produced, then powered inserters fueling a boiler cannot operate. Inserters can also remove fuel from boilers, allowing inserters to move fuel down a chain of boilers.

Using at least one [[burner inserter]], which uses fuel and not electricity, ensures that at least one inserter is available to restart a single boiler. On larger power grids a single burner may not be satisfactory to restart the grid since Inserters will spin very slowly due to lack of electrical satisfaction, and won't be able to input coal to one section fast enough before the previous section runs out again, thus never achieving proper uptime or a successful restart. Other good restart solutions: keeping an emergency chest of coal nearby for easy manual restart (recommended), or for an automated option you can utilized the circuit network. The circuit network can't be connected to boilers or steam engines directly, so to read the necessary information will require a storage tank of steam, or an accumulator. Once you detect a failure state, you can either enable a fleet of backup burner inserters which are otherwise disabled (leaving these enabled is inefficient and not recommended), or you could use a power switch to temporarily isolate the local power grid to avoid the throughput problems mentioned above. These solutions can also be combined.

== Calculations ==

A single boiler requires a piece of coal roughly every ~2.2... seconds (4/1.8), or 0.45 coal/second. Higher density fuels adjust consumption accordingly (wood is consumed twice as fast, solid fuel 3 times slower, etc)

A single full yellow belt of coal (15 coal/second) can supply 60MW of power, feeding ~33.3... boilers.

A single stack of coal stores 200MJ, while a full steam storage tank stores 750MJ, making chests the highest density energy buffer solution

== History ==
{{History|2.0.7|
* 1 Water will now produce 10 Steam in boilers/heat exchangers.}}

{{history|0.15.10|
* Steam became a separate resource, boilers now produce steam rather than high temperature water that is displayed as steam
** This distinction is meaningful for circuit network accounting of steam and the [[coal liquefaction]] recipe}}

{{history|0.15.0|
* New graphics.
* Changed boiler dimensions to 3×2.
* 'Steam' is produced on a separate connector rather than heating water passed through.
** At this time, steam is actually water that is renamed when over 100 degrees.
* Significantly increased energy consumption/production.}}

{{history|0.13.0|
* New fire graphics for boilers.}}

{{history|0.9.2|
* Enabled the [[inserter]] to take [[fuel]] out of boilers.}}

{{history|0.8.0|
* Flickering light added to [[furnace]]s and boilers.}}

{{history|0.6.1|
* Boilers show their fuel inventory in the entity info.}}

{{history|0.5.1|
* Boilers are now fast-replaceable with pipes.
* New boiler graphics.
}}

{{history|0.1.0|
* Introduced}}

== See also ==
* [[Electric system]]
* [[Fluid system]]

{{ProductionNav}}
{{C|Energy}}

Talk:Inserters

2025-08-05T01:42:22Z

GregFirehawk: /* Splitter to Chest */ new section

[https://forums.factorio.com/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=22#p71]

Removed. But eventually helpful. [[User:Ssilk|Ssilk]] ([[User talk:Ssilk|talk]]) 02:45, 31 December 2013 (CET)

== Changes for 0.17 ==

The faster belt speeds probably change the results for some of the entries in these tables. It looks like they haven't been updated yet. --[[User:Omnifarious|Omnifarious]] ([[User talk:Omnifarious|talk]]) 14:59, 27 May 2019 (UTC)

They have been updated by [[User:Bilka|Bilka]] in [[Special:PermanentLink/172015|This revision]]. --[[User:Swan|Swan]] ([[User talk:Swan|talk]]) 17:19, 27 May 2019 (UTC)

== Inserter speed ==

I updated this wiki to show ticks per turn in the inserter speed section. My results seem to clash with the previous information about rotation speed (102 ticks = 1.7 seconds, there is a discrepancy between the rotation time of burner inserters most notably). The experiment I performed was done on vanilla factorio 0.14.22. I used two steel chests with varying inserters for each experiment. The inserters were fully powered at all times. The first chest is wired to a combinator which tests for any items in the chest, and outputs 1 signal X. This signal is added to a tallying arithmetic combinator. This arithmetic combinator is wired to itself, and outputs T + X. The value of T at setup is 0. I begin this experiment by placing large stacks of items into the first chest. I place only 201 transfers worth of material into the chest. This will stop the timer as soon as the last item is removed, which occurs after 200 transfers. With this setup I obtained the results as I have reported them. The timer always stopped on a multiple of 200, indicating that the number of ticks per full turn is an integer number. This is why I decided to add a separate column for this value. I may in the future update the other rotation speed metrics to match my results. --[[User:Reububble|Reububble]] ([[User talk:Reububble|talk]]) 18:19, 8 March 2017 (UTC)
:Which orientation were the inserters? Inserters facing north have lower throughput, might mean they have slower rotation speed. --[[User:Artorp|Artorp]] ([[User talk:Artorp|talk]]) 20:47, 5 April 2017 (UTC)

== put the "Inserters And Transport Belt Interaction" examples in a table so they are side by side ==

i see why that was a bad idea, but i would rather see them side by side if it were possible to make a table that, when the horizontal space it has to display is smaller than all 4 makes it so there are 3 and on another "line" another 1 or 2x2 or all underneath one another like it is now.

: I put them in a 2x2 square; I think that's the best way to see all of them at once. -- [[User:Bilka|Bilka]] ([[User talk:Bilka|talk]]) - Admin 13:17, 14 August 2017 (UTC)

== Problem with translation ==

Could someone explain to me what it is '''Extension Speed''' and why it is expressed in '''Tiles per Tick'''.

I'm trying to make a translation and can not find a word - without knowing what it is ;){{unsigned|JakubSTR|08:43, 6 March 2018‎}}

:I'd describe extension speed as how fast the inserter "extends", so in this case how fast its arm gets longer/shorter to be able to reach an item on the far or near side of the belt. It's expressed in tiles per tick because that is a unit of speed, just like meters per second :) An inserter that has an extension speed of 1 tile per tick needs 1 tick to make its arm longer by a whole tile. I hope this helps. -- [[User:Bilka|Bilka]] ([[User talk:Bilka|talk]]) - Admin 11:11, 6 March 2018 (UTC)

== Multiplication sign notation ==

To Cardinal, why are you changing all the multiplication signs from " * " to " x "? This is less proper notation mathematically, and can cause confusion algebraically which is why the * notation exists. I don't see any benefit to explicitly make this change which is arguably less correct.{{Unsigned|GregFirehawk|09:08, 10 May 2025}}

: The wiki generally prefers × and ÷ for mathematical formulas, so these edits are correct. For completely proper mathematical notation, you can use latex instead, there is a proposed style guide: [[Factorio_talk:Style_guide#Draft:_equation_style_guide]]. -- [[User:Bilka|Bilka]] ([[User talk:Bilka|talk]]) - Admin 09:19, 10 May 2025 (UTC)

:: Well, the char I've used was "×", not "x". Those edits are basically for 2 reasons: Firstly, as Bilka said, to maintain the consistency of wiki contents. Secondly, to avoid ambiguity from the "*" representing the annotation, you can see them in the tables on this page. Of coures, sometimes "x" can also be confused with "×", maybe it's a better idea to reform the equation with LaTeX syntax. Sadly I'm not good at it, so if you can deal with this, I'll glad to apply it in my translation. [[User:Cardinal|Cardinal]] ([[User talk:Cardinal|talk]]) 09:55, 10 May 2025 (UTC)

== Splitter to Chest ==

I noticed that there is Chest to Splitter, but no Splitter to Chest. I clocked it at ~20 item/s using blue splitters and green inserters, and at over 17 item/s with red splitters. That's pretty significant, much more so than the sideloaded tunnel strat thats prominently featured. For reference, I did this by doing 1 inserter per splitter, and loading it with both belts. There is a drop in throughput when using only a single belt, and another smaller drop when using 2 inserters per splitter. I'm pretty sure I'm not the first to come across this as I think I've heard people discuss it before, so it should be added to the page. I have no plans to do that right now, so if anyone else would like to then please do!

Burner inserter

2025-08-04T20:37:12Z

GregFirehawk: Added clarification for newer players that burner inserters don't directly pollute

{{Languages}}
{{:Infobox:Burner inserter}}

The '''burner inserter''' is the most basic and slowest type of [[inserters]]. It is powered by burning [[fuel]], compared to the more advanced inserters which are powered by [[electric system|electricity]]. It will add fuel to its own supply if it picks any up, which makes it useful for filling [[boiler|boilers]] with [[coal]]. This has the advantage that it will continue working even if the power fails, as opposed to electrically-powered inserters which will be unable to function. It consumes no fuel while idle, though it consumes vastly more energy than most other inserters when active.

Even though it doesn't use electricity, a burner inserter can be connected to and controlled by the [[logistic network|logistic]] and the [[circuit network]].

Burner Inserters do not directly produce any pollution in their operation. A common misconception implied by the early game is anything that runs on burner power must be polluting (e.g. burner miner, boiler, furnace, etc.). Pollution is only ever produced by buildings, not entities like inserters or vehicles, and non burning buildings like assemblers also pollute. For more information reference the dedicated page on Pollution. Burner Inserters can still indirectly contribute to pollution significantly by consuming excessive amounts of fuel, which costs pollution to gather, so be mindful of that.

== Fuel consumption ==

A burner inserter consumes no power while idle and does not continuously consume the maximum amount of power when working. Burner Inserters spawn with an internal energy buffer of 500 kJ, represented as 25% the value of a piece of wood fuel (which is 2MJ). Aside from not having drain, all its other power characteristics are identical to the rest of the inserters. It simply pulls its joules from its fuel rather than your power grid. For more detailed information on inserter power characteristics you can reference the main page [[Inserters|here]].

Burners also have a behavior known as "leeching" where they will pull fuel from their input and commandeer it for their own use. This leeching behavior is not exactly quantified, but it is triggered whenever the internal fuel inventory reaches zero, and performing the action also consumes fuel since motion is never free.

== History ==
{{history|2.0.7|
* All inserters now have filter option.
* Energy consumption increased from 94.2 kW to 144 kW.
* Burner inserters now reliably pick up items off of [[fast transport belt]]s and [[express transport belt]]s.}}

{{history|0.13.2|
* Inserters connected to the circuit network now have the option to only read hand contents.}}

{{history|0.13.0|
* Inserters can now send the item held in hand to the circuit network.
* Inserters are able to squeeze things ''slightly'' better to belts.
* All types of inserters can be controlled by the circuit and logistic network, once the respective network is researched.
}}

{{history|0.12.16|
* Improved burner inserter's fuel searching logic; it will now search both transport belt lines for fuel}}

{{history|0.12.11|
* Burner inserter now grabs fuel for itself even if the target doesn't need it}}

{{history|0.12.2|
* Inserters will never take more than the max stack size of an item.
* Inserters and logistic robots no longer extract from enemy chests
* Inserters now correctly pick up items from splitters
}}

{{history|0.12.1|
* Burner inserters start with enough energy to pick up 1 item and fuel themselves.}}

{{history|0.12.0|
* Inserters can now extract from roboports and beacons.
* Inserters now take items from right behind them, not from the center of the pickup target entity.}}

{{history|0.10.0|
* New icon
* New sounds}}

{{history|0.9.2|
* Inserters can have arbitrary pickup and insert positions.}}

{{history|0.9.0|
* Inserter code optimisation, inserters that have nothing to do will sleep.}}

{{history|0.8.0|
* Improved inserter's ability to pull from train wagons.}}

{{history|0.7.1|
* Fast inserter now has the same speed as the smart inserter.}}

{{history|0.5.0|
* Inserter can now pick up up to 5 items when researched.}}

{{history|0.4.0|
* Smaller inserter bounding box}}

{{history|0.3.0|
* New Inserter graphics}}

{{history|0.2.1|
* The item in the hand of the inserter is returned to the player when mined.}}

{{history|0.2.0|
* Show direction of inserter}}

{{history|0.1.0|
* Introduced}}

== See also ==
* [[Inserters]]

{{LogisticsNav}}
{{C|Inserters}}

Talk:Enemies

2025-05-10T21:21:42Z

GregFirehawk: /* Fire Resistance */

http://www.factorioforums.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=2011

== Update required! ==

The new update (.11) added Spitters. Please update :)
I'll link here from the Quick Start Guide, so it's important that this gets updated

== Attack speed ==

What are the the attack speeds of the various enemies?
:Here are the attack speeds of various enemies. They were measured by using Audacity to record attack sound effects and find the interval between them.
:* Small Biter - 1.7/s
:* Medium Biter - 1.7/s
:* Big Biter - 1.7/s
:* Behemoth Biter - 1.2/s

:*Small Spitter - 0.46/s
:*Medium Spitter - 0.46/s
:*Big Spitter - 0.46/s
:*Behemoth Spitter - 0.46/s

:*Small Worm - 0.91/s
:*Medium Worm - 0.65/s
:*Big Worm - 0.65/s

:I'll add them into the table now. [[User:Swordstone|Swordstone]] ([[User talk:Swordstone|talk]]) 18:28, 22 September 2017 (UTC)

== The "Advanced: Evolution factor components and computation" box is outdated ==

The box uses the pre 0.13 formula for the evolution factor, that doesn't use the squared factor. It contradicts the description above and it can't be used in the current version. Imo it can be deleted. --[[User:Unique 2|Unique 2]] ([[User talk:Unique 2|talk]]) 23:09, 9 August 2022 (UTC)
: Thank you for pointing this out and thank you to [[User:Vornicus]] for updating the relevant text and removing the rest! -- [[User:Bilka|Bilka]] ([[User talk:Bilka|talk]]) - Admin 14:29, 7 October 2022 (UTC)

== Evolution pollution equivalent ==

Adding context here because the numbers were added without further context: Pollution equivalent for the different sources is <code>source_evo_increase ÷ pollution_evo_increase</code>. So it is dependent on the map settings. For the table with evo factor and pollution equivalent it's based on the pollution only evolution factor explained in the advanced section, see also the chart there. -- [[User:Bilka|Bilka]] ([[User talk:Bilka|talk]]) - Admin 11:19, 1 March 2024 (UTC)

== Update to 2.0 ==

So, Space Age should be out by now (haven't had the chance to play yet). Judging by the FFFs, that means most of this page is now Nauvis-exclusive.

This page is long enough as is, so I propose moving this page's Nauvis-exclusive content to a new page (such as [[Enemies (Nauvis)]]), creating new pages for Gleba and Vulkanus (such as [[Enemies (Gleba)]] and either [[Enemies (Vulkanus)]] or [[Demolisher]]), and keeping this page with information applicable to all planets with enemies along with links to the new pages documenting each planet's own hostile biosphere.

This is a major change, and we're still early in the 2.0 update phase (and I'm a new editor on this wiki), so I'd rather play it safe than do this without any input. So: Any thoughts?

-[[User:Tecanec|tecanec]] ([[User talk:Tecanec|talk]]) 06:39, 21 October 2024 (UTC)
: Since the Space Age expansion is paid, not everyone will play with the different planets. So I'm a bit hesitant to remove the nauvis enemies from the general overview. But I agree that the different planet enemies should have their own pages. I'm wondering what mechanics will be similar between the different enemy types that would stay on the general overview. For example, demolishers don't have evolution and pollution and the defense section from this page also doesn't apply. Maybe we could have this page state something like "this is about nauvis enemies, for other planets see enemies (gleba) and enemies (vulcanus)" and separate it that way? Also, the expansion comes out in a few hours, it's not quite released yet ;) -- [[User:Bilka|Bilka]] ([[User talk:Bilka|talk]]) - Admin 08:15, 21 October 2024 (UTC)

:: Fair point about the non-expansion owners - we don't want to make anyone feel uncomfortable or left out by just assuming that everyone has the expansion. So, should this page be moved to Enemies (Nauvis), or should we make Enemies (Nauvis) a redirect to this page? Or should we just not have it at all? Also, if something applies to enemies on all planets, where should it go? Do we just keep it here and make this an "enemies not strictly found on a planet that isn't Nauvis"-page? - [[User:Tecanec|tecanec]] ([[User talk:Tecanec|talk]]) 08:49, 21 October 2024 (UTC)

== Stomper damage ==

I think it will be nice to have stomper impact damage on the page, as it doesn't show it in-game. [[User:Iridium235|Iridium235]] ([[User talk:Iridium235|talk]]) 23:41, 18 January 2025 (UTC)

: Also for demolisher ground explosion? [[User:Iridium235|Iridium235]] ([[User talk:Iridium235|talk]]) 6:53, 21 January 2025 (UTC)

== Fire Resistance ==

The wiki page for the [[Flamethrower turret]] says enemies have a fire resistance value of 3, so I'm wondering why this isn't included anywhere on this page alongside the other resistances?

--[[User:GregFirehawk|GregFirehawk]] ([[User talk:GregFirehawk|talk]]) 21:21, 10 May 2025 (UTC)

Talk:Enemies

2025-05-10T21:21:24Z

GregFirehawk: /* Fire Resistance */ new section

Talk:Inserters

2025-05-10T09:08:48Z

GregFirehawk: /* Multiplication sign notation */ new section

Inserters

2025-04-30T03:31:28Z

GregFirehawk: /* Power usage */

{{Languages}}
''For the common yellow electrical inserter, see [[Inserter]].''

