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To start automating in Satisfactory, build a small chain that extracts or supplies a resource, processes it in a Smelter or Constructor, and moves the output by conveyor belt to another machine or storage. Upgrade the HUB as you go, but let basic automation support your progression: a working line is more useful than a collection of machines that cannot receive enough inputs or power. The key early decisions are choosing a belt that can carry the required flow, arranging splitters and mergers so materials reach the right machines, and replacing refueling-heavy biomass power with coal only when you can supply both coal and water reliably.
What does automation do in Satisfactory?
Satisfactory is a factory-management game in which you extract resources, process them in production buildings, move materials through logistics systems, and generate power to keep production running. Automation connects those jobs into repeatable production chains. Instead of relying on hand-mined inputs for every part, you can feed a machine with a belt, power it, and route its output to the next step.
The practical reason to automate early is that progression asks you to deliver increasingly complex parts. A small, dependable production line helps supply those parts while you continue exploring and unlocking more options. The official tutorial puts it plainly: “As a rule of thumb, automation comes before progression.” That does not mean delaying every HUB upgrade; it means preparing production so upgrades do not leave you without the basic parts you need.
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How should I start automating?
Begin with a modest bootstrap line, not a sprawling factory. Establish an input, process it, move the output, and make sure the machines have power. Add more machines only after checking whether the existing line can supply them.
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- Upgrade the HUB while preparing automation. Treat HUB upgrades and production as parallel goals: collect or make the parts needed for the next step, but start automating basic materials rather than depending indefinitely on hand-supplied inputs.
- Choose a basic resource chain. Use a Miner or hand-mined material as the input, a Smelter to turn ore into ingots where appropriate, and a Constructor to make basic parts. Iron, copper, and concrete products are useful early targets.
- Connect the machines. Use conveyor belts between outputs and compatible inputs, and connect production buildings to the power grid with power poles. A belt carries material; it does not power the machine.
- Observe the line before expanding it. Check whether the input arrives, whether the receiving machine can accept it, and whether the output has somewhere to go. A line can stop because a destination is full or disconnected, not only because the upstream machine has run out of material.
- Add routing and storage deliberately. Use splitters when one incoming flow must serve multiple outputs, mergers when multiple flows need to combine, and storage buffers when a reserve or a visible handoff is useful.
- Leave room to grow. Foundations and alignment guides help keep buildings and belts orderly as the line expands. Avoid placing every machine tightly together; later changes are easier when there is space to adjust routes or add production.
Which conveyor belt should I use?
Choose a belt whose maximum throughput is at least as high as the flow you need to move. The belt capacities below are items per minute as listed by the community-maintained Satisfactory Wiki in 2026; the slowest belt segment on a route sets that route’s practical capacity.
| Belt mark | Maximum throughput | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Mk.1 | 60 items/min | Whether the full upstream production flow fits on the route |
| Mk.2 | 120 items/min | Whether a slower segment elsewhere still limits the line |
| Mk.3 | 270 items/min | Whether the source and receiving machines can use the increased flow |
| Mk.4 | 480 items/min | Whether the rest of the route can carry the same amount |
| Mk.5 | 780 items/min | Whether upstream production actually supplies this much material |
| Mk.6 | 1,200 items/min | Whether every connected segment and destination supports the intended flow |
A faster belt does not make a machine produce faster. It only raises the maximum amount the belt can transport. If a Miner or other upstream machine supplies more than a belt segment can carry, that segment becomes a bottleneck; if production supplies less than a belt can carry, upgrading the belt alone will not increase the available material.
For any route, compare the rates along the whole chain: what the source can produce, what the belt segments can carry, and what the receiving machines can consume. Use the smallest relevant capacity as the limit when deciding how many machines a line can support. The table gives belt maximums, not guaranteed production rates for a particular factory.
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Why is my factory starving or backing up?
A starved machine is not receiving enough of an input to run as expected; a backed-up machine cannot send its output onward. Both symptoms usually point to a mismatch somewhere in the chain, so trace the material from its source to its destination instead of adding machines immediately.
When a machine is starved
- Check the source. Confirm that the Miner or upstream production building is providing the material the line needs.
- Check belt capacity. A belt segment that cannot carry the source’s output can constrain everything downstream, even if the later segments are faster.
- Check splitters. If one incoming flow serves several outputs, those outputs share the available supply. A splitter routes flow; it does not create more material.
- Check the receiving machine. Confirm that the belt is connected to an input that accepts the item and that the machine has power.
- Compare rates before adding consumers. Adding another machine to a constrained line can make the original machines starve more often.
When a machine backs up
- Trace the output route. A disconnected belt or an incompatible destination can prevent items from leaving.
- Check whether the next machine can accept the output. A full destination or a destination that does not use that item stops the transfer.
- Inspect mergers and shared routes. Combining flows can make it harder to see where items are accumulating; follow the route to identify the full or blocked point.
