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Factorio Wiki

Wiki: Blueprints, Fluids, Tech & Logistics Guide

Factorio is a real-time factory-building game about automation, resource processing and logistics; mastering blueprints, fluids, technologies, and mods is essential for scaling a factory from small beginnings to a Space Age megabase.

Core concepts

  • Entity: any interactive object in the world (machines, belts, turrets, trees, cliffs, player character). Most placeable entities can become ghosts for construction planning; movable entities (cars, tanks, robots) behave differently.
  • Tile / Grid: the world is laid out in tiles used for building placement and measuring area.
  • Tick / Second: the game simulation runs in ticks (default 60 ticks per second). Time-dependent rates (production, movement) are measured against in-game seconds and ticks.
  • Pollution & Enemies: factory activity produces pollution that affects local native fauna and can provoke attacks; defensive planning and chokepoints (natural cliffs, narrow land) are important.

Blueprints and blueprint books

  • Purpose: blueprints capture a selection of placed entities so you can reproduce designs quickly and share them.
  • Blueprint books: group multiple blueprints into a single in-game item for organized reuse (e.g., starter sets, station modules, defense blocks).
  • Library and persistence: the blueprint library (B key) acts as a long-term storage; blueprints in the library can be accessed across saves when using modern storage formats.
  • Export/Import strings: blueprints and blueprint books can be exported to a base64-compressed JSON string (Export to string) and imported (Import string). This enables easy sharing between players, across PCs and servers, and allows external editing of blueprint attributes by decoding the JSON.
  • Naming/versioning workflow: include date or v-number in blueprint/book names (e.g., rail-stations_v3 or defense_2024-11-03) to track iterations and avoid confusion when restoring backups. Work on a copy, test it, then replace the production book only after verification.

Fluids and oil processing

  • Fluids are a separate resource class transported by pipes, pumps and storage tanks; the production statistics screen lists fluid flows.
  • Steam: unique among fluids — gaseous, fills tanks from the top, and cannot be barrelled.
  • Oil processing: crude oil is processed through a tech chain. Key recipes include:
  • Fluid handling: pumps and piping layouts matter for pressure and flow; many mods extend fluids and fluid recipes.

Technologies

  • Tech tree: unlocks recipes, entities and bonuses. Some technologies are finite; others are "infinite" and can be researched repeatedly for incremental bonuses (identified with an ∞ symbol). Infinite tech is typically late-game and consumes special science packs.
  • Modules: productivity, speed and efficiency modules modify machine behavior; multiple module tiers exist and technologies unlock higher tiers.
  • Military and specialized tech: technologies unlock weapons, turrets, artillery, and advanced defensive options. Some techs are tied to DLC or expansions (e.g., Space Age).

Mods and modpacks

  • Large community mods substantially expand gameplay: examples include Krastorio 2 (a Space Age continuation with new tech and resources), Bob's and Angel's (deep overhaul of ores/processing), 5dim's (modular item packs), Exotic Industries (era-based progression), Yuoki Industries (direct add of equipment), and many compatibility-focused variants.
  • Compatibility: some large mods are mutually compatible; others conflict. Read mod pages for 2.0/Space Age compatibility. Some mods require a fresh new game; others can be added mid-save.
  • Mod API: Factorio provides a Lua-based mod API (Lua 5.2.1) and publishes prototype documentation and runtime API docs; mod authors commonly use the provided GitHub factorio-data repository to track prototype changes.

Logistics & common player terminology

  • Main bus: an organized layout that brings core resources along a few parallel belts to feed production.
  • Throughput & compression: players commonly reason about belt throughput, lane balancing, and compression to keep supply steady.
  • Train bus and rail patterns: trains are used for long-distance transport; standard design concepts include stackers, roundabouts, RORO and double-head configurations. Map exchange strings and rail blueprints are often shared.
  • Daisy-chaining: connecting machines via inserters so output flows directly into the next machine, useful for compact lines where belts are inappropriate.
  • Buffers: chests or storage systems used to smooth production spikes or supply interruptions.

Multiplayer, servers and saves

  • Dedicated headless servers: Factorio can be run as a headless server; a special headless build removes unnecessary client files and avoids linking graphical libraries. Install to a standard path (e.g., /opt/factorio), run under a dedicated user, and start the server with --start-server or --create as needed.
  • Save snapshots and Steam leaderboard: you can upload save snapshots with metadata (version, mods, playtime, map seed, visited planets) when supported by official features.
  • Cross-save blueprint behavior: blueprints and the library may behave differently across versions (2.0 introduced changes to storage formats and migration behavior). Treat library/sync behavior as version-dependent.

Quality-of-life (QoL) and UX

  • Quickbars: the game provides 10 quickbar rows for item access; each row can be switched quickly to access tools or items.
  • Tooling: build planners (deconstruction planner, upgrade planner), inserters and combinators (arithmetic/decider/constant) allow advanced automation, while the circuit network enables complex control logic.
  • Debug and editor tools: the game includes debug and editor modes with additional hotkeys, prototype viewers and entity testing useful for blueprint authors and modders.

Tips for organized play

  • Use clear naming and versioning for blueprint books and saved designs (v1/v2 or date-based) to make rollbacks and audits trivial.
  • Work on copies of important blueprint books when testing changes; validate in an isolated save before replacing production blueprints.
  • Preserve blueprint strings for distribution; smaller, single-purpose blueprints (a single station intersection) are easier to review before accepting a full book.
  • Use mods deliberately: some mods require new games or change core mechanics; check compatibility and whether Space Age / DLC features are required.

Visuals & reference assets

  • The wiki contains galleries for many entities (trees, cliffs, fluids, items) and screenshot attachments that illustrate mechanics such as cliffs used as natural defenses, shallow water, and item effects. These are useful when planning defenses, layouts and terrain-aware builds.

This page summarizes operational reference points for building, sharing and scaling factories in Factorio, from blueprints and fluids to technologies and mods.