'''Inserters''' are devices which are used to move items over short distances. When placed, they have a fixed direction. They can move items from behind and place them in front of them. By doing this, they can move items from one transport belt to another, but also extract items from—and insert items into—machines or storage devices.

== Types of inserters ==
{| class="wikitable"
| {{Imagelink|Burner inserter}} || The only [[fuel]]-powered inserter, with the slowest speed.
|-
| {{Imagelink|Inserter}} || The standard electrical inserter.
|-
| {{Imagelink|Long-handed inserter}} || Capable of inserting and removing items from a greater distance.
|-
| {{Imagelink|Fast inserter}} || Much faster than the inserter.
|-
| {{Imagelink|Bulk inserter}} || As fast as the fast inserter, but can move many more items at the same time at once.
|-
| {{Imagelink|Stack inserter|space-age=yes}} || As fast as the bulk inserter, but can stack items on a belt.
|}

== Mechanics ==
Inserters '''will''':
* Pick up items off the ground, off of a [[Transport belts|transport belt]], or from any object that has storage space, such as [[Chests|chests]], [[furnace]]s [[assembling machine]]s or [[vehicle]]s.
* Place the item onto the ground, onto a transport belt, or into any object that has storage space.
* Run at slower speeds when starved for energy.
* Pick up as many items as their [[inserter capacity bonus (research)|stack size]] allows at once, if they do not have to wait too long to pick them up.
* Pick up items and drop them into the void of space or lava, permanently destroying them. This is useful for getting rid of unwanted items.

Inserters '''will not''':
* Pick up any items that cannot be inserted into the adjacent entity.
* Pick up any items if the adjacent entity is a [[ghost]].
* Pick up items to place into an entity with a full inventory.
* Place more than one item at a time onto the same ground tile.
* Place items into an entity that cannot hold them, for example due to [[Stack#Filtered_stacks|filtered]] or [[Stack#Stack_limitation|limited slots]].
* Fill up the entire target inventory of [[boiler]]s, [[nuclear reactor]]s, [[:Category:Producers|production building]]s, [[furnace]]s and [[turret]]s.

If two or more inserters are picking up from the same tile, the inserter who can grab the items the fastest will grab them first. Besides faster inserters, this favors inserters taking from the inner lane of a transport belt.

=== Insertion limits ===
Depending on where an inserter is moving items, it does not always fill up the entire target inventory. This allows other inserters taking from the same transport belt to pick up their share of the items. For example, if a boiler has 5 or more items of fuel in it, an inserter will not insert additional fuel. This allows the other fuel to travel further down the transport belt. When the fuel drops below 5 items, the inserter will resume inserting fuel, up to the limit of 5 items.

{| class="wikitable"
! Entity !! Item type !! Automatic insertion limit
|-
| [[Boiler]]s, [[burner inserter]]s, [[furnace]]s, and [[nuclear reactor]]s || [[Fuel]] || align="center" | 5
|-
| [[Gun turret]]s || Bullet Magazines || align="center" | 10
|-
| [[Artillery turret]]s || [[Artillery shell]]s || align="center" | 5
|-
| [[Assembling machine]]s, [[furnace]]s, [[centrifuge]]s, [[chemical plant]]s, and [[Oil refinery|oil refineries]]|| Items needed for the recipe || The ingredients for 1 craft in addition to the ingredients for the number of crafts that can be completed during one full inserter swing; but at least the ingredients for 2 crafts and at most the ingredients for 100 crafts.[https://forums.factorio.com/viewtopic.php?p=309796#p309796]
|-
| [[Lab]]s || [[Science pack]]s || The number of science packs needed for one research unit in addition to the science packs for the number of research units that can be completed during one full inserter swing; but at least the ingredients for 2 research units and at most the ingredients for 100 research units.
|}

An inserter that has a higher [[inserter capacity bonus (research)|inserter capacity bonus]] than 1 can overfill the target building, due to the inserter picking up a higher amount of items than needed. Overfilling can also occur if multiple inserters are used to insert items into one building.

=== Inserters and transport belts ===
[[Transport belts]] have two lanes on which items can travel. Inserters only place items onto one side of the belt, either the far side from the inserter's perspective or if the belt is going the same or the opposite direction as the inserter the right side from the belt's perspective.

{|
| style="width:320px;" | [[File:Inserter_dropoff_locations.gif]] || [[File:Inserter_pickup_locations.gif]]
|-
| style="width:320px;" | Inserters place the item on the furthest lane. If a belt is in the same orientation as the inserter, the item will be placed on the right-hand lane, from the belt's perspective. In curves the inserter always places on the far side.
| style="width:320px;" | If the belt is perpendicular to the inserter, inserters '''prefer''' taking items from the nearest lane. If the nearest lane is empty, the inserter will take from the far lane. If the belt is the same/opposite orientation of the inserter or a curve, the inserter '''prefers''' taking from the left lane, from the belt's perspective. If the left lane is empty it will take from the right lane.
|}

=== Potential issues ===
Inserters may have problems picking up items:

* From very fast belts, because the items are moving too quickly.
* From the entry or exit of an underground belt (because the time they have to pick up is shorter)
* From turning belts if the item is on the inside of the corner

== Inserter speed ==
[[File:all_inserter_speeds.gif|frame|right|Animation showing all inserter speeds at once.]]
{| class="wikitable"
! Type
! Rotation-speed (turns per [[Time#Ticks|tick]]) Extension-speed ([[Map_structure#Tile|Tiles]] per Tick)
! Turns per [[Time#Seconds|Game-second]]
! Game-second per full turn
! Ticks per full turn
|- align="center"
| align="left"| {{Imagelink|Burner inserter}} || 0.013 0.035 || ~0.7895 || ~1.267 || 76
|- align="center"
| align="left"| {{Imagelink|Inserter}} || 0.014 0.035 || ~0.857 || ~1.167 || 70
|- align="center"
| align="left"| {{Imagelink|Long-handed inserter}} || 0.02 0.05 || 1.2 || 0.833 || 50
|- align="center"
| align="left"| {{Imagelink|Fast inserter}} {{Imagelink|Bulk inserter}} || 0.04 0.1 || 2.5 || 0.4 || 24
|}

'''Note:''' The speeds per tick come directly from the [https://github.com/wube/factorio-data/tree/master/base/prototypes/entity factorio-data github repository], while the other values have been verified empirically in game. Discrepancies are due to rounding errors during the games runtime, so the empirical values are more accurate when dealing with speeds.

=== Rotation Speed ===
Convention: 2π rad = 100% of a circle rotation = '''1 turn''' (or one full rotation).

Note: an Inserter doesn't always need to make full turns. When grabbing from a transport belt, it is slightly faster when grabbing items from the closest lane.

Note: If the rotation speed of an inserter would result in an odd number of ticks per full turn, the actual number of ticks per full turn for this inserter is truncated to be the next lowest even number. The reason for this is that the inserter needs to do two half turns to pick and drop an item. This takes a certain number of ticks two times, therefore the number of ticks for the full turn is always an even number. Example: The Fast inserter's rotation speed of 864°/s or 0.04 turns per tick would result in 25 ticks per full turn, but the inserter cannot do a half turn in "12.5 ticks", so it actually takes 2*12 = 24 ticks per full turn.

=== Extension Speed ===
The extension-speed is normally not visible (only when compared to other inserters), but there are measurable speed differences when taking - for example - from the near or the far side of a belt. Also Some mods can alter the pickup and drop locations of inserters, making this stat more relevant.

== Inserter Throughput ==

=== Chest to chest ===
'''Note:''' Experimental data from 2.0.26, recorded in this doc [https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1L8Td5o6TAicGi-TPwzh4lz2YiH0n7Jkpp3E8FxNpnAs/edit?usp=sharing]. Chest to chest transfer transfers the entire hand size during a single tick, so most of the time is spent during the swing to and from.

{| class="wikitable"
! rowspan=2 | Type
! rowspan=2 | Arm cycles per second (ticks per cycle)
! colspan=8 | Items/second at [[inserter capacity bonus (research)|capacity bonus]] level (stack size)
|-
! colspan=2 | No capacity bonus
! colspan=2 | Capacity bonus 2
! colspan=2 | Capacity bonus 7
! colspan=2 | Transport belt stacking {{SA}}
|- align="center"
| align="left"| {{Imagelink|Burner inserter}} || {{Quality | 0.79 (76 ticks) | 1.03 (58 ticks) | 1.25 (48 ticks) | 1.5 (40 ticks) | 2 (30 ticks) }}
|| {{ Quality | 0.79 |1.03 |1.25|1.5 |2 }}
|| (1)
|| {{ Quality | 1.58 |2.07 |2.5|3 |4 }}
|| (2)
|| {{ Quality | 2.37 |3.10 |3.75|4.5 |6 }}
|| (3)
|| {{ Quality | 3.16 |4.14 |5|6 |8 }}
|| (4)
|- align="center"
| align="left"| {{Imagelink|Inserter}} || {{Quality | 0.86 (70 ticks) | 1.03 (58 ticks) | 1.36 (44 ticks) | 1.67 (36 ticks) | 2.14 (28 ticks) }}
|| {{ Quality | 0.86 |1.11 |1.36|1.67 |2.14 }}
|| (1)
|| {{ Quality | 1.71 |2.22 |2.73|3.33 |4.29 }}
|| (2)
|| {{ Quality | 2.57 |3.33 |4.09|5 |6.43 }}
|| (3)
|| {{ Quality | 3.43 |4.44 |5.45|6.67 |8.57 }}
|| (4)
|- align="center"
| align="left"| {{Imagelink|Long-handed inserter}} || {{Quality | 1.2 (50 ticks) | 1.58 (38 ticks) | 2 (30 ticks) | 2.31 (26 ticks) | 3.33 (18 ticks) }}
|| {{ Quality | 1.2 |1.58 |2|2.31 |3.33 }}
|| (1)
|| {{ Quality | 2.4 |3.16 |4|4.62 |6.67 }}
|| (2)
|| {{ Quality | 3.6 |4.74 |6|6.92 |10 }}
|| (3)
|| {{ Quality | 4.8 |6.32 |8|9.23 |13.33 }}
|| (4)
|- align="center"
| align="left"| {{Imagelink|Fast inserter}} || {{Quality | 2.5 (24 ticks) | 3.33 (18 ticks) | 4.29 (14 ticks) | 5 (12 ticks) | 7.5 (8 ticks) }}
|| {{ Quality | 2.5 |3.33 | 4.29 | 5 | 7.5 }}
|| (1)
|| {{ Quality | 5 |6.67 | 8.57 | 10 | 15 }}
|| (2)
|| {{ Quality | 7.5 |10 |12.86|15 |22.5 }}
|| (3)
|| {{ Quality | 10 |13.33 |17.14|20 |30 }}
|| (4)
|- align="center"
| align="left"| {{Imagelink|Bulk inserter}} || {{Quality | 2.5 (24 ticks) | 3.33 (18 ticks) | 4.29 (14 ticks) | 5 (12 ticks) | 7.5 (8 ticks) }}
|| {{ Quality | 5 |6.673 | 8.57 | 10 | 15 }}
|| (2)
|| {{ Quality | 10 |13.33 |17.14|20 |30 }}
|| (4)
|| {{ Quality | 30 |40 |51.43|60 |90 }}
|| (12)
|| {{ Quality | 30 |40 |51.43|60 |90 }}
|| (12)
|- align="center"
| align="left"| {{Imagelink|Stack inserter}}{{SA}} || {{Quality | 2.5 (24 ticks) | 3.33 (18 ticks) | 4.29 (14 ticks) | 5 (12 ticks) | 7.5 (8 ticks) }}
|| {{ Quality | 15 |20 | 25.71 | 30 | 45 }}
|| (6)
|| {{ Quality | 20 |26.67 | 34.29 | 40 | 60 }}
|| (8)
|| {{ Quality | 40 | 53.33 | 68.57 | 80 | 120 }}
|| (16)
|| {{ Quality | 40 | 53.33 | 68.57 | 80 | 120 }}
|| (16)
|}

=== Chest to belt ===
Throughput going from chest to belt depends on how full the belt is. An inserter will not put down an item on a belt that have items back-to-back (aka full compression) - it waits until there is a gap. However, if the gap is narrower than the item then the items upstream on the belt will stop to make room for the item being inserted. The direction of the belt compared to the inserter does not matter however.

In these measurements inserters move items onto an empty belt. Values are given for the stack sizes at three different [[inserter capacity bonus (research)|capacity bonus]] levels.

'''Note:''' Experimental data from 1.1

{| class="wikitable"
! rowspan=3 | Type
! colspan=12 | Items/second at [[inserter capacity bonus (research)|capacity bonus]] level (stack size)
|-
! colspan=4 | No capacity bonus
! colspan=4 | Capacity bonus 2
! colspan=4 | Capacity bonus 7
|-
! [[File:Transport belt.png|link=Transport belt|32px]] || [[File:Fast transport belt.png|link=Fast transport belt|32px]] || [[File:Express transport belt.png|link=Express transport belt|32px]] ||
! [[File:Transport belt.png|link=Transport belt|32px]] || [[File:Fast transport belt.png|link=Fast transport belt|32px]] || [[File:Express transport belt.png|link=Express transport belt|32px]] ||
! [[File:Transport belt.png|link=Transport belt|32px]] || [[File:Fast transport belt.png|link=Fast transport belt|32px]] || [[File:Express transport belt.png|link=Express transport belt|32px]] ||
|- align="center"
| align="left"| {{Imagelink|Burner inserter}} || 0.60 || 0.60 || 0.60 || (1) || 1.19 || 1.19 || 1.19 || (2) || 1.67 || 1.73 || 1.76 || (3)
|- align="center"
| align="left"| {{Imagelink|Inserter}} || 0.83 || 0.83 || 0.83 || (1) || 1.64 || 1.64 || 1.64 || (2) || 2.25 || 2.37 || 2.43 || (3)
|- align="center"
| align="left"| {{Imagelink|Long-handed inserter}} || 1.20 || 1.20 || 1.20 || (1) || 2.35 || 2.35 || 2.35 || (2) || 3.10 || 3.33 || 3.46 || (3)
|- align="center"
| align="left"| {{Imagelink|Fast inserter}} || 2.31 || 2.31 || 2.31 || (1) || 4.44 || 4.44 || 4.44 || (2) || 5.29 || 6.00 || 6.43 || (3)
|- align="center"
| align="left"| {{Imagelink|Bulk inserter}} || 4.44 || 4.44 || 4.44 || (2) || 5.71 || 7.06 || 7.74 || (4) || 6.79 || 10.91 || 13.85 || (12)
|-
|}

=== Chest to splitter ===
When an inserter drops items onto the side of a perpendicular splitter, it always is considered to do so on the input side, enabling the splitter to move half of the items to the other belt (assuming that the splitter filter/priority settings allow it to do so and that there is available space on both belts). This allows the inserter to drop its items twice as fast. A fully upgraded bulk inserter can drop twelve items onto an express splitter every 38 ticks (18.95 items/second) instead of the usual 52.

[[File:Inserter to splitter comparison.png|621px|thumb|center|By inserting onto the side of a splitter, a fully-upgraded bulk inserter can fill 84% of an express belt lane instead of the usual 62%.]]

[[File:Inserter belt saturation.png|414px|thumb|center|Three bulk inserters can saturate an express belt if one of them inserts onto a splitter.]]

===Belt to chest (perpendicular)===

'''Note:''' The following is based on experimental data from [https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Q4hxL69qrK3qeEKU8aDkuwM3gJy6I2dJ4FYSs-FQUpI/edit?usp=sharing 1.1].
Most of the 1.1 experimental data was gathered using the following circuit blueprint to measure the exact tick difference between inserter swings. A lot of the data on this page (specifically the belt to chest data) relies heavily on the conditions of the setup on which the measurements are done. If your setup differs from the ones tested on this page, you can use the following blueprint to do the measurements yourself.

{{BlueprintString|bp-string=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}}

When picking items from a belt, many more factors come into play besides belt fullness:

* How fast the items move (i.e. if they are queued up on the belt or move at belt speed).
* Whether the belt is perpendicular to the inserter or approaches it head on.
* Whether items are on the near or far lane of a perpendicular belt.
* Whether the belt turns or not, and whether the items are in the inner or outer side of the bend.
* If the belt is an underground entrance or exit. This shortens the time items are visible to the inserter for pickup.
* All sorts of intricate timing factors between the inserter and the items on the belt, since the game simulates the arm homing in on every item.

The test setup used below is with an inserter taking items from a perpendicular belt with items on the far lane only. The belt is fully compressed and timings are both for items that move at full speed and queued up as much as possible. Values are given for the stack sizes at three different [[inserter capacity bonus (research)|capacity bonus]] levels.