- Use storage when it serves a purpose. A buffer can hold material and make a handoff easier to inspect, but it cannot fix a lasting mismatch between production and consumption.
Belts transfer items when the output, route, and compatible input are available. If the destination is full, disconnected, or unable to accept the item, the transfer stops. That means a stationary belt is a symptom to investigate, not proof by itself that the belt has failed.
How do splitters and mergers affect material flow?
A splitter divides a flow among outputs, while a merger combines incoming flows into one route. Use them to make a production layout possible, but do not treat either as a substitute for checking supply, consumption, and belt capacity.
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| Building | Use it when | Common planning question |
|---|---|---|
| Splitter | One incoming route needs to feed multiple destinations | Is the incoming supply sufficient for all the machines relying on it? |
| Merger | Multiple incoming routes need to combine into one outgoing route | Can the outgoing belt carry the combined flow? |
For a splitter, first total the demand you are asking the shared input to serve. If the upstream line cannot meet that demand, some destinations will receive less than they need. For a merger, compare the combined incoming flow with the capacity of the route after the merge. If that route is slower than the combined flow, the post-merger segment is the constraint.
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When a line is difficult to read, make its stages visible: keep the source, processing buildings, routing, and output easy to follow, and use a storage buffer at a useful handoff rather than scattering storage without a reason. A simple, legible arrangement is easier to diagnose than a dense one whose connections are hard to trace.
When should I switch from biomass to coal power?
Biomass Burners are an early, temporary power source that require regular refueling. Coal power is a useful transition when you can build and supply the necessary Coal Generators and Water Extractors, verify they are operating, and connect the resulting grid back to the base.
Keep early power manageable
Watch both the grid’s capacity and its peak demand. The relevant question is not simply how many buildings are connected, but whether the available power can meet what the connected factory demands. If you add production without checking the grid, an otherwise sound material line may stop because its buildings are unpowered.
Check the coal system as a complete chain
- Build the coal and water supply. Coal Generators need coal and water, so plan the generators and Water Extractors as connected parts of one system.
- Connect and inspect the system. Confirm that generators are receiving both required inputs and check their indicator lights. Do not assume a generator is ready merely because it is connected to a belt and a power line.
- Reconnect the producing grid to the base. Verify that the coal grid is linked back to the rest of the factory so its power can serve the buildings you intend to run.
- Compare capacity with demand before expanding. The official tutorial uses an example of eight generators at 75 MW each, or 600 MW total, for one particular setup. That is an example, not a universal capacity rule for every generator arrangement or every version of the game.
If a coal-powered line is not running, check the inputs and indicator lights before redesigning the whole factory. Coal without water, water without coal, an unconnected grid, or demand beyond the available capacity can each leave the intended power system unable to serve the base.
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How should I lay out a factory as it grows?
Compare layouts by more than how quickly they can be built. A workable design fits the material flow and leaves enough room to understand and change the production chain later.
- Throughput: Does each belt segment carry the flow routed through it?
- Machine rates: Can the upstream buildings supply the input rates of the downstream machines?
- Unlocks: Is the belt or building available at the stage of progression when you need it?
- Construction cost: Can you build the proposed layout with the resources currently available? The exact cost depends on what you choose to build.
- Power demand: Can the grid support the additional production?
- Walking distance: Will the layout leave you able to move between areas and inspect the line?
- Room for expansion: Is there space to add a machine, change a belt route, or separate logistics from production later?
- Purpose: Is this a temporary bootstrap line or a production block intended to remain in use?
Foundations help align buildings and make later rebuilds easier. As production expands, elevated belts and Conveyor Lifts can separate logistics from floor space. These are layout tools, not automatic solutions to throughput problems: a raised route still needs enough capacity, and a neatly aligned factory still needs balanced inputs, power, and outputs.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What beginner progression should I follow?
A useful progression is to establish dependable basics first, then add longer routes and larger production areas as new building options become available. The sequence below keeps HUB progression, automation, power, and later deliveries connected rather than treating them as separate checklists.
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- Bootstrap iron, copper, and concrete products. Use a Miner or hand-mined input, Smelters for ingots where needed, and Constructors for basic parts.
- Make flows understandable. Add splitters, mergers, storage buffers, and power poles where they clarify routing, storage, or power connections.
- Plan longer routes when foundations and steel become available. Use foundations for alignment and consider elevated belts or Conveyor Lifts when logistics would otherwise crowd the floor.
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- Move beyond temporary biomass power when the coal system is ready. Check capacity, fuel, water, and generator indicator lights before expanding the production that depends on the new grid.
The right size of factory depends on what you have unlocked and what you need to produce; there is no single layout or upgrade schedule that fits every save. Keep early lines small enough to troubleshoot, and expand them when the rates, belt capacity, and available power support the next step.
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What changed in Satisfactