Factorio beginners — connect mining, smelting and power
From burner miners through furnaces, belts, inserters, steam and assemblers: get initial base-game 2.0 equipment running and diagnose fuel, direction, networks, recipes and blocked outputs.
Edition: PC Steam base game (app 427520), standard Freeplay: no Space Age, Quality, Elevated Rails or external mods; normal quality and standard research costs. Enemy, pollution and resource settings are addressed separately
Verification scope: Official stable download 2.0.77 checked on 2026-10-04. Numbers and research prioritize official factorio-data tag 2.0.77. Experimental 2.1, old 1.1 and expansion conditions are separate. No executable or individual save was tested
Sources checked: 2026-10-04
23 / 23 rows
Start with a small setup that produces one plate
Test the initial burner miner and stone furnace on iron ore locally before transporting to a distant factory.
- Place the drill so ore lies in its mining area. Rotate with R and put a stone furnace in front of its output arrow.
- Open both machines and put compatible fuel such as coal into each fuel slot. Fueling only one does not sustain smelting.
- Check ore reaches the furnace, progress moves and an iron plate completes. Manual collection is fine initially.
- Prepare copper plates similarly; collect coal for fuel and stone for furnaces. Extend only after one short section works.
Starting gear and locked recipes differ in scenarios/mods. If a machine is unavailable, open the corresponding progression stage. Default keys do not override rebound controls.
Separate each machine's input and output
Wide tables scroll horizontally.
| Machine | Connection / input | Output | Version / settings difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burner mining drill | Ore in mining area and fuel in its own slot | Direct output to the furnace, chest or belt at the arrow | An electric pole does not remove its fuel requirement |
| Electric mining drill | Ore patch and coverage from a connected pole | A belt or receiver with output space | Align ore type, productivity and resource-consumption modifiers for comparisons |
| Stone furnace | Smeltable material and fuel; recipe follows the material | Remove plates with a separate inserter | Its power source differs from an electric furnace |
| Transport belt | Connect the travel direction | Use inserters to feed ordinary machines | Belts need no power and have two lanes |
| Inserter | Pickup behind, destination ahead and electricity | Rotate with R; point its arrow at the receiving machine | Burner inserters need fuel; check 2.0 filtering too |
| Assembling machine | Choose a recipe and provide all ingredients plus electricity | Add an output inserter | Assembler 1 cannot handle fluids; higher tiers use matching recipe pipe connections |
| Lab | All selected-research science types and power | Consumes packs into research, not an ordinary product to remove | Research-cost multipliers and research speed differ |
No matching entries in this table. Shorten the query or clear it to restore all entries.
A belt beside a machine does not mean ingredients enter it. Separate drill direct output from inserter-fed furnaces/assemblers.
Steam power needs water, steam and wires
Once recipes unlock, build offshore pump → boiler → steam engine. Connected water pipes alone do not power the factory.
- Place an offshore pump on water and connect the boiler's water inlet. The pump itself needs no pole.
- Fuel the boiler and connect its separate steam output to engine input. Use Alt details to distinguish connections.
- At normal quality, match 1 boiler to 2 engines. Verify a small setup, then automate fuel delivery.
- Put engines and consumers inside pole coverage. Confirm wires connect continuously from the power plant.
- Open a factory-side pole and inspect Satisfaction. Low engine output is normal when demand is low.
Wide tables scroll horizontally.
| Display / state | Where to inspect | Restoring action |
|---|---|---|
| No water in boiler | Water inlet and pump pipe | Correct port types and broken connections |
| Water but no steam | Fuel slot and steam destination | Refuel and check room in the steam receiver |
| Generators work but machines have no power | Consumer-side poles and wires | Connect the same network, not just coverage |
| Fuel delivery also stopped | Power to the electric inserter | Hand-feed boiler fuel to restart; consider burner supply too |
No matching entries in this table. Shorten the query or clear it to restore all entries.
Normal maximum output is 0.9 MW per engine, 1.8 MW for 2. Fuel, water, connections and demand must support that ceiling. Do not copy old 1.1 pump ratios without accounting for 2.0 water changes.
Eliminate stoppage causes one at a time
Wide tables scroll horizontally.
| Symptom | Machine / display | Action | Confirm operation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Only burner machines stop | Their own fuel slots | Add fuel separately from ore | Burning and processing resume |
| Arm moves the wrong way | Pickup and arrow destination | Rotate with R | Required ingredients enter the input |
| No ingredients picked up | Assembler recipe | Select the intended product and compare ingredients | Only required ingredients are replenished |
| Manual insertion works but automatic feeding does not | Inserter power, filters and circuit conditions | Connect power and correct unintended conditions | The arm picks up and delivers materials |
| Input filling stops partway | Input slots and progress bar | If enough is present, wait for processing | Consumed ingredients refill for the next cycle |
| Finished output is full | Output inserter, belt and chest | Create downstream space and remove products | Output decreases and processing resumes |
| The whole factory slows | Satisfaction on the relevant network | Check fuel, steam and generation capacity | Satisfaction recovers and multiple machines resume |
| Only the mining drill stops | Remaining ore and output destination | Move the mining area or clear its output | Ore is produced |
No matching entries in this table. Shorten the query or clear it to restore all entries.
Read the status before adding large quantities. Wrong ingredients, full receivers or disabled inserters are not fixed by expanding upstream.
Automate one manual transfer
Example: turn iron plates into gears with unlocked equipment. Start with chests to separate processing from long-belt issues.
- Place an assembler under a pole and select iron gear wheels.
- Place a plate chest on one side; align chest → inserter → assembler.
- On the other side, arrange assembler → inserter → empty chest.
- Confirm plates decrease and gears accumulate. Limit chest slots if only a small stock is wanted.
- Then replace the input chest with a plate belt. If it stops, compare against the working chest setup and inspect only feeding.
Continuous maximum speed differs from producing enough. An assembler waiting because its gear chest is full still demonstrates working automation.
Check fuel and ammunition together with enemies enabled
Under normal settings, pollution absorbed by nests helps form attacks. Distance alone does not establish safety: inspect pollution and outlying mining equipment.
Wide tables scroll horizontally.
| Setting / situation | Before working | First response |
|---|---|---|
| Enemies present, normal hostility | Pollution spread, nests and protected equipment | Defend required paths and check ammunition/repair supply |
| Peaceful mode | It does not remove enemies | Avoid carelessly attacking nearby enemies; match defense to settings |
| No enemy bases, disabled pollution or similar | Which settings changed? | Prioritize production connections over assuming ordinary attack patterns |
| During a blackout | Fuel belt and fueling inserter | Restore fuel; do not rely only on power-dependent recovery equipment |
No matching entries in this table. Shorten the query or clear it to restore all entries.
Enemy strength, attack timing and turret needs vary with terrain, evolution, expansion and settings; no fixed count is given. Do not empty defense supplies to rush research.
Frequently asked questions
Do belts need electric poles?
Belts consume no electricity. If moving items are not picked up, check inserter/receiver power, direction and settings.
Why does an inserter not fill the input completely?
Automatic feeding stops after a sufficient buffer; that alone is normal. Check processing and replenishment after consumption.
Does low steam-engine output mean water shortage?
Low demand also lowers output. Check Satisfaction at a factory pole first; investigate fuel, water, steam and connections when it is insufficient.
Why will a pipe not connect to an assembler?
Check machine tier and recipe. Assembler 1 cannot use fluids. On a compatible tier, select a fluid recipe and connect the exposed port.