{| class="wikitable"
! rowspan=4 | Type
! colspan=15 | Items/second at [[inserter capacity bonus (research)|capacity bonus]] level (stack size)
|-
! colspan=5 | No capacity bonus
! colspan=5 | Capacity bonus 2
! colspan=5 | Capacity bonus 7
|-
! colspan=3 | Items at belt speed
! rowspan=2 | Items queued up
! rowspan=2 |
! colspan=3 | Items at belt speed
! rowspan=2 | Items queued up
! rowspan=2 |
! colspan=3 | Items at belt speed
! rowspan=2 | Items queued up
! rowspan=2 |
|-
! [[File:Transport belt.png|link=Transport belt|32px]] || [[File:Fast transport belt.png|link=Fast transport belt|32px]] || [[File:Express transport belt.png|link=Express transport belt|32px]]
! [[File:Transport belt.png|link=Transport belt|32px]] || [[File:Fast transport belt.png|link=Fast transport belt|32px]] || [[File:Express transport belt.png|link=Express transport belt|32px]]
! [[File:Transport belt.png|link=Transport belt|32px]] || [[File:Fast transport belt.png|link=Fast transport belt|32px]] || [[File:Express transport belt.png|link=Express transport belt|32px]]
|- align="center"
| align="left"| {{Imagelink|Burner inserter}} || 0.60 || '''0.65''' || 0.50 || 0.64 || (1) || 1.11 || '''1.20''' || 1.13 || 1.26 || (2) || 1.61 || 1.61 || '''1.65''' || 1.71 / 1.73 / 1.86 * || (3)
|- align="center"
| align="left"| {{Imagelink|Inserter}} || '''0.94''' || '''0.94''' || '''0.94''' || 0.88 || (1) || '''1.67''' || '''1.67''' || 1.50 || 1.74 || (2) || '''2.50''' || 2.25 || 2.33 || 2.37 / 2.37 / 2.54 * || (3)
|- align="center"
| align="left"| {{Imagelink|Long-handed inserter}} || 1.18 || 1.18 || '''1.25''' || 1.20 || (1) || 2.20 || 2.31 || '''2.40''' || 2.40 || (2) || 3.21 || 3.21 || '''3.46''' || 3.40 || (3)
|- align="center"
| align="left"| {{Imagelink|Fast inserter}} || '''2.50''' || 2.31 || '''2.50''' || 2.50 || (1) || 4.50 || 4.29 || '''5.00''' || 4.80 || (2) || '''6.43''' || 6.00 || '''6.43''' || 6.43 || (3)
|- align="center"
| align="left"| {{Imagelink|Bulk inserter}} || 4.50 || 4.29 || '''5.00''' || 4.80 || (2) || 7.50 || 7.50 || '''8.00''' || 7.50 / 8.57 / 8.28 * || (4) || 7.50 || 11.25 || '''15.00''' || 7.50 / 13.09 / 15.32 * || (12)
|}

<nowiki>*)</nowiki> Throughput for basic/fast/express belt.

Since there are many more factors involved, these measurements exhibit a more complex pattern than chest-to-belt.

* Boldface cells show for which belt each inserter has the best throughput on each bonus level when items move at belt speed. Higher speed belts mean that inserters have to work harder to catch the fast moving items. The effect is most noticeable for slower inserters and smaller stack sizes.
* When items are queued up the belt type hardly matters, so there is only a single column for that. The exceptions are the stack inserters - for basic transport belts it's the belt that sets the limit for stack sizes above 4, and there is also a notable difference between fast and express belts.

=== Belt to Chest (facing inserter) ===
'''Note:''' Experimental data from 1.1

When picking up items from a belt facing the inserter, there are multiple small differences between different setups. The following throughput tests are performed with [[express transport belt]]s and [[bulk inserter]]s with the maximum [[inserter capacity bonus (research)|capacity bonus]].
Each setup in the following picture shows the amount of ticks per cycle of the inserter and the amount of items per second the inserter moves. These measurements are consistent in all orientations of the setup.

[[File:Inserter_belt_to_chest_throughput.png|900px]]

== Power usage ==
Inserter power draw is determined by several factors.

Firstly like most machines, all of the inserters (with the exception of the burner) have drain. Drain is the energy cost of existence, and is expended constantly as long as the inserter exists on the power grid, regardless of activity or lack thereof.

Inserters also have a two costs associated with movement. These costs are applied separately and cumulatively for rotational motion as well as extension/retraction.

Lastly, inserters exhibit a power spike when acquiring and dropping off an item. This can be referred to as "item spike" because it is typically observed directly after item interaction. This is because after receiving/delivering an item it will begin extending/retracting a distance of 0.2 units (distance sourced from [https://github.com/wube/factorio-data/blob/master/base/prototypes/entity/entities.lua source code]). This power cost associated with linear movement is significantly more expensive than that of rotational movement, hence the sharp increase in power consumption.

[[File:Yellow Inserter Power Spikes.png|thumb|Power Consumption graph of Yellow Inserter]]

Here we can see that for the duration of the lateral movement the power consumption is significantly higher.

Burner Inserters, despite not using electricity, also have the same power consumption characteristics as the rest of the inserters (excluding drain). Upon accepting fuel they will replenish something resembling an internal battery, and draw from it in the same manner other inserters draw from the power grid, item spikes and all. Aside from their exclusion from drain, Burner Inserters function identically to other Inserters.

=== Energy Costs ===

[[File:Inserter Testing Setup.png|thumb|Inserter Testing Setup]]

It's important to note that due to rounding errors the games values cannot be taken at face value when doing calculations, so a blend of theoretical and empirical methods must be used to ensure accuracy. More information can be viewed here at this [https://forums.factorio.com/viewtopic.php?t=128389 forum topic]

The game calculates inserter power based on its hard coded power modifiers:

'''Inserter Power Modifiers (kJ)'''

These values are derived from [https://github.com/wube/factorio-data/blob/master/base/prototypes/entity/entities.lua source code]

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Burner !! Yellow!! Red!! Blue !! Green !! Stack
|-
| 50 || 5 || 5 || 7 || 20 || 40
|-
|}

The way the game uses these values is it takes the games programmed speed in ticks (which can be found higher up on the page), and then uses that alongside these numbers to derive a wattage, using the following equation:

<code>Speed * Power Modifier * Ticks per second</code>

Applying the equation we can derive the following values:

'''Cost of rotational movement in kW'''

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Burner !! Yellow!! Red!! Blue !! Green !! Stack
|-
| 39 || 4.2 || 6 || 16.8 || 48 || 96
|-
|}

'''Cost of linear movement in kW'''

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Burner !! Yellow!! Red!! Blue !! Green !! Stack
|-
| 105 || 10.5 || 15 || 42 || 120 || 240
|-
|}

Taking these two values and adding them together, alongside drain, will give you your max power. It is critical to note that while the duration of consumption is affected by rounding errors in the game like the time per spin and so on, the actual wattage is unaffected by these rounding errors. Just because the inserter spins slightly faster than in the games code doesn't mean it uses slightly more wattage, it still demands the same wattage.

Your rotational power is used during the entire time the inserter is spinning, while the the extension cost is only used briefly during item interaction, causing item spike. By calculating the duration of both you can accurately calculate how many joules your inserter is using in any given situation. Just like with the rotational speeds, item spike duration is subject to rounding errors from the game. You can calculate it by taking the games rated distance of 0.2 and dividing it by the inserters rated speed, and then truncating the number. To save you some hassle here is a reference table

'''Tick duration of Item Spike'''

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Burner !! Yellow!! Red!! Blue !! Green !! Stack
|-
| 5 || 5 || 4 || 1 || 1 || 1
|-
|}

Knowing these values, energy cost is easy to calculate, and is linear to inserter utilization. This means if your inserter is only running half the time, it will only use half the power, with the exception of drain which remains constant in all situations.

'''Cost per transfer cycle in kJ'''

These values are isolated from drain. Values were theoretically derived and empirically confirmed for accuracy. [https://forums.factorio.com/viewtopic.php?t=128389 More information]

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Burner !! Yellow!! Red!! Blue !! Green !! Stack
|-
| 66.9 || 6.65 || 7 || 8.12 || 23.2 || 46.4
|-
|}

=== Inserter Efficiency ===

The above data can be used to compare inserter efficiency directly. Remember that the transfer cycle cost remains the same regardless of how many items are moved. This means that the later inserters with their larger stack sizes can outperform other inserters despite their higher transfer cost, since they can achieve a lower cost per item. Here are some graphs of chest-to-chest data showing the efficiency of different inserters at differing stack sizes. Because the other inserters maintain a proportional relationship (as in an identical stack size) these graphs will primarily focus on highlighting the Green Inserter and new Stack Inserter. Dots have been marked at the turning point where they overtake the other inserters in consumption

<gallery mode="slideshow">
File:Inserter Efficiency Graph (No Capacity Bonus).png||No Capacity Bonus
File:Inserter Efficiency Graph (Capacity Bonus 2).png|Capacity Bonus 2
File:Inserter Efficiency Graph (Capacity Bonus 4).png|Capacity Bonus 4
File:Inserter Efficiency Graph (Capacity Bonus 5) .png|Capacity Bonus 5
File:Inserter Efficiency Graph (Capacity Bonus 6) (Zoomed).png|Capacity Bonus 6
File:Inserter Efficiency Graph (Capacity Bonus 7).png|Capacity Bonus 7
</gallery>

Important to note is that the actual efficiency of the inserters is best measured in terms of kJ / item. Such a version of these graphs wasn't generated because it is almost a flat line. This is because for this kind of linear power consumption the kJ / item would just be the slope of the line, or in other words it would be the ''kJ per transfer cycle / stack size''.

Now for an important caveat. The above graphs are assuming unlimited input. That is to say the graphs assume that the inserter is always spinning at its maximum hand size. In situations that are input limited however, the inserter will not always do so. When the inserter completes its spin, the only time it waits for items is when there are zero to take. As long as there is at least a single item, the inserter will transfer whatever is there immediately, regardless of the inefficiency of moving less than its maximum. Stack Inserters are an exception to this as they actually do wait for a full hand before making the transfer, but no other inserter does. An example of an input limited situation would be the unloading of an assembler. Here are some graphs showing power usage in input limited situations:

<gallery mode="slideshow">
File:Inserter Efficiency Graph (Capacity Bonus 2, Input Minimum 1).png | Capacity Bonus 2, Input Minimum 1
File:Inserter Efficiency Graph (Capacity Bonus 2, Input Minimum 1, kJ).png | Capacity Bonus 2, Input Minimum 1
File:Inserter Efficiency Graph (Capacity Bonus 7, Input Minimum 1).png| Capacity Bonus 7, Input Minimum 1
File:Inserter Efficiency Graph (Capacity Bonus 7, Input Minimum 1, kJ).png| Capacity Bonus 7, Input Minimum 1
</gallery>

Here is how the behavior works. The inserter will increase its spin speed to max power as a utilization function of its minimum input. In simpler terms, if the minimum input is 1, it will increase power consumption as though it had no capacity bonus. Once it reaches the maximum, it will maintain max power while gradually increasing the average hand size its moving, thereby gradually increasing its efficiency. We can see this behavior in the kJ graph, where we get this swooping descent curve as it gains efficiency. We can see that with each subsequent inserter the average improves, and it will ultimately converge towards the same value as the previous set of graphs, that being ''kJ per transfer cycle / stack size''. The graphs shared cover the most common use cases, but input minimums can very quite largely. For example the input minimum for crafting yellow belts would be 2, and in general for any recipe the input minimum would be the minimum craft quantity. When belt feeding, its possible for inserters to experience inserter limiting as the belt approaches empty, or if using circuit limited sushi. Due to how many possible permutations of these graphs there are, sharing them all is simply not feasible. If you need a graph not displayed, you can generate one yourself using the code shared [https://forums.factorio.com/viewtopic.php?p=670540#p670540 here]

Because the Burner Inserter doesn't have drain, its efficiency can only truly be appreciated in extremely low throughput situations. Thus we use these dedicated graphs. Before one graph with no capacity bonus would have been sufficient because at low throughputs inserters don't wait and always default to as stack size of 1. The new Stack Inserter changes this though, because Stack Inserters do in fact wait until they get a full hand before beginning their swing, meaning they always remain at optimal efficiency unlike the rest of the inserters. Though having generated the graphs it appears to be largely irrelevant, as the fundamental relationship never really changes from one extreme to the other.

<gallery mode="slideshow">
File:Burner Efficiency Graph (No Capacity Bonus).png|No Capacity Bonus
File:Burner Efficiency Graph (Capacity Bonus 7).png|Capacity Bonus 7
</gallery>

Note: The Burner graphs are mislabeled on the y-axis. They should read kJ, not kW.

=== Belt Differences===
Up until now all data was regarding chest-to-chest use cases, due to their sterile and consistent nature. The introduction of belts creates special conditions that require consideration. Here is a power chart from the game for reference:

[[File:Yellow Inserter Belt-to-Belt Power Signature.png|frameless|upright 3]]

The Yellow Inserter above is doing a belt-to-belt transfer, and it has a stack bonus.

The erratic section of the graph is the loading process. We can see the behavior is irregular as the inserter does not wait for the item, but rather fishes around for them. The exact behavior here is still being studied, and due to its dependence on stack size and belt speed it is very difficult to give any firm answers regarding how much power this actually uses as a quantifiable generalization. Likely a set of tables would need to be generated with every possible combination as a reference, but such data does not currently exist. The behavior should be consistent across belt speeds and stack sizes, so it can theoretically be gathered and collated into a reference table, though such data doesn't exist at this time.

Looking at the unloading section, we can see the inserter swings around normally, but then there is this dip that doesn't exist in the chest to chest behavior. This is the inserter waiting at the belt to drop off all its items. During this waiting, it uses no power aside from its drain. Once all the items are delivered, it resumes operation as normal. Different amounts of delay caused by different belt speeds and stack sizes can create variations in both our throughput and our total cost per transfer due to the additional drain. This can also be easily modeled into a table, though such a table is currently unavailable

If you are interested in volunteering to collect and share this data, you are encouraged to do so!

What this currently means in practice is that you should just use the chest-to-chest data. The overall relationship between the inserters doesn't change significantly and their efficiency hierarchy remains undisturbed, though the exact consumption in joules per item likely increases noticeably. This could be problematic for other cost estimates in your factory, but for choosing inserters its not an issue.

'''Important:''' The above efficiency graphs only apply when loading from a chest. When loading from a belt, until a more accurate dedicated data set is provided, it is advised to reference the initial no capacity bonus version of the graph for all decisions. With an inserter stack size of 1, the efficiency relationship between chests and belts is identical.

'''Regarding Quality:''' Quality inserters receive a linear speed boost for each level of quality, with a corresponding power cost increase. What this means is that the quality level of an inserter has no impact on its energy efficiency

''More data regarding inserters feeding from belts, as well as more detailed data regarding burner inserter power consumption is still needed. Please contribute if you are willing''

== See Also ==
* [[Electric system]]
* [[Belt transport system]]
* [[Inserter capacity bonus (research)]]: Inserter moves more than an item per turn.

{{C|Logistics{{!}}#Inserters}} {{C|Inserters{{!}}#Inserters}}

File:Inserter Efficiency Graph (Capacity Bonus 7, Input Minimum 1).png

2025-04-30T02:53:06Z

GregFirehawk:

As described

File:Inserter Efficiency Graph (Capacity Bonus 7, Input Minimum 1, kJ).png

2025-04-30T02:46:59Z

GregFirehawk:

As described

File:Inserter Efficiency Graph (Capacity Bonus 2, Input Minimum 1, kJ).png

2025-04-30T02:32:48Z

GregFirehawk:

As described

File:Inserter Efficiency Graph (Capacity Bonus 2, Input Minimum 1).png

2025-04-29T23:51:49Z

GregFirehawk:

As described

File:Inserter Efficiency Graph (Capacity Bonus 2).png

2025-04-29T23:30:27Z

GregFirehawk: GregFirehawk uploaded a new version of File:Inserter Efficiency Graph (Capacity Bonus 2).png

Graph showing the efficiency of Inserters at capacity bonus 2. Worth observing is how Stack Inserters and Green Inserters are identically efficient at this stage.

Code to recreate if needed

<code>
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import numpy as np

burner_speed = 60 / 76
yellow_speed = 60 / 70
red_speed = 60 / 50
blue_speed = 60 / 24

yellow_drain = 0.4
blue_drain = 0.5
green_drain = 1

burner_energy = 66.9
yellow_energy = 6.65
red_energy = 7
blue_energy = 8.12
green_energy = 23.2
stack_energy = 46.4

stack_size = 2
green_stack = 4
stack_stack = 8

x = np.linspace(0, blue_speed * stack_stack, 300)

yellow_count = np.trunc(x / (yellow_speed * stack_size)) + 1
red_count = np.trunc(x / (red_speed * stack_size)) + 1
blue_count = np.trunc(x / (blue_speed * stack_size)) + 1
green_count = np.trunc(x / (blue_speed * green_stack)) + 1

dynamic_stack = x / stack_size
dynamic_green = x / green_stack
dynamic_stacker = x / stack_stack

burner = burner_energy * dynamic_stack
yellow = (yellow_energy * dynamic_stack) + (yellow_drain * yellow_count)
red = (red_energy * dynamic_stack) + (yellow_drain * red_count)
blue = (blue_energy * dynamic_stack) + (blue_drain * blue_count)
green = (green_energy * dynamic_green) + (green_drain * green_count)
stack = (stack_energy * dynamic_stacker) + green_drain

fig = plt.figure(figsize = (20, 15))
ax = plt.axes()

ax.plot(x, burner, label = "Burner", color = "black")
ax.plot(x, yellow, label = "Yellow", color = "orange")
ax.plot(x, red, label = "Red", color = "red")
ax.plot(x, blue, label = "Blue", color = "blue")
ax.plot(x, green, label = "Green", color = "green")
ax.plot(x, stack, label = "Stack", color = "purple")

xlim = blue_speed * stack_stack
ylim = (stack_energy / stack_stack) * xlim

ax.set_ylim(0, ylim)
ax.set_xlim(0, xlim)

xtick = 0.5
ytick = 2

ax.set_xticks(np.arange(0, xlim + xtick, xtick))
ax.set_yticks(np.arange(0, ylim + ytick, ytick))

ax.set_title("Inserter Efficiency (Capacity Bonus 2)")
ax.set_xlabel("Items / second", fontweight = "bold")
ax.set_ylabel("Power Cost (kW)", fontweight = "bold")

ax.grid()
ax.legend(loc = "best")

plt.show()
</code>

File:Inserter Efficiency Graph (No Capacity Bonus).png

2025-04-29T23:28:04Z

GregFirehawk: GregFirehawk reverted File:Inserter Efficiency Graph (No Capacity Bonus).png to an old version

Graph showing efficiency of different inserters at different throughputs. This version has no capacity bonus. Intersection point at [~1.25418, 25] where stack inserters become more efficient than blue inserters has been marked with a dot.
{{Screenshot}}

This is the matplot code used to generate this graph in python, in case it needs to be updated:

<code>
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import numpy as np

burner_speed = 60 / 76
yellow_speed = 60 / 70
red_speed = 60 / 50
blue_speed = 60 / 24

yellow_drain = 0.4
blue_drain = 0.5
green_drain = 1

burner_energy = 66.9
yellow_energy = 6.65
red_energy = 7
blue_energy = 8.12
green_energy = 23.2
stack_energy = 46.4

stack_size = 1
green_stack = 2
stack_stack = 6

x = np.linspace(0, blue_speed * stack_stack, 300)

yellow_count = np.trunc(x / (yellow_speed * stack_size)) + 1
red_count = np.trunc(x / (red_speed * stack_size)) + 1
blue_count = np.trunc(x / (blue_speed * stack_size)) + 1
green_count = np.trunc(x / (blue_speed * green_stack)) + 1

dynamic_stack = x / stack_size
dynamic_green = x / green_stack
dynamic_stacker = x / stack_stack

burner = burner_energy * dynamic_stack
yellow = (yellow_energy * dynamic_stack) + (yellow_drain * yellow_count)
red = (red_energy * dynamic_stack) + (yellow_drain * red_count)
blue = (blue_energy * dynamic_stack) + (blue_drain * blue_count)
green = (green_energy * dynamic_green) + (green_drain * green_count)
stack = (stack_energy * dynamic_stacker) + green_drain

fig = plt.figure(figsize = (20, 15))
ax = plt.axes()

ax.plot(x, burner, label = "Burner", color = "black")
ax.plot(x, yellow, label = "Yellow", color = "orange")
ax.plot(x, red, label = "Red", color = "red")
ax.plot(x, blue, label = "Blue", color = "blue")
ax.plot(x, green, label = "Green", color = "green")
ax.plot(x, stack, label = "Stack", color = "purple")

xlim = blue_speed * stack_stack
ylim = (stack_energy / stack_stack) * xlim

ax.set_ylim(0, ylim)
ax.set_xlim(0, xlim)

xtick = 0.5
ytick = 2

ax.set_xticks(np.arange(0, xlim + xtick, xtick))
ax.set_yticks(np.arange(0, ylim + ytick, ytick))

ax.set_title("Inserter Efficiency (No Capacity Bonus)")
ax.set_xlabel("Items / second", fontweight = "bold")
ax.set_ylabel("Power Cost (kW)", fontweight = "bold")

ax.grid()
ax.legend(loc = "best")

intersect = np.argwhere(np.diff(np.sign(blue - stack))).flatten()
plt.plot(x [intersect], stack[intersect] , 'ro')

plt.show()
</code>

The wiki seems to not parse line breaks correctly but that can easily be handled by the end user.

File:Inserter Efficiency Graph (Capacity Bonus 2).png

2025-04-29T23:24:14Z

GregFirehawk: GregFirehawk uploaded a new version of File:Inserter Efficiency Graph (Capacity Bonus 2).png

File:Inserter Efficiency Graph (No Capacity Bonus).png

2025-04-29T23:20:05Z

GregFirehawk: GregFirehawk uploaded a new version of File:Inserter Efficiency Graph (No Capacity Bonus).png

Burner inserter

2025-04-26T08:21:19Z

GregFirehawk: /* Fuel consumption */

{{Languages}}
{{:Infobox:Burner inserter}}

The '''burner inserter''' is the most basic and slowest type of [[inserters]]. It is powered by burning [[fuel]], compared to the more advanced inserters which are powered by [[electric system|electricity]]. It will add fuel to its own supply if it picks any up, which makes it useful for filling [[boiler|boilers]] with [[coal]]. This has the advantage that it will continue working even if the power fails, as opposed to electrically-powered inserters which will be unable to function. It consumes no fuel while idle, though it consumes vastly more energy than most other inserters when active.

Even though it doesn't use electricity, a burner inserter can be connected to and controlled by the [[logistic network|logistic]] and the [[circuit network]].

== Fuel consumption ==

A burner inserter consumes no power while idle and does not continuously consume the maximum amount of power when working. Burner Inserters spawn with an internal energy buffer of 500 kJ, represented as 25% the value of a piece of wood fuel (which is 2MJ). Aside from not having drain, all its other power characteristics are identical to the rest of the inserters. It simply pulls its joules from its fuel rather than your power grid. For more detailed information on inserter power characteristics you can reference the main page [[Inserters|here]].

Burners also have a behavior known as "leeching" where they will pull fuel from their input and commandeer it for their own use. This leeching behavior is not exactly quantified, but it is triggered whenever the internal fuel inventory reaches zero, and performing the action also consumes fuel since motion is never free.

== History ==
{{history|2.0.7|
* All inserters now have filter option.
* Energy consumption increased from 94.2 kW to 144 kW.
* Burner inserters now reliably pick up items off of [[fast transport belt]]s and [[express transport belt]]s.}}

{{history|0.13.2|
* Inserters connected to the circuit network now have the option to only read hand contents.}}

{{history|0.13.0|
* Inserters can now send the item held in hand to the circuit network.
* Inserters are able to squeeze things ''slightly'' better to belts.
* All types of inserters can be controlled by the circuit and logistic network, once the respective network is researched.
}}

{{history|0.12.16|
* Improved burner inserter's fuel searching logic; it will now search both transport belt lines for fuel}}

{{history|0.12.11|
* Burner inserter now grabs fuel for itself even if the target doesn't need it}}

{{history|0.12.2|
* Inserters will never take more than the max stack size of an item.
* Inserters and logistic robots no longer extract from enemy chests
* Inserters now correctly pick up items from splitters
}}

{{history|0.12.1|
* Burner inserters start with enough energy to pick up 1 item and fuel themselves.}}

{{history|0.12.0|
* Inserters can now extract from roboports and beacons.
* Inserters now take items from right behind them, not from the center of the pickup target entity.}}

{{history|0.10.0|
* New icon
* New sounds}}

{{history|0.9.2|
* Inserters can have arbitrary pickup and insert positions.}}

{{history|0.9.0|
* Inserter code optimisation, inserters that have nothing to do will sleep.}}

{{history|0.8.0|
* Improved inserter's ability to pull from train wagons.}}

{{history|0.7.1|
* Fast inserter now has the same speed as the smart inserter.}}

{{history|0.5.0|
* Inserter can now pick up up to 5 items when researched.}}

{{history|0.4.0|
* Smaller inserter bounding box}}

{{history|0.3.0|
* New Inserter graphics}}

{{history|0.2.1|
* The item in the hand of the inserter is returned to the player when mined.}}

{{history|0.2.0|
* Show direction of inserter}}

{{history|0.1.0|
* Introduced}}

== See also ==
* [[Inserters]]

{{LogisticsNav}}
{{C|Inserters}}

Burner inserter

2025-04-26T08:16:52Z

GregFirehawk: /* Fuel consumption */

{{Languages}}
{{:Infobox:Burner inserter}}

The '''burner inserter''' is the most basic and slowest type of [[inserters]]. It is powered by burning [[fuel]], compared to the more advanced inserters which are powered by [[electric system|electricity]]. It will add fuel to its own supply if it picks any up, which makes it useful for filling [[boiler|boilers]] with [[coal]]. This has the advantage that it will continue working even if the power fails, as opposed to electrically-powered inserters which will be unable to function. It consumes no fuel while idle, though it consumes vastly more energy than most other inserters when active.

Even though it doesn't use electricity, a burner inserter can be connected to and controlled by the [[logistic network|logistic]] and the [[circuit network]].

== Fuel consumption ==

A burner inserter consumes no power while idle and does not continuously consume the maximum amount of power when working. Burner Inserters spawn with an internal energy buffer of 500 kJ, represented as 25% the value of a piece of wood fuel (which is 2MJ). Aside from not having drain, all its other power characteristics are identical to the rest of the inserters. It simply pulls its joules from its fuel rather than your power grid. For more detailed information on inserter power characteristics you can reference the main page [[Inserters|here]]

== History ==
{{history|2.0.7|
* All inserters now have filter option.
* Energy consumption increased from 94.2 kW to 144 kW.
* Burner inserters now reliably pick up items off of [[fast transport belt]]s and [[express transport belt]]s.}}

{{history|0.13.2|
* Inserters connected to the circuit network now have the option to only read hand contents.}}

{{history|0.13.0|
* Inserters can now send the item held in hand to the circuit network.
* Inserters are able to squeeze things ''slightly'' better to belts.
* All types of inserters can be controlled by the circuit and logistic network, once the respective network is researched.
}}

{{history|0.12.16|
* Improved burner inserter's fuel searching logic; it will now search both transport belt lines for fuel}}

{{history|0.12.11|
* Burner inserter now grabs fuel for itself even if the target doesn't need it}}

{{history|0.12.2|
* Inserters will never take more than the max stack size of an item.
* Inserters and logistic robots no longer extract from enemy chests
* Inserters now correctly pick up items from splitters
}}

{{history|0.12.1|
* Burner inserters start with enough energy to pick up 1 item and fuel themselves.}}

{{history|0.12.0|
* Inserters can now extract from roboports and beacons.
* Inserters now take items from right behind them, not from the center of the pickup target entity.}}

{{history|0.10.0|
* New icon
* New sounds}}

{{history|0.9.2|
* Inserters can have arbitrary pickup and insert positions.}}

{{history|0.9.0|
* Inserter code optimisation, inserters that have nothing to do will sleep.}}

{{history|0.8.0|
* Improved inserter's ability to pull from train wagons.}}

{{history|0.7.1|
* Fast inserter now has the same speed as the smart inserter.}}

{{history|0.5.0|
* Inserter can now pick up up to 5 items when researched.}}

{{history|0.4.0|
* Smaller inserter bounding box}}

{{history|0.3.0|
* New Inserter graphics}}

{{history|0.2.1|
* The item in the hand of the inserter is returned to the player when mined.}}

{{history|0.2.0|
* Show direction of inserter}}

{{history|0.1.0|
* Introduced}}

== See also ==
* [[Inserters]]

{{LogisticsNav}}
{{C|Inserters}}

Talk:Inserters

2025-04-26T08:10:54Z

GregFirehawk: Removed obsolete talk topic

Inserters

2025-04-26T08:09:51Z

GregFirehawk:

{{Languages}}
''For the common yellow electrical inserter, see [[Inserter]].''

'''Inserters''' are devices which are used to move items over short distances. When placed, they have a fixed direction. They can move items from behind and place them in front of them. By doing this, they can move items from one transport belt to another, but also extract items from—and insert items into—machines or storage devices.

== Types of inserters ==
{| class="wikitable"
| {{Imagelink|Burner inserter}} || The only [[fuel]]-powered inserter, with the slowest speed.
|-
| {{Imagelink|Inserter}} || The standard electrical inserter.
|-
| {{Imagelink|Long-handed inserter}} || Capable of inserting and removing items from a greater distance.
|-
| {{Imagelink|Fast inserter}} || Much faster than the inserter.
|-
| {{Imagelink|Bulk inserter}} || As fast as the fast inserter, but can move many more items at the same time at once.
|-
| {{Imagelink|Stack inserter|space-age=yes}} || As fast as the bulk inserter, but can stack items on a belt.
|}

== Mechanics ==
Inserters '''will''':
* Pick up items off the ground, off of a [[Transport belts|transport belt]], or from any object that has storage space, such as [[Chests|chests]], [[furnace]]s [[assembling machine]]s or [[vehicle]]s.
* Place the item onto the ground, onto a transport belt, or into any object that has storage space.
* Run at slower speeds when starved for energy.
* Pick up as many items as their [[inserter capacity bonus (research)|stack size]] allows at once, if they do not have to wait too long to pick them up.
* Pick up items and drop them into the void of space or lava, permanently destroying them. This is useful for getting rid of unwanted items.

Inserters '''will not''':
* Pick up any items that cannot be inserted into the adjacent entity.
* Pick up any items if the adjacent entity is a [[ghost]].
* Pick up items to place into an entity with a full inventory.
* Place more than one item at a time onto the same ground tile.
* Place items into an entity that cannot hold them, for example due to [[Stack#Filtered_stacks|filtered]] or [[Stack#Stack_limitation|limited slots]].
* Fill up the entire target inventory of [[boiler]]s, [[nuclear reactor]]s, [[:Category:Producers|production building]]s, [[furnace]]s and [[turret]]s.

If two or more inserters are picking up from the same tile, the inserter who can grab the items the fastest will grab them first. Besides faster inserters, this favors inserters taking from the inner lane of a transport belt.

=== Insertion limits ===
Depending on where an inserter is moving items, it does not always fill up the entire target inventory. This allows other inserters taking from the same transport belt to pick up their share of the items. For example, if a boiler has 5 or more items of fuel in it, an inserter will not insert additional fuel. This allows the other fuel to travel further down the transport belt. When the fuel drops below 5 items, the inserter will resume inserting fuel, up to the limit of 5 items.

{| class="wikitable"
! Entity !! Item type !! Automatic insertion limit
|-
| [[Boiler]]s, [[burner inserter]]s, [[furnace]]s, and [[nuclear reactor]]s || [[Fuel]] || align="center" | 5
|-
| [[Gun turret]]s || Bullet Magazines || align="center" | 10
|-
| [[Artillery turret]]s || [[Artillery shell]]s || align="center" | 5
|-
| [[Assembling machine]]s, [[furnace]]s, [[centrifuge]]s, [[chemical plant]]s, and [[Oil refinery|oil refineries]]|| Items needed for the recipe || The ingredients for 1 craft in addition to the ingredients for the number of crafts that can be completed during one full inserter swing; but at least the ingredients for 2 crafts and at most the ingredients for 100 crafts.[https://forums.factorio.com/viewtopic.php?p=309796#p309796]
|-
| [[Lab]]s || [[Science pack]]s || The number of science packs needed for one research unit in addition to the science packs for the number of research units that can be completed during one full inserter swing; but at least the ingredients for 2 research units and at most the ingredients for 100 research units.
|}

An inserter that has a higher [[inserter capacity bonus (research)|inserter capacity bonus]] than 1 can overfill the target building, due to the inserter picking up a higher amount of items than needed. Overfilling can also occur if multiple inserters are used to insert items into one building.

=== Inserters and transport belts ===
[[Transport belts]] have two lanes on which items can travel. Inserters only place items onto one side of the belt, either the far side from the inserter's perspective or if the belt is going the same or the opposite direction as the inserter the right side from the belt's perspective.

{|
| style="width:320px;" | [[File:Inserter_dropoff_locations.gif]] || [[File:Inserter_pickup_locations.gif]]
|-
| style="width:320px;" | Inserters place the item on the furthest lane. If a belt is in the same orientation as the inserter, the item will be placed on the right-hand lane, from the belt's perspective. In curves the inserter always places on the far side.
| style="width:320px;" | If the belt is perpendicular to the inserter, inserters '''prefer''' taking items from the nearest lane. If the nearest lane is empty, the inserter will take from the far lane. If the belt is the same/opposite orientation of the inserter or a curve, the inserter '''prefers''' taking from the left lane, from the belt's perspective. If the left lane is empty it will take from the right lane.
|}

=== Potential issues ===
Inserters may have problems picking up items:

* From very fast belts, because the items are moving too quickly.
* From the entry or exit of an underground belt (because the time they have to pick up is shorter)
* From turning belts if the item is on the inside of the corner

== Inserter speed ==
[[File:all_inserter_speeds.gif|frame|right|Animation showing all inserter speeds at once.]]
{| class="wikitable"
! Type
! Rotation-speed (turns per [[Time#Ticks|tick]]) Extension-speed ([[Map_structure#Tile|Tiles]] per Tick)
! Turns per [[Time#Seconds|Game-second]]
! Game-second per full turn
! Ticks per full turn
|- align="center"
| align="left"| {{Imagelink|Burner inserter}} || 0.013 0.035 || ~0.7895 || ~1.267 || 76
|- align="center"
| align="left"| {{Imagelink|Inserter}} || 0.014 0.035 || ~0.857 || ~1.167 || 70
|- align="center"
| align="left"| {{Imagelink|Long-handed inserter}} || 0.02 0.05 || 1.2 || 0.833 || 50
|- align="center"
| align="left"| {{Imagelink|Fast inserter}} {{Imagelink|Bulk inserter}} || 0.04 0.1 || 2.5 || 0.4 || 24
|}

'''Note:''' The speeds per tick come directly from the [https://github.com/wube/factorio-data/tree/master/base/prototypes/entity factorio-data github repository], while the other values have been verified empirically in game. Discrepancies are due to rounding errors during the games runtime, so the empirical values are more accurate when dealing with speeds.

=== Rotation Speed ===
Convention: 2π rad = 100% of a circle rotation = '''1 turn''' (or one full rotation).

Note: an Inserter doesn't always need to make full turns. When grabbing from a transport belt, it is slightly faster when grabbing items from the closest lane.

Note: If the rotation speed of an inserter would result in an odd number of ticks per full turn, the actual number of ticks per full turn for this inserter is truncated to be the next lowest even number. The reason for this is that the inserter needs to do two half turns to pick and drop an item. This takes a certain number of ticks two times, therefore the number of ticks for the full turn is always an even number. Example: The Fast inserter's rotation speed of 864°/s or 0.04 turns per tick would result in 25 ticks per full turn, but the inserter cannot do a half turn in "12.5 ticks", so it actually takes 2*12 = 24 ticks per full turn.

=== Extension Speed ===
The extension-speed is normally not visible (only when compared to other inserters), but there are measurable speed differences when taking - for example - from the near or the far side of a belt. Also Some mods can alter the pickup and drop locations of inserters, making this stat more relevant.

== Inserter Throughput ==

=== Chest to chest ===
'''Note:''' Experimental data from 2.0.26, recorded in this doc [https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1L8Td5o6TAicGi-TPwzh4lz2YiH0n7Jkpp3E8FxNpnAs/edit?usp=sharing]. Chest to chest transfer transfers the entire hand size during a single tick, so most of the time is spent during the swing to and from.

{| class="wikitable"
! rowspan=2 | Type
! rowspan=2 | Arm cycles per second (ticks per cycle)
! colspan=8 | Items/second at [[inserter capacity bonus (research)|capacity bonus]] level (stack size)
|-
! colspan=2 | No capacity bonus
! colspan=2 | Capacity bonus 2
! colspan=2 | Capacity bonus 7
! colspan=2 | Transport belt stacking {{SA}}
|- align="center"
| align="left"| {{Imagelink|Burner inserter}} || {{Quality | 0.79 (76 ticks) | 1.03 (58 ticks) | 1.25 (48 ticks) | 1.5 (40 ticks) | 2 (30 ticks) }}
|| {{ Quality | 0.79 |1.03 |1.25|1.5 |2 }}
|| (1)
|| {{ Quality | 1.58 |2.07 |2.5|3 |4 }}
|| (2)
|| {{ Quality | 2.37 |3.10 |3.75|4.5 |6 }}
|| (3)
|| {{ Quality | 3.16 |4.14 |5|6 |8 }}
|| (4)
|- align="center"
| align="left"| {{Imagelink|Inserter}} || {{Quality | 0.86 (70 ticks) | 1.03 (58 ticks) | 1.36 (44 ticks) | 1.67 (36 ticks) | 2.14 (28 ticks) }}
|| {{ Quality | 0.86 |1.11 |1.36|1.67 |2.14 }}
|| (1)
|| {{ Quality | 1.71 |2.22 |2.73|3.33 |4.29 }}
|| (2)
|| {{ Quality | 2.57 |3.33 |4.09|5 |6.43 }}
|| (3)
|| {{ Quality | 3.43 |4.44 |5.45|6.67 |8.57 }}
|| (4)
|- align="center"
| align="left"| {{Imagelink|Long-handed inserter}} || {{Quality | 1.2 (50 ticks) | 1.58 (38 ticks) | 2 (30 ticks) | 2.31 (26 ticks) | 3.33 (18 ticks) }}
|| {{ Quality | 1.2 |1.58 |2|2.31 |3.33 }}
|| (1)
|| {{ Quality | 2.4 |3.16 |4|4.62 |6.67 }}
|| (2)
|| {{ Quality | 3.6 |4.74 |6|6.92 |10 }}
|| (3)
|| {{ Quality | 4.8 |6.32 |8|9.23 |13.33 }}
|| (4)
|- align="center"
| align="left"| {{Imagelink|Fast inserter}} || {{Quality | 2.5 (24 ticks) | 3.33 (18 ticks) | 4.29 (14 ticks) | 5 (12 ticks) | 7.5 (8 ticks) }}
|| {{ Quality | 2.5 |3.33 | 4.29 | 5 | 7.5 }}
|| (1)
|| {{ Quality | 5 |6.67 | 8.57 | 10 | 15 }}
|| (2)
|| {{ Quality | 7.5 |10 |12.86|15 |22.5 }}
|| (3)
|| {{ Quality | 10 |13.33 |17.14|20 |30 }}
|| (4)
|- align="center"
| align="left"| {{Imagelink|Bulk inserter}} || {{Quality | 2.5 (24 ticks) | 3.33 (18 ticks) | 4.29 (14 ticks) | 5 (12 ticks) | 7.5 (8 ticks) }}
|| {{ Quality | 5 |6.673 | 8.57 | 10 | 15 }}
|| (2)
|| {{ Quality | 10 |13.33 |17.14|20 |30 }}
|| (4)
|| {{ Quality | 30 |40 |51.43|60 |90 }}
|| (12)
|| {{ Quality | 30 |40 |51.43|60 |90 }}
|| (12)
|- align="center"
| align="left"| {{Imagelink|Stack inserter}}{{SA}} || {{Quality | 2.5 (24 ticks) | 3.33 (18 ticks) | 4.29 (14 ticks) | 5 (12 ticks) | 7.5 (8 ticks) }}
|| {{ Quality | 15 |20 | 25.71 | 30 | 45 }}
|| (6)
|| {{ Quality | 20 |26.67 | 34.29 | 40 | 60 }}
|| (8)
|| {{ Quality | 40 | 53.33 | 68.57 | 80 | 120 }}
|| (16)
|| {{ Quality | 40 | 53.33 | 68.57 | 80 | 120 }}
|| (16)
|}

=== Chest to belt ===
Throughput going from chest to belt depends on how full the belt is. An inserter will not put down an item on a belt that have items back-to-back (aka full compression) - it waits until there is a gap. However, if the gap is narrower than the item then the items upstream on the belt will stop to make room for the item being inserted. The direction of the belt compared to the inserter does not matter however.

In these measurements inserters move items onto an empty belt. Values are given for the stack sizes at three different [[inserter capacity bonus (research)|capacity bonus]] levels.

'''Note:''' Experimental data from 1.1

{| class="wikitable"
! rowspan=3 | Type
! colspan=12 | Items/second at [[inserter capacity bonus (research)|capacity bonus]] level (stack size)
|-
! colspan=4 | No capacity bonus
! colspan=4 | Capacity bonus 2
! colspan=4 | Capacity bonus 7
|-
! [[File:Transport belt.png|link=Transport belt|32px]] || [[File:Fast transport belt.png|link=Fast transport belt|32px]] || [[File:Express transport belt.png|link=Express transport belt|32px]] ||
! [[File:Transport belt.png|link=Transport belt|32px]] || [[File:Fast transport belt.png|link=Fast transport belt|32px]] || [[File:Express transport belt.png|link=Express transport belt|32px]] ||
! [[File:Transport belt.png|link=Transport belt|32px]] || [[File:Fast transport belt.png|link=Fast transport belt|32px]] || [[File:Express transport belt.png|link=Express transport belt|32px]] ||
|- align="center"
| align="left"| {{Imagelink|Burner inserter}} || 0.60 || 0.60 || 0.60 || (1) || 1.19 || 1.19 || 1.19 || (2) || 1.67 || 1.73 || 1.76 || (3)
|- align="center"
| align="left"| {{Imagelink|Inserter}} || 0.83 || 0.83 || 0.83 || (1) || 1.64 || 1.64 || 1.64 || (2) || 2.25 || 2.37 || 2.43 || (3)
|- align="center"
| align="left"| {{Imagelink|Long-handed inserter}} || 1.20 || 1.20 || 1.20 || (1) || 2.35 || 2.35 || 2.35 || (2) || 3.10 || 3.33 || 3.46 || (3)
|- align="center"
| align="left"| {{Imagelink|Fast inserter}} || 2.31 || 2.31 || 2.31 || (1) || 4.44 || 4.44 || 4.44 || (2) || 5.29 || 6.00 || 6.43 || (3)
|- align="center"
| align="left"| {{Imagelink|Bulk inserter}} || 4.44 || 4.44 || 4.44 || (2) || 5.71 || 7.06 || 7.74 || (4) || 6.79 || 10.91 || 13.85 || (12)
|-
|}

=== Chest to splitter ===
When an inserter drops items onto the side of a perpendicular splitter, it always is considered to do so on the input side, enabling the splitter to move half of the items to the other belt (assuming that the splitter filter/priority settings allow it to do so and that there is available space on both belts). This allows the inserter to drop its items twice as fast. A fully upgraded bulk inserter can drop twelve items onto an express splitter every 38 ticks (18.95 items/second) instead of the usual 52.

[[File:Inserter to splitter comparison.png|621px|thumb|center|By inserting onto the side of a splitter, a fully-upgraded bulk inserter can fill 84% of an express belt lane instead of the usual 62%.]]

[[File:Inserter belt saturation.png|414px|thumb|center|Three bulk inserters can saturate an express belt if one of them inserts onto a splitter.]]

===Belt to chest (perpendicular)===

'''Note:''' The following is based on experimental data from [https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Q4hxL69qrK3qeEKU8aDkuwM3gJy6I2dJ4FYSs-FQUpI/edit?usp=sharing 1.1].
Most of the 1.1 experimental data was gathered using the following circuit blueprint to measure the exact tick difference between inserter swings. A lot of the data on this page (specifically the belt to chest data) relies heavily on the conditions of the setup on which the measurements are done. If your setup differs from the ones tested on this page, you can use the following blueprint to do the measurements yourself.

{{BlueprintString|bp-string=0eNrtXF1v4kYU/SuRq75UkMz32GhbKY996FvfuivkwBCsBYNss20U8d87NiHAwMVzHdjsKKtIURzb1zPn3K85Y3iOHmYrsyyyvIoGz9HYlKMiW1bZIo8G0V8mLVeFKW+yvDRFZYqbalosVo/T5aq6WeVj+49xNpmYwuTVzWiRj7P6xvL2c/45n1bVshzc3f2bfc1uJ+moWhTZ4na0mN/9+WKs/GX71/DvV7Of86gXZdZWGQ3+eY7K7DFPZ/XIqqelsUPKKjO3V+TpvD4qq3T0tb8dXbS2t9pR/RcN6LrXenNaZNV0bqps1LfDesjy1I5xzwZbf+lFdmZ2UmYzmubgaZiv5g/2aQPaYqoXLRdltsHyObIW+/pW9qIn+we3jxlnhRltzopeZKdcFYvZ8MFM02+ZvdvesjM73KFbn5hkRVkNj+b3LSuqlf3PDp/miv59PavS1DZqQxa1mm1KetFiaYr0he07e99iVVkSUJbX62bw+WYuzfBo/asw433QMnvE7ZVZMVplVXNI11/svQy4mEp7el3z6MDO0LCr94HdpKPpHvI4uvaZ+fSpAzWbpyPYkUfs9KLHwpi8hUa2o/Hk5VQBRHI0kfJHjp9frx4/1GWod3Ca8RYm2HH8neJFoHnhHzuvKUxea1g6BbtEw85+5jUPdtj5qNFgnlO4PMcEQKxCE0s/dp4T5xnjtIUJ6Zfn9Osot5M9zwrZsmLjbn2aiUk2qzvb070rBA6JGmurGuw+JVonXFEWtzSzkDV6YI3HgjLC2V5XizHGDowlhBCaaLqzxlHW+J41O0+uBY2ZeDUmUMbEwdCojmWSiD1rEmVNHnKQCE05FztrCmVN7VljVHAWJ/vGNMqYPhialDROmIjJq7UYZS0+sKY4lbFgUr1aS1DWkgNrzP5IHu9ZowRl7v7kVHfWNoHftZ89zCKJX5KIscmbfOxeiFJMM8Qh2BMs7PRnL+TBDtzsuLy1dTucAczVLvcyyrEZZWNTnOVNvLDWlNQ93tRp3l5Mvo20NH+qpln+uMk221gh9cF8mRbNQAfRHx0IqSFvjC6fhk0eG06KxXyY5dZKNJiks9JAbJ1mhZ/XSNgRaRC9nms/iha12MfuVeOWXjVpiSPPMkTRqpfY71XbA+tSvLxEwBEzfXrIzG9dowsXPwTMaqfC6ehqh0zlSRaHFOojlnT7mmL7xPlibIaLyXAPxT0lrjDpeDhNN5hXdkAWmapYmd0VzcnmstpS46rdgQSnvhOPynk6m/Vn6Xx5Yi0Vb+dNt/P2G4cg0IN38sncjLPVvG9m1mJho2S5mJlzQyDgENo1uKYK2ieb7HH6sFg1Sz/Ge5x+OTVG5QeOPgIHdIrXWO0QquR8/fsUoUKNnY8dGkPEaT9Q1PcBhV4UFJpAs46RrkCuOmt22Vkrh3wBNosJkvzrwsAvC4N2YYCkX0b8YJBBJgaIfEb9Zi261goNPZgh4b6u14nLwk1cr4P23xjHlkzRqWTy8y2yaK+otrjz5FRFZZ7tBg8xcOT5ispAXqUfKCzEisrAoFZIVwipojLhkC+hPphpJPkhVVQmXRigdQjz7K9oiImBg+R7tlOkY0WV0Ds5nCDhDqqixq7XQTu9nGIrKulUUdX5ihq/oaJyv96IhBg3SYu8A9LKvTChIdZTDoa0wDlCSOWUu9RLSJ3gEkd9SNWUcxcFSK3gqsueDv2eezqvOy8/yHaO327N2a0B5blnw/1aPhZkqwMGZoybdEgNB3eFIwUJRzxBNhy8m+jd8uap1m9QxQXBbRkQXM9K3aWTAN97pbiB4LcuHFahBbxgOHH4ur4tLyuKus20gLouwXHa8HVRUJfeF3BQgNowIXC+cN3kri+KgnDbMAWJO0LifIEG1IYJtw1TUM0TCqdbh5QXmOsLAkRB47YNkPWCHenTUFcsYhwd13XK+LJO6W7hKRCFBEcHfhPH6TUg8UsSnAAcVHS4dEhoU01SnP4bUtVkri9I8LM0DOcLIVVN6faRGmpoJcf5QkhVUx6tQcCIEDhtOqS8wF1fkNCaQkrc1gC2aroNrYRaOalwdIRUNaW71tRggtI4OvAbNc5AoFWWjFEyb1DB4bKhwNYhQam8IdVM7nqCgqqFIihPCKpkuqKDhpbbiqI8IaiK6aZoDdUKxTrI/cRV+9n3VPv5ETaXVvvrl6lxkafObzcqhnk3XQnfr2fw3TZQHKWgB5X53XhXYLyLDq5O39XVXWx+7/YZl4tta6mWN7/dzYG2T2+fuv4kdRLlvyH1kcqVBDUkhimF27NgSPUFBF/jZGl2VfSTy2pfwleQVTFOlr4uCveXRUEei/OekqBKcMIoC6i0iNjXOTTBCaPY0ITQ1xSnfYUUmpL5qj6a4bSvkEJT8mMF0FN30BynvoQUmlJ5O4fAqS/I0AS1Ly1RS+yQIlMR39WlVqgldkiBqeixzuDZyGndYSHC3nUhwi6w5r7vuOJ+2wpZ4FYs51fm9Uf8e29bymjcy2whJWUlT+cFC1nzdayDvS+g7UWz9MHYMUbbb4a9eUxXj/VrbN9MUW48PKZCJ0xLQbkkcr3+HxANddo=}}

When picking items from a belt, many more factors come into play besides belt fullness:

* How fast the items move (i.e. if they are queued up on the belt or move at belt speed).
* Whether the belt is perpendicular to the inserter or approaches it head on.
* Whether items are on the near or far lane of a perpendicular belt.
* Whether the belt turns or not, and whether the items are in the inner or outer side of the bend.
* If the belt is an underground entrance or exit. This shortens the time items are visible to the inserter for pickup.
* All sorts of intricate timing factors between the inserter and the items on the belt, since the game simulates the arm homing in on every item.

The test setup used below is with an inserter taking items from a perpendicular belt with items on the far lane only. The belt is fully compressed and timings are both for items that move at full speed and queued up as much as possible. Values are given for the stack sizes at three different [[inserter capacity bonus (research)|capacity bonus]] levels.

{| class="wikitable"
! rowspan=4 | Type
! colspan=15 | Items/second at [[inserter capacity bonus (research)|capacity bonus]] level (stack size)
|-
! colspan=5 | No capacity bonus
! colspan=5 | Capacity bonus 2
! colspan=5 | Capacity bonus 7
|-
! colspan=3 | Items at belt speed
! rowspan=2 | Items queued up
! rowspan=2 |
! colspan=3 | Items at belt speed
! rowspan=2 | Items queued up
! rowspan=2 |
! colspan=3 | Items at belt speed
! rowspan=2 | Items queued up
! rowspan=2 |
|-
! [[File:Transport belt.png|link=Transport belt|32px]] || [[File:Fast transport belt.png|link=Fast transport belt|32px]] || [[File:Express transport belt.png|link=Express transport belt|32px]]
! [[File:Transport belt.png|link=Transport belt|32px]] || [[File:Fast transport belt.png|link=Fast transport belt|32px]] || [[File:Express transport belt.png|link=Express transport belt|32px]]
! [[File:Transport belt.png|link=Transport belt|32px]] || [[File:Fast transport belt.png|link=Fast transport belt|32px]] || [[File:Express transport belt.png|link=Express transport belt|32px]]
|- align="center"
| align="left"| {{Imagelink|Burner inserter}} || 0.60 || '''0.65''' || 0.50 || 0.64 || (1) || 1.11 || '''1.20''' || 1.13 || 1.26 || (2) || 1.61 || 1.61 || '''1.65''' || 1.71 / 1.73 / 1.86 * || (3)
|- align="center"
| align="left"| {{Imagelink|Inserter}} || '''0.94''' || '''0.94''' || '''0.94''' || 0.88 || (1) || '''1.67''' || '''1.67''' || 1.50 || 1.74 || (2) || '''2.50''' || 2.25 || 2.33 || 2.37 / 2.37 / 2.54 * || (3)
|- align="center"
| align="left"| {{Imagelink|Long-handed inserter}} || 1.18 || 1.18 || '''1.25''' || 1.20 || (1) || 2.20 || 2.31 || '''2.40''' || 2.40 || (2) || 3.21 || 3.21 || '''3.46''' || 3.40 || (3)
|- align="center"
| align="left"| {{Imagelink|Fast inserter}} || '''2.50''' || 2.31 || '''2.50''' || 2.50 || (1) || 4.50 || 4.29 || '''5.00''' || 4.80 || (2) || '''6.43''' || 6.00 || '''6.43''' || 6.43 || (3)
|- align="center"
| align="left"| {{Imagelink|Bulk inserter}} || 4.50 || 4.29 || '''5.00''' || 4.80 || (2) || 7.50 || 7.50 || '''8.00''' || 7.50 / 8.57 / 8.28 * || (4) || 7.50 || 11.25 || '''15.00''' || 7.50 / 13.09 / 15.32 * || (12)
|}

<nowiki>*)</nowiki> Throughput for basic/fast/express belt.

Since there are many more factors involved, these measurements exhibit a more complex pattern than chest-to-belt.

* Boldface cells show for which belt each inserter has the best throughput on each bonus level when items move at belt speed. Higher speed belts mean that inserters have to work harder to catch the fast moving items. The effect is most noticeable for slower inserters and smaller stack sizes.
* When items are queued up the belt type hardly matters, so there is only a single column for that. The exceptions are the stack inserters - for basic transport belts it's the belt that sets the limit for stack sizes above 4, and there is also a notable difference between fast and express belts.

=== Belt to Chest (facing inserter) ===
'''Note:''' Experimental data from 1.1

When picking up items from a belt facing the inserter, there are multiple small differences between different setups. The following throughput tests are performed with [[express transport belt]]s and [[bulk inserter]]s with the maximum [[inserter capacity bonus (research)|capacity bonus]].
Each setup in the following picture shows the amount of ticks per cycle of the inserter and the amount of items per second the inserter moves. These measurements are consistent in all orientations of the setup.

[[File:Inserter_belt_to_chest_throughput.png|900px]]

== Power usage ==
Inserter power draw is determined by several factors.

Firstly like most machines, all of the inserters (with the exception of the burner) have drain. Drain is the energy cost of existence, and is expended constantly as long as the inserter exists on the power grid, regardless of activity or lack thereof.

Inserters also have a two costs associated with movement. These costs are applied separately and cumulatively for rotational motion as well as extension/retraction.

Lastly, inserters exhibit a power spike when acquiring and dropping off an item. This can be referred to as "item spike" because it is typically observed directly after item interaction. This is because after receiving/delivering an item it will begin extending/retracting a distance of 0.2 units (distance sourced from [https://github.com/wube/factorio-data/blob/master/base/prototypes/entity/entities.lua source code]). This power cost associated with linear movement is significantly more expensive than that of rotational movement, hence the sharp increase in power consumption.

[[File:Yellow Inserter Power Spikes.png|thumb|Power Consumption graph of Yellow Inserter]]

Here we can see that for the duration of the lateral movement the power consumption is significantly higher.

Burner Inserters, despite not using electricity, also have the same power consumption characteristics as the rest of the inserters (excluding drain). Upon accepting fuel they will replenish something resembling an internal battery, and draw from it in the same manner other inserters draw from the power grid, item spikes and all. Aside from their exclusion from drain, Burner Inserters function identically to other Inserters.

=== Energy Costs ===

[[File:Inserter Testing Setup.png|thumb|Inserter Testing Setup]]

It's important to note that due to rounding errors the games values cannot be taken at face value when doing calculations, so a blend of theoretical and empirical methods must be used to ensure accuracy. More information can be viewed here at this [https://forums.factorio.com/viewtopic.php?t=128389 forum topic]

The game calculates inserter power based on its hard coded power modifiers:

'''Inserter Power Modifiers (kJ)'''

These values are derived from [https://github.com/wube/factorio-data/blob/master/base/prototypes/entity/entities.lua source code]

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Burner !! Yellow!! Red!! Blue !! Green !! Stack
|-
| 50 || 5 || 5 || 7 || 20 || 40
|-
|}

The way the game uses these values is it takes the games programmed speed in ticks (which can be found higher up on the page), and then uses that alongside these numbers to derive a wattage, using the following equation:

<code>Speed * Power Modifier * Ticks per second</code>

Applying the equation we can derive the following values:

'''Cost of rotational movement in kW'''

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Burner !! Yellow!! Red!! Blue !! Green !! Stack
|-
| 39 || 4.2 || 6 || 16.8 || 48 || 96
|-
|}

'''Cost of linear movement in kW'''

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Burner !! Yellow!! Red!! Blue !! Green !! Stack
|-
| 105 || 10.5 || 15 || 42 || 120 || 240
|-
|}

Taking these two values and adding them together, alongside drain, will give you your max power. It is critical to note that while the duration of consumption is affected by rounding errors in the game like the time per spin and so on, the actual wattage is unaffected by these rounding errors. Just because the inserter spins slightly faster than in the games code doesn't mean it uses slightly more wattage, it still demands the same wattage.

Your rotational power is used during the entire time the inserter is spinning, while the the extension cost is only used briefly during item interaction, causing item spike. By calculating the duration of both you can accurately calculate how many joules your inserter is using in any given situation. Just like with the rotational speeds, item spike duration is subject to rounding errors from the game. You can calculate it by taking the games rated distance of 0.2 and dividing it by the inserters rated speed, and then truncating the number. To save you some hassle here is a reference table

'''Tick duration of Item Spike'''

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Burner !! Yellow!! Red!! Blue !! Green !! Stack
|-
| 5 || 5 || 4 || 1 || 1 || 1
|-
|}

Knowing these values, energy cost is easy to calculate, and is linear to inserter utilization. This means if your inserter is only running half the time, it will only use half the power, with the exception of drain which remains constant in all situations.

'''Cost per transfer cycle in kJ'''

These values are isolated from drain. Values were theoretically derived and empirically confirmed for accuracy. [https://forums.factorio.com/viewtopic.php?t=128389 More information]

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Burner !! Yellow!! Red!! Blue !! Green !! Stack
|-
| 66.9 || 6.65 || 7 || 8.12 || 23.2 || 46.4
|-
|}

=== Inserter Efficiency ===

The above data can be used to compare inserter efficiency directly. Remember that the transfer cycle cost remains the same regardless of how many items are moved. This means that the later inserters with their larger stack sizes can outperform other inserters despite their higher transfer cost, since they can achieve a lower cost per item. Here are some graphs of chest-to-chest data showing the efficiency of different inserters at differing stack sizes. Because the other inserters maintain a proportional relationship (as in an identical stack size) these graphs will primarily focus on highlighting the Green Inserter and new Stack Inserter. Dots have been marked at the turning point where they overtake the other inserters in efficiency

<gallery mode="slideshow">
File:Inserter Efficiency Graph (No Capacity Bonus).png||No Capacity Bonus
File:Inserter Efficiency Graph (Capacity Bonus 2).png|Capacity Bonus 2
File:Inserter Efficiency Graph (Capacity Bonus 4).png|Capacity Bonus 4
File:Inserter Efficiency Graph (Capacity Bonus 5) .png|Capacity Bonus 5
File:Inserter Efficiency Graph (Capacity Bonus 6) (Zoomed).png|Capacity Bonus 6
File:Inserter Efficiency Graph (Capacity Bonus 7).png|Capacity Bonus 7
</gallery>

Because the Burner Inserter doesn't have drain, its efficiency can only be appreciated in extremely low throughput situations. Thus we use these dedicated graphs. Before one graph with no capacity bonus would have been sufficient because at low throughputs inserters don't wait and always default to as stack size of 1. The new Stack Inserter changes this though, because Stack Inserters do in fact wait until they get a full hand before beginning their swing, meaning they always remain at optimal efficiency unlike the rest of the inserters. Though having generated the graphs it appears to be largely irrelevant, as the fundamental relationship never really changes from one extreme to the other.

<gallery mode="slideshow">
File:Burner Efficiency Graph (No Capacity Bonus).png|No Capacity Bonus
File:Burner Efficiency Graph (Capacity Bonus 7).png|Capacity Bonus 7
</gallery>

=== Belt Differences===
Up until now all data was regarding chest-to-chest use cases, due to their sterile and consistent nature. The introduction of belts creates special conditions that require consideration. Here is a power chart from the game for reference:

[[File:Yellow Inserter Belt-to-Belt Power Signature.png|frameless|upright 3]]

The Yellow Inserter above is doing a belt-to-belt transfer, and it has a stack bonus.

The erratic section of the graph is the loading process. We can see the behavior is irregular as the inserter does not wait for the item, but rather fishes around for them. The exact behavior here is still being studied, and due to its dependence on stack size and belt speed it is very difficult to give any firm answers regarding how much power this actually uses as a quantifiable generalization. Likely a set of tables would need to be generated with every possible combination as a reference, but such data does not currently exist. The behavior should be consistent across belt speeds and stack sizes, so it can theoretically be gathered and collated into a reference table, though such data doesn't exist at this time.

Looking at the unloading section, we can see the inserter swings around normally, but then there is this dip that doesn't exist in the chest to chest behavior. This is the inserter waiting at the belt to drop off all its items. During this waiting, it uses no power aside from its drain. Once all the items are delivered, it resumes operation as normal. Different amounts of delay caused by different belt speeds and stack sizes can create variations in both our throughput and our total cost per transfer due to the additional drain. This can also be easily modeled into a table, though such a table is currently unavailable

If you are interested in volunteering to collect and share this data, you are encouraged to do so!

What this currently means in practice is that you should just use the chest-to-chest data. The overall relationship between the inserters doesn't change significantly and their efficiency hierarchy remains undisturbed, though the exact consumption in joules per item likely increases noticeably. This could be problematic for other cost estimates in your factory, but for choosing inserters its not an issue.

'''Important:''' The above efficiency graphs only apply when loading from a chest. When loading from a belt, until a more accurate dedicated data set is provided, it is advised to reference the initial no capacity bonus version of the graph for all decisions. With an inserter stack size of 1, the efficiency relationship between chests and belts is identical.

'''Regarding Quality:''' Quality inserters receive a linear speed boost for each level of quality, with a corresponding power cost increase. What this means is that the quality level of an inserter has no impact on its energy efficiency

''More data regarding inserters feeding from belts, as well as more detailed data regarding burner inserter power consumption is still needed. Please contribute if you are willing

== See Also ==
* [[Electric system]]
* [[Belt transport system]]
* [[Inserter capacity bonus (research)]]: Inserter moves more than an item per turn.

{{C|Logistics{{!}}#Inserters}} {{C|Inserters{{!}}#Inserters}}

File:Burner Efficiency Graph (No Capacity Bonus).png

2025-04-26T07:55:39Z

GregFirehawk:

As described

Code if needed

<code>
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import numpy as np
from mpl_toolkits.axes_grid1.inset_locator import zoomed_inset_axes

yellow_drain = 0.4
blue_drain = 0.5
green_drain = 1

burner_energy = 66.9
yellow_energy = 6.65
red_energy = 7
blue_energy = 8.12
green_energy = 23.2
stack_energy = 46.4

stack_stack = 6

x = np.linspace(0, 500, 10000)

burner = burner_energy + x - x
yellow = (yellow_drain * x) + yellow_energy
red = (yellow_drain * x) + red_energy
blue = (blue_drain * x) + blue_energy
green = (green_drain * x) + green_energy
stack = (green_drain * x) + (stack_energy / stack_stack)

fig = plt.figure(figsize = (20, 15))
ax = plt.axes()

ax.plot(x, burner, label = "Burner", color = "black")
ax.plot(x, yellow, label = "Yellow", color = "orange")
ax.plot(x, red, label = "Red", color = "red")
ax.plot(x, blue, label = "Blue", color = "blue")
ax.plot(x, green, label = "Green", color = "green")
ax.plot(x, stack, label = "Stack", color = "purple")

xlim = 160
ylim = burner_energy + 5

ax.set_ylim(0, ylim)
ax.set_xlim(0, xlim)

xtick = 5
ytick = 1

ax.set_xticks(np.arange(0, xlim + xtick, xtick))
ax.set_yticks(np.arange(0, ylim + ytick, ytick))

ax.set_title("Burner Efficiency (No Capacity Bonus)")
ax.set_xlabel("Seconds / Item", fontweight = "bold")
ax.set_ylabel("Power Cost (kW)", fontweight = "bold")

ax.grid()
ax.legend(loc = 2)

intersect1 = np.argwhere(np.diff(np.sign(burner - yellow))).flatten()
plt.plot(x[intersect1], burner[intersect1] , 'ro')

intersect2 = np.argwhere(np.diff(np.sign(burner - red))).flatten()
plt.plot(x[intersect2], burner[intersect2] , 'ro')

intersect3 = np.argwhere(np.diff(np.sign(burner - blue))).flatten()
plt.plot(x[intersect3], burner[intersect3] , 'ro')

intersect4 = np.argwhere(np.diff(np.sign(burner - green))).flatten()
plt.plot(x[intersect4], burner[intersect4] , 'ro')

intersect5 = np.argwhere(np.diff(np.sign(burner - stack))).flatten()
plt.plot(x[intersect5], burner[intersect5] , 'ro')

zax = zoomed_inset_axes(ax, 12, loc = 4, borderpad = 3)

zax.plot(x, burner, label = "Burner", color = "black")
zax.plot(x, yellow, label = "Yellow", color = "orange")
zax.plot(x, red, label = "Red", color = "red")
zax.plot(x, blue, label = "Blue", color = "blue")
zax.plot(x, green, label = "Green", color = "green")
zax.plot(x, stack, label = "Stack", color = "purple")

zxlim = 153
zylim = 68
zxinit = 147
zyinit = 66

zax.set_xlim(zxinit, zxlim)
zax.set_ylim(zyinit, zylim)

zxtick = 0.5
zytick = 0.2

zax.set_xticks(np.arange(zxinit, zxlim + zxtick, zxtick))
zax.set_yticks(np.arange(zyinit, zylim + zytick, zytick))

zax.grid()

plt.plot(x[intersect1], burner[intersect1] , 'ro')
plt.plot(x[intersect2], burner[intersect2] , 'ro')

plt.show()
</code>

File:Burner Efficiency Graph (No Capacity Bonus).png

2025-04-26T07:54:21Z

GregFirehawk:

As described

File:Burner Efficiency Graph (Capacity Bonus 7).png

2025-04-26T07:51:07Z

GregFirehawk:

As described

Code if needed

<code>
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import numpy as np
from mpl_toolkits.axes_grid1.inset_locator import zoomed_inset_axes

yellow_drain = 0.4
blue_drain = 0.5
green_drain = 1

burner_energy = 66.9
yellow_energy = 6.65
red_energy = 7
blue_energy = 8.12
green_energy = 23.2
stack_energy = 46.4

stack_stack = 16

x = np.linspace(0, 500, 10000)

burner = burner_energy + x - x
yellow = (yellow_drain * x) + yellow_energy
red = (yellow_drain * x) + red_energy
blue = (blue_drain * x) + blue_energy
green = (green_drain * x) + green_energy
stack = (green_drain * x) + (stack_energy / stack_stack)

fig = plt.figure(figsize = (20, 15))
ax = plt.axes()

ax.plot(x, burner, label = "Burner", color = "black")
ax.plot(x, yellow, label = "Yellow", color = "orange")
ax.plot(x, red, label = "Red", color = "red")
ax.plot(x, blue, label = "Blue", color = "blue")
ax.plot(x, green, label = "Green", color = "green")
ax.plot(x, stack, label = "Stack", color = "purple")

xlim = 160
ylim = burner_energy + 5

ax.set_ylim(0, ylim)
ax.set_xlim(0, xlim)

xtick = 5
ytick = 1

ax.set_xticks(np.arange(0, xlim + xtick, xtick))
ax.set_yticks(np.arange(0, ylim + ytick, ytick))

ax.set_title("Burner Efficiency (Capacity Bonus 7)")
ax.set_xlabel("Seconds / Item", fontweight = "bold")
ax.set_ylabel("Power Cost (kW)", fontweight = "bold")

ax.grid()
ax.legend(loc = 2)

intersect1 = np.argwhere(np.diff(np.sign(burner - yellow))).flatten()
plt.plot(x[intersect1], burner[intersect1] , 'ro')

intersect2 = np.argwhere(np.diff(np.sign(burner - red))).flatten()
plt.plot(x[intersect2], burner[intersect2] , 'ro')

intersect3 = np.argwhere(np.diff(np.sign(burner - blue))).flatten()
plt.plot(x[intersect3], burner[intersect3] , 'ro')

intersect4 = np.argwhere(np.diff(np.sign(burner - green))).flatten()
plt.plot(x[intersect4], burner[intersect4] , 'ro')

intersect5 = np.argwhere(np.diff(np.sign(burner - stack))).flatten()
plt.plot(x[intersect5], burner[intersect5] , 'ro')

zax = zoomed_inset_axes(ax, 12, loc = 4, borderpad = 3)

zax.plot(x, burner, label = "Burner", color = "black")
zax.plot(x, yellow, label = "Yellow", color = "orange")
zax.plot(x, red, label = "Red", color = "red")
zax.plot(x, blue, label = "Blue", color = "blue")
zax.plot(x, green, label = "Green", color = "green")
zax.plot(x, stack, label = "Stack", color = "purple")

zxlim = 153
zylim = 68
zxinit = 147
zyinit = 66

zax.set_xlim(zxinit, zxlim)
zax.set_ylim(zyinit, zylim)

zxtick = 0.5
zytick = 0.2

zax.set_xticks(np.arange(zxinit, zxlim + zxtick, zxtick))
zax.set_yticks(np.arange(zyinit, zylim + zytick, zytick))

zax.grid()

plt.plot(x[intersect1], burner[intersect1] , 'ro')
plt.plot(x[intersect2], burner[intersect2] , 'ro')

plt.show()
</code>

File:Burner Efficiency Graph (Capacity Bonus 7).png

2025-04-26T07:45:11Z

GregFirehawk:

As described

File:Inserter Efficiency Graph (Capacity Bonus 5) .png

2025-04-26T07:40:14Z

GregFirehawk: GregFirehawk reverted File:Inserter Efficiency Graph (Capacity Bonus 5) .png to an old version

Graph showing efficiency of different inserters at different throughputs. This version has capacity bonus 5. Intersection points are marked.
{{Screenshot}}

Code to recreate if needed

<code>
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import numpy as np
from mpl_toolkits.axes_grid1.inset_locator import zoomed_inset_axes

burner_speed = 60 / 76
yellow_speed = 60 / 70
red_speed = 60 / 50
blue_speed = 60 / 24

yellow_drain = 0.4
blue_drain = 0.5
green_drain = 1

burner_energy = 66.9
yellow_energy = 6.65
red_energy = 7
blue_energy = 8.12
green_energy = 23.2
stack_energy = 46.4

stack_size = 2
green_stack = 8
stack_stack = 12

x = np.linspace(0, blue_speed * stack_stack, 300)

yellow_count = np.trunc(x / (yellow_speed * stack_size)) + 1
red_count = np.trunc(x / (red_speed * stack_size)) + 1
blue_count = np.trunc(x / (blue_speed * stack_size)) + 1
green_count = np.trunc(x / (blue_speed * green_stack)) + 1

dynamic_stack = x / stack_size
dynamic_green = x / green_stack
dynamic_stacker = x / stack_stack

burner = burner_energy * dynamic_stack
yellow = (yellow_energy * dynamic_stack) + (yellow_drain * yellow_count)
red = (red_energy * dynamic_stack) + (yellow_drain * red_count)
blue = (blue_energy * dynamic_stack) + (blue_drain * blue_count)
green = (green_energy * dynamic_green) + (green_drain * green_count)
stack = (stack_energy * dynamic_stacker) + green_drain

fig = plt.figure(figsize = (20, 15))
ax = plt.axes()

ax.plot(x, burner, label = "Burner", color = "black")
ax.plot(x, yellow, label = "Yellow", color = "orange")
ax.plot(x, red, label = "Red", color = "red")
ax.plot(x, blue, label = "Blue", color = "blue")
ax.plot(x, green, label = "Green", color = "green")
ax.plot(x, stack, label = "Stack", color = "purple")

xlim = blue_speed * stack_stack
ylim = (stack_energy / stack_stack) * xlim

ax.set_ylim(0, ylim)
ax.set_xlim(0, xlim)

xtick = 1
ytick = 2

ax.set_xticks(np.arange(0, xlim + xtick, xtick))
ax.set_yticks(np.arange(0, ylim + ytick, ytick))

ax.set_title("Inserter Efficiency (Capacity Bonus 5)")
ax.set_xlabel("Items / second", fontweight = "bold")
ax.set_ylabel("Power Cost (kW)", fontweight = "bold")

ax.grid()
ax.legend(loc = 4)

intersect4 = np.argwhere(np.diff(np.sign(stack - blue))).flatten()
plt.plot(x[intersect4], stack[intersect4] , 'ro')

zax = zoomed_inset_axes(ax, 8, loc = 2, borderpad = 1)
zax.yaxis.tick_right()

zax.plot(x, burner, label = "Burner", color = "black")
zax.plot(x, yellow, label = "Yellow", color = "orange")
zax.plot(x, red, label = "Red", color = "red")
zax.plot(x, blue, label = "Blue", color = "blue")
zax.plot(x, green, label = "Green", color = "green")
zax.plot(x, stack, label = "Stack", color = "purple")

zxlim = 1.6
zylim = 6
zxinit = 0
zyinit = 0

zax.set_xlim(zxinit, zxlim)
zax.set_ylim(zyinit, zylim)

zxtick = 0.1
zytick = 0.2

zax.set_xticks(np.arange(zxinit, zxlim + zxtick, zxtick))
zax.set_yticks(np.arange(zyinit, zylim + zytick, zytick))

zax.grid()

intersect1 = np.argwhere(np.diff(np.sign(green - blue))).flatten()
plt.plot(x[intersect1], green[intersect1] , 'ro')

intersect2 = np.argwhere(np.diff(np.sign(green - red))).flatten()
plt.plot(x[intersect2], green[intersect2] , 'ro')

intersect3 = np.argwhere(np.diff(np.sign(green - yellow))).flatten()
plt.plot(x[intersect3], green[intersect3] , 'ro')

intersect4 = np.argwhere(np.diff(np.sign(stack - blue))).flatten()
plt.plot(x[intersect4], stack[intersect4] , 'ro')

plt.show()
</code>

File:Inserter Efficiency Graph (Capacity Bonus 2).png

2025-04-26T07:04:08Z

GregFirehawk:

File:Inserter Efficiency Graph (Capacity Bonus 2).png

2025-04-26T07:00:37Z

GregFirehawk:

Graph showing the efficiency of Inserters at capacity bonus 2

File:Yellow Inserter Power Spikes.png

2025-04-26T06:12:43Z

GregFirehawk:

Yellow Inserter Power Consumption graph showing item spiking

File:Inserter Efficiency Graph (Capacity Bonus 6) (Zoomed).png

2025-04-26T05:39:54Z

GregFirehawk:

Graph showing efficiency of different inserters at different throughputs. This version has capacity bonus 6, and is zoomed in to the area of interest. Dots have been marked on the intersections.
{{Screenshot}}

Code to recreate if necessary

<code>
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import numpy as np
from mpl_toolkits.axes_grid1.inset_locator import zoomed_inset_axes

burner_speed = 60 / 76
yellow_speed = 60 / 70
red_speed = 60 / 50
blue_speed = 60 / 24

yellow_drain = 0.4
blue_drain = 0.5
green_drain = 1

burner_energy = 66.9
yellow_energy = 6.65
red_energy = 7
blue_energy = 8.12
green_energy = 23.2
stack_energy = 46.4

stack_size = 2
green_stack = 10
stack_stack = 14

x = np.linspace(0, blue_speed * stack_stack, 300)

yellow_count = np.trunc(x / (yellow_speed * stack_size)) + 1
red_count = np.trunc(x / (red_speed * stack_size)) + 1
blue_count = np.trunc(x / (blue_speed * stack_size)) + 1
green_count = np.trunc(x / (blue_speed * green_stack)) + 1

dynamic_stack = x / stack_size
dynamic_green = x / green_stack
dynamic_stacker = x / stack_stack

burner = burner_energy * dynamic_stack
yellow = (yellow_energy * dynamic_stack) + (yellow_drain * yellow_count)
red = (red_energy * dynamic_stack) + (yellow_drain * red_count)
blue = (blue_energy * dynamic_stack) + (blue_drain * blue_count)
green = (green_energy * dynamic_green) + (green_drain * green_count)
stack = (stack_energy * dynamic_stacker) + green_drain

fig = plt.figure(figsize = (20, 15))
ax = plt.axes()

ax.plot(x, burner, label = "Burner", color = "black")
ax.plot(x, yellow, label = "Yellow", color = "orange")
ax.plot(x, red, label = "Red", color = "red")
ax.plot(x, blue, label = "Blue", color = "blue")
ax.plot(x, green, label = "Green", color = "green")
ax.plot(x, stack, label = "Stack", color = "purple")

xlim = 5
ylim = 20

ax.set_ylim(0, ylim)
ax.set_xlim(0, xlim)

xtick = 0.1
ytick = 0.5

ax.set_xticks(np.arange(0, xlim + xtick, xtick))
ax.set_yticks(np.arange(0, ylim + ytick, ytick))

ax.set_title("Inserter Efficiency (Capacity Bonus 6) [Zoomed]")
ax.set_xlabel("Items / second", fontweight = "bold")
ax.set_ylabel("Power Cost (kW)", fontweight = "bold")

ax.grid()
ax.legend(loc = 4)

intersect1 = np.argwhere(np.diff(np.sign(green - blue))).flatten()
plt.plot(x[intersect1], green[intersect1] , 'ro')

intersect2 = np.argwhere(np.diff(np.sign(green - red))).flatten()
plt.plot(x[intersect2], green[intersect2] , 'ro')

intersect3 = np.argwhere(np.diff(np.sign(green - yellow))).flatten()
plt.plot(x[intersect3], green[intersect3] , 'ro')

intersect4 = np.argwhere(np.diff(np.sign(stack - blue))).flatten()
plt.plot(x[intersect4], stack[intersect4] , 'ro')

intersect5 = np.argwhere(np.diff(np.sign(stack - red))).flatten()
plt.plot(x[intersect5], stack[intersect5] , 'ro')

intersect6 = np.argwhere(np.diff(np.sign(stack - yellow))).flatten()
plt.plot(x[intersect6], stack[intersect6] , 'ro')

plt.show()
</code>

File:Inserter Efficiency Graph (Capacity Bonus 6) (Zoomed).png

2025-04-26T05:38:52Z

GregFirehawk: GregFirehawk uploaded a new version of File:Inserter Efficiency Graph (Capacity Bonus 6) (Zoomed).png

Graph showing efficiency of different inserters at different throughputs. This version has capacity bonus 6, and is zoomed in to the area of interest
{{Screenshot}}

File:Inserter Efficiency Graph (Capacity Bonus 5) .png

2025-04-26T05:38:35Z

GregFirehawk: GregFirehawk uploaded a new version of File:Inserter Efficiency Graph (Capacity Bonus 5) .png

File:Inserter Efficiency Graph (Capacity Bonus 5) .png

2025-04-26T05:36:48Z

GregFirehawk: GregFirehawk uploaded a new version of File:Inserter Efficiency Graph (Capacity Bonus 5) .png

File:Inserter Efficiency Graph (Capacity Bonus 5) .png

2025-04-26T05:30:56Z

GregFirehawk:

File:Inserter Efficiency Graph (Capacity Bonus 5) .png

2025-04-26T05:29:35Z

GregFirehawk: GregFirehawk uploaded a new version of File:Inserter Efficiency Graph (Capacity Bonus 5) .png

Graph showing efficiency of different inserters at different throughputs. This version has capacity bonus 5.
{{Screenshot}}

File:Inserter Efficiency Graph (Capacity Bonus 7).png

2025-04-26T05:22:03Z

GregFirehawk:

Graph showing efficiency of different inserters at different throughputs. This version has capacity bonus 7. Intersection points have been marked.
{{Screenshot}}

Code to recreate graph if needed

<code>
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import numpy as np
from mpl_toolkits.axes_grid1.inset_locator import zoomed_inset_axes

burner_speed = 60 / 76
yellow_speed = 60 / 70
red_speed = 60 / 50
blue_speed = 60 / 24

yellow_drain = 0.4
blue_drain = 0.5
green_drain = 1

burner_energy = 66.9
yellow_energy = 6.65
red_energy = 7
blue_energy = 8.12
green_energy = 23.2
stack_energy = 46.4

stack_size = 3
green_stack = 12
stack_stack = 16

x = np.linspace(0, blue_speed * stack_stack, 300)

yellow_count = np.trunc(x / (yellow_speed * stack_size)) + 1
red_count = np.trunc(x / (red_speed * stack_size)) + 1
blue_count = np.trunc(x / (blue_speed * stack_size)) + 1
green_count = np.trunc(x / (blue_speed * green_stack)) + 1

dynamic_stack = x / stack_size
dynamic_green = x / green_stack
dynamic_stacker = x / stack_stack

burner = burner_energy * dynamic_stack
yellow = (yellow_energy * dynamic_stack) + (yellow_drain * yellow_count)
red = (red_energy * dynamic_stack) + (yellow_drain * red_count)
blue = (blue_energy * dynamic_stack) + (blue_drain * blue_count)
green = (green_energy * dynamic_green) + (green_drain * green_count)
stack = (stack_energy * dynamic_stacker) + green_drain

fig = plt.figure(figsize = (20, 15))
ax = plt.axes()

ax.plot(x, burner, label = "Burner", color = "black")
ax.plot(x, yellow, label = "Yellow", color = "orange")
ax.plot(x, red, label = "Red", color = "red")
ax.plot(x, blue, label = "Blue", color = "blue")
ax.plot(x, green, label = "Green", color = "green")
ax.plot(x, stack, label = "Stack", color = "purple")

xlim = blue_speed * stack_stack
ylim = (stack_energy / stack_stack) * xlim

ax.set_ylim(0, ylim)
ax.set_xlim(0, xlim)

xtick = 1
ytick = 2

ax.set_xticks(np.arange(0, xlim + xtick, xtick))
ax.set_yticks(np.arange(0, ylim + ytick, ytick))

ax.set_title("Inserter Efficiency (Capacity Bonus 7)")
ax.set_xlabel("Items / second", fontweight = "bold")
ax.set_ylabel("Power Cost (kW)", fontweight = "bold")

ax.grid()
ax.legend(loc = 4)

zax = zoomed_inset_axes(ax, 8, loc = 2, borderpad = 1)
zax.yaxis.tick_right()

zax.plot(x, burner, label = "Burner", color = "black")
zax.plot(x, yellow, label = "Yellow", color = "orange")
zax.plot(x, red, label = "Red", color = "red")
zax.plot(x, blue, label = "Blue", color = "blue")
zax.plot(x, green, label = "Green", color = "green")
zax.plot(x, stack, label = "Stack", color = "purple")

zxlim = 2.2
zylim = 6
zxinit = 0
zyinit = 0

zax.set_xlim(zxinit, zxlim)
zax.set_ylim(zyinit, zylim)

zxtick = 0.1
zytick = 0.2

zax.set_xticks(np.arange(zxinit, zxlim + zxtick, zxtick))
zax.set_yticks(np.arange(zyinit, zylim + zytick, zytick))

zax.grid()

intersect1 = np.argwhere(np.diff(np.sign(green - blue))).flatten()
plt.plot(x[intersect1], green[intersect1] , 'ro')

intersect2 = np.argwhere(np.diff(np.sign(green - red))).flatten()
plt.plot(x[intersect2], green[intersect2] , 'ro')

intersect3 = np.argwhere(np.diff(np.sign(green - yellow))).flatten()
plt.plot(x[intersect3], green[intersect3] , 'ro')

plt.show()
</code>

File:Inserter Efficiency Graph (Capacity Bonus 7).png

2025-04-26T05:21:41Z

GregFirehawk: GregFirehawk uploaded a new version of File:Inserter Efficiency Graph (Capacity Bonus 7).png

Graph showing efficiency of different inserters at different throughputs. This version has capacity bonus 7. Intersection points have been marked.
{{Screenshot}}

Code to recreate graph if needed

<code>
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import numpy as np
from mpl_toolkits.axes_grid1.inset_locator import zoomed_inset_axes

burner_speed = 60 / 76
yellow_speed = 60 / 70
red_speed = 60 / 50
blue_speed = 60 / 24

yellow_drain = 0.4
blue_drain = 0.5
green_drain = 1

burner_energy = 66.9
yellow_energy = 6.65
red_energy = 7
blue_energy = 8.12
green_energy = 23.2
stack_energy = 46.4

stack_size = 3
green_stack = 12
stack_stack = 16

x = np.linspace(0, blue_speed * stack_stack, 300)

yellow_count = np.trunc(x / (yellow_speed * stack_size)) + 1
red_count = np.trunc(x / (red_speed * stack_size)) + 1
blue_count = np.trunc(x / (blue_speed * stack_size)) + 1
green_count = np.trunc(x / (blue_speed * green_stack)) + 1

dynamic_stack = x / stack_size
dynamic_green = x / green_stack
dynamic_stacker = x / stack_stack

burner = burner_energy * dynamic_stack
yellow = (yellow_energy * dynamic_stack) + (yellow_drain * yellow_count)
red = (red_energy * dynamic_stack) + (yellow_drain * red_count)
blue = (blue_energy * dynamic_stack) + (blue_drain * blue_count)
green = (green_energy * dynamic_green) + (green_drain * green_count)
stack = (stack_energy * dynamic_stacker) + green_drain

fig = plt.figure(figsize = (20, 15))
ax = plt.axes()

ax.plot(x, burner, label = "Burner", color = "black")
ax.plot(x, yellow, label = "Yellow", color = "orange")
ax.plot(x, red, label = "Red", color = "red")
ax.plot(x, blue, label = "Blue", color = "blue")
ax.plot(x, green, label = "Green", color = "green")
ax.plot(x, stack, label = "Stack", color = "purple")

xlim = blue_speed * stack_stack
ylim = (stack_energy / stack_stack) * xlim

ax.set_ylim(0, ylim)
ax.set_xlim(0, xlim)

xtick = 1
ytick = 2

ax.set_xticks(np.arange(0, xlim + xtick, xtick))
ax.set_yticks(np.arange(0, ylim + ytick, ytick))

ax.set_title("Inserter Efficiency (Capacity Bonus 7)")
ax.set_xlabel("Items / second", fontweight = "bold")
ax.set_ylabel("Power Cost (kW)", fontweight = "bold")

ax.grid()
ax.legend(loc = "best")

zax = zoomed_inset_axes(ax, 8, loc = 2, borderpad = 1)
zax.yaxis.tick_right()

zax.plot(x, burner, label = "Burner", color = "black")
zax.plot(x, yellow, label = "Yellow", color = "orange")
zax.plot(x, red, label = "Red", color = "red")
zax.plot(x, blue, label = "Blue", color = "blue")
zax.plot(x, green, label = "Green", color = "green")
zax.plot(x, stack, label = "Stack", color = "purple")

zxlim = 2.2
zylim = 6
zxinit = 0
zyinit = 0

zax.set_xlim(zxinit, zxlim)
zax.set_ylim(zyinit, zylim)

zxtick = 0.1
zytick = 0.2

zax.set_xticks(np.arange(zxinit, zxlim + zxtick, zxtick))
zax.set_yticks(np.arange(zyinit, zylim + zytick, zytick))

zax.grid()

intersect1 = np.argwhere(np.diff(np.sign(green - blue))).flatten()
plt.plot(x[intersect1], green[intersect1] , 'ro')

intersect2 = np.argwhere(np.diff(np.sign(green - red))).flatten()
plt.plot(x[intersect2], green[intersect2] , 'ro')

intersect3 = np.argwhere(np.diff(np.sign(green - yellow))).flatten()
plt.plot(x[intersect3], green[intersect3] , 'ro')

plt.show()
</code>

File:Inserter Efficiency Graph (Capacity Bonus 4).png

2025-04-26T05:16:18Z

GregFirehawk: Fixed mixed up file code

Graph showing efficiency of different inserters at different throughputs. This version has capacity bonus 4. Worth noting is the significant overlap between stack inserters and green inserters.
{{Screenshot}}

Here is the code to reproduce the graph in python if it ever needs editing:

<code>
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import numpy as np
from mpl_toolkits.axes_grid1.inset_locator import zoomed_inset_axes

burner_speed = 60 / 76
yellow_speed = 60 / 70
red_speed = 60 / 50
blue_speed = 60 / 24

yellow_drain = 0.4
blue_drain = 0.5
green_drain = 1

burner_energy = 66.9
yellow_energy = 6.65
red_energy = 7
blue_energy = 8.12
green_energy = 23.2
stack_energy = 46.4

stack_size = 2
green_stack = 6
stack_stack = 10

x = np.linspace(0, blue_speed * stack_stack, 300)

yellow_count = np.trunc(x / (yellow_speed * stack_size)) + 1
red_count = np.trunc(x / (red_speed * stack_size)) + 1
blue_count = np.trunc(x / (blue_speed * stack_size)) + 1
green_count = np.trunc(x / (blue_speed * green_stack)) + 1

dynamic_stack = x / stack_size
dynamic_green = x / green_stack
dynamic_stacker = x / stack_stack

burner = burner_energy * dynamic_stack
yellow = (yellow_energy * dynamic_stack) + (yellow_drain * yellow_count)
red = (red_energy * dynamic_stack) + (yellow_drain * red_count)
blue = (blue_energy * dynamic_stack) + (blue_drain * blue_count)
green = (green_energy * dynamic_green) + (green_drain * green_count)
stack = (stack_energy * dynamic_stacker) + green_drain

fig = plt.figure(figsize = (20, 15))
ax = plt.axes()

ax.plot(x, burner, label = "Burner", color = "black")
ax.plot(x, yellow, label = "Yellow", color = "orange")
ax.plot(x, red, label = "Red", color = "red")
ax.plot(x, blue, label = "Blue", color = "blue")
ax.plot(x, green, label = "Green", color = "green")
ax.plot(x, stack, label = "Stack", color = "purple")

xlim = blue_speed * stack_stack
ylim = (stack_energy / stack_stack) * xlim

ax.set_ylim(0, ylim)
ax.set_xlim(0, xlim)

xtick = 1
ytick = 2

ax.set_xticks(np.arange(0, xlim + xtick, xtick))
ax.set_yticks(np.arange(0, ylim + ytick, ytick))

ax.set_title("Inserter Efficiency (Capacity Bonus 4)")
ax.set_xlabel("Items / second", fontweight = "bold")
ax.set_ylabel("Power Cost (kW)", fontweight = "bold")

ax.grid()
ax.legend(loc = 4)

zax = zoomed_inset_axes(ax, 6, loc = 2, borderpad = 1)
zax.yaxis.tick_right()

zax.plot(x, burner, label = "Burner", color = "black")
zax.plot(x, yellow, label = "Yellow", color = "orange")
zax.plot(x, red, label = "Red", color = "red")
zax.plot(x, blue, label = "Blue", color = "blue")
zax.plot(x, green, label = "Green", color = "green")
zax.plot(x, stack, label = "Stack", color = "purple")

zxlim = 3.5
zylim = 15
zxinit = 2
zyinit = 5

zax.set_xlim(zxinit, zxlim)
zax.set_ylim(zyinit, zylim)

zxtick = 0.1
zytick = 0.4

zax.set_xticks(np.arange(zxinit, zxlim + zxtick, zxtick))
zax.set_yticks(np.arange(zyinit, zylim + zytick, zytick))

zax.grid()

intersect1 = np.argwhere(np.diff(np.sign(green - blue))).flatten()
plt.plot(x[intersect1], green[intersect1] , 'ro')

plt.show()
</code>

File:Inserter Efficiency Graph (Capacity Bonus 4).png

2025-04-26T05:15:12Z

GregFirehawk: GregFirehawk uploaded a new version of File:Inserter Efficiency Graph (Capacity Bonus 4).png

Graph showing efficiency of different inserters at different throughputs. This version has capacity bonus 4. Worth noting is the significant overlap between stack inserters and green inserters.
{{Screenshot}}

Here is the code to reproduce the graph in python if it ever needs editing:

<code>
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import numpy as np

burner_speed = 60 / 76
yellow_speed = 60 / 70
red_speed = 60 / 50
blue_speed = 60 / 24

yellow_drain = 0.4
blue_drain = 0.5
green_drain = 1

burner_energy = 66.9
yellow_energy = 6.65
red_energy = 7
blue_energy = 8.12
green_energy = 23.2
stack_energy = 46.4

stack_size = 2
green_stack = 4
stack_stack = 8

x = np.linspace(0, blue_speed * stack_stack, 300)

yellow_count = np.trunc(x / (yellow_speed * stack_size)) + 1
red_count = np.trunc(x / (red_speed * stack_size)) + 1
blue_count = np.trunc(x / (blue_speed * stack_size)) + 1
green_count = np.trunc(x / (blue_speed * green_stack)) + 1

dynamic_stack = x / stack_size
dynamic_green = x / green_stack
dynamic_stacker = x / stack_stack

burner = burner_energy * dynamic_stack
yellow = (yellow_energy * dynamic_stack) + (yellow_drain * yellow_count)
red = (red_energy * dynamic_stack) + (yellow_drain * red_count)
blue = (blue_energy * dynamic_stack) + (blue_drain * blue_count)
green = (green_energy * dynamic_green) + (green_drain * green_count)
stack = (stack_energy * dynamic_stacker) + green_drain

fig = plt.figure(figsize = (20, 15))
ax = plt.axes()

ax.plot(x, burner, label = "Burner", color = "black")
ax.plot(x, yellow, label = "Yellow", color = "orange")
ax.plot(x, red, label = "Red", color = "red")
ax.plot(x, blue, label = "Blue", color = "blue")
ax.plot(x, green, label = "Green", color = "green")
ax.plot(x, stack, label = "Stack", color = "purple")

xlim = blue_speed * stack_stack
ylim = (stack_energy / stack_stack) * xlim

ax.set_ylim(0, ylim)
ax.set_xlim(0, xlim)

xtick = 0.5
ytick = 2

ax.set_xticks(np.arange(0, xlim + xtick, xtick))
ax.set_yticks(np.arange(0, ylim + ytick, ytick))

ax.set_title("Inserter Efficiency (Capacity Bonus 2)")
ax.set_xlabel("Items / second", fontweight = "bold")
ax.set_ylabel("Power Cost (kW)", fontweight = "bold")

ax.grid()
ax.legend(loc = "best")

plt.show()
</code>

File:Inserter Efficiency Graph (Capacity Bonus 4).png

2025-04-26T05:14:47Z

GregFirehawk: GregFirehawk uploaded a new version of File:Inserter Efficiency Graph (Capacity Bonus 4).png

Graph showing efficiency of different inserters at different throughputs. This version has capacity bonus 4. Worth noting is the significant overlap between stack inserters and green inserters.
{{Screenshot}}

Here is the code to reproduce the graph in python if it ever needs editing:

<code>
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import numpy as np

burner_speed = 60 / 76
yellow_speed = 60 / 70
red_speed = 60 / 50
blue_speed = 60 / 24

yellow_drain = 0.4
blue_drain = 0.5
green_drain = 1

burner_energy = 66.9
yellow_energy = 6.65
red_energy = 7
blue_energy = 8.12
green_energy = 23.2
stack_energy = 46.4

stack_size = 2
green_stack = 4
stack_stack = 8

x = np.linspace(0, blue_speed * stack_stack, 300)

yellow_count = np.trunc(x / (yellow_speed * stack_size)) + 1
red_count = np.trunc(x / (red_speed * stack_size)) + 1
blue_count = np.trunc(x / (blue_speed * stack_size)) + 1
green_count = np.trunc(x / (blue_speed * green_stack)) + 1

dynamic_stack = x / stack_size
dynamic_green = x / green_stack
dynamic_stacker = x / stack_stack

burner = burner_energy * dynamic_stack
yellow = (yellow_energy * dynamic_stack) + (yellow_drain * yellow_count)
red = (red_energy * dynamic_stack) + (yellow_drain * red_count)
blue = (blue_energy * dynamic_stack) + (blue_drain * blue_count)
green = (green_energy * dynamic_green) + (green_drain * green_count)
stack = (stack_energy * dynamic_stacker) + green_drain

fig = plt.figure(figsize = (20, 15))
ax = plt.axes()

ax.plot(x, burner, label = "Burner", color = "black")
ax.plot(x, yellow, label = "Yellow", color = "orange")
ax.plot(x, red, label = "Red", color = "red")
ax.plot(x, blue, label = "Blue", color = "blue")
ax.plot(x, green, label = "Green", color = "green")
ax.plot(x, stack, label = "Stack", color = "purple")

xlim = blue_speed * stack_stack
ylim = (stack_energy / stack_stack) * xlim

ax.set_ylim(0, ylim)
ax.set_xlim(0, xlim)

xtick = 0.5
ytick = 2

ax.set_xticks(np.arange(0, xlim + xtick, xtick))
ax.set_yticks(np.arange(0, ylim + ytick, ytick))

ax.set_title("Inserter Efficiency (Capacity Bonus 2)")
ax.set_xlabel("Items / second", fontweight = "bold")
ax.set_ylabel("Power Cost (kW)", fontweight = "bold")

ax.grid()
ax.legend(loc = "best")

plt.show()
</code>

File:Inserter Efficiency Graph (Capacity Bonus 7).png

2025-04-26T05:04:22Z

GregFirehawk:

Graph showing efficiency of different inserters at different throughputs. This version has capacity bonus 7. Intersection points have been marked.
{{Screenshot}}

Code to recreate graph if needed

<code>
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import numpy as np
from mpl_toolkits.axes_grid1.inset_locator import zoomed_inset_axes

burner_speed = 60 / 76
yellow_speed = 60 / 70
red_speed = 60 / 50
blue_speed = 60 / 24

yellow_drain = 0.4
blue_drain = 0.5
green_drain = 1

burner_energy = 66.9
yellow_energy = 6.65
red_energy = 7
blue_energy = 8.12
green_energy = 23.2
stack_energy = 46.4

stack_size = 3
green_stack = 12
stack_stack = 16

x = np.linspace(0, blue_speed * stack_stack, 300)

yellow_count = np.trunc(x / (yellow_speed * stack_size)) + 1
red_count = np.trunc(x / (red_speed * stack_size)) + 1
blue_count = np.trunc(x / (blue_speed * stack_size)) + 1
green_count = np.trunc(x / (blue_speed * green_stack)) + 1

dynamic_stack = x / stack_size
dynamic_green = x / green_stack
dynamic_stacker = x / stack_stack

burner = burner_energy * dynamic_stack
yellow = (yellow_energy * dynamic_stack) + (yellow_drain * yellow_count)
red = (red_energy * dynamic_stack) + (yellow_drain * red_count)
blue = (blue_energy * dynamic_stack) + (blue_drain * blue_count)
green = (green_energy * dynamic_green) + (green_drain * green_count)
stack = (stack_energy * dynamic_stacker) + green_drain

fig = plt.figure(figsize = (20, 15))
ax = plt.axes()

ax.plot(x, burner, label = "Burner", color = "black")
ax.plot(x, yellow, label = "Yellow", color = "orange")
ax.plot(x, red, label = "Red", color = "red")
ax.plot(x, blue, label = "Blue", color = "blue")
ax.plot(x, green, label = "Green", color = "green")
ax.plot(x, stack, label = "Stack", color = "purple")

xlim = blue_speed * stack_stack
ylim = (stack_energy / stack_stack) * xlim

ax.set_ylim(0, ylim)
ax.set_xlim(0, xlim)

xtick = 1
ytick = 2

ax.set_xticks(np.arange(0, xlim + xtick, xtick))
ax.set_yticks(np.arange(0, ylim + ytick, ytick))

ax.set_title("Inserter Efficiency (Capacity Bonus 7)")
ax.set_xlabel("Items / second", fontweight = "bold")
ax.set_ylabel("Power Cost (kW)", fontweight = "bold")

ax.grid()
ax.legend(loc = "best")

zax = zoomed_inset_axes(ax, 8, loc = 2, borderpad = 1)
zax.yaxis.tick_right()

zax.plot(x, burner, label = "Burner", color = "black")
zax.plot(x, yellow, label = "Yellow", color = "orange")
zax.plot(x, red, label = "Red", color = "red")
zax.plot(x, blue, label = "Blue", color = "blue")
zax.plot(x, green, label = "Green", color = "green")
zax.plot(x, stack, label = "Stack", color = "purple")

zxlim = 2.2
zylim = 6
zxinit = 0
zyinit = 0

zax.set_xlim(zxinit, zxlim)
zax.set_ylim(zyinit, zylim)

zxtick = 0.1
zytick = 0.2

zax.set_xticks(np.arange(zxinit, zxlim + zxtick, zxtick))
zax.set_yticks(np.arange(zyinit, zylim + zytick, zytick))

zax.grid()

intersect1 = np.argwhere(np.diff(np.sign(green - blue))).flatten()
plt.plot(x[intersect1], green[intersect1] , 'ro')

intersect2 = np.argwhere(np.diff(np.sign(green - red))).flatten()
plt.plot(x[intersect2], green[intersect2] , 'ro')

intersect3 = np.argwhere(np.diff(np.sign(green - yellow))).flatten()
plt.plot(x[intersect3], green[intersect3] , 'ro')

plt.show()
</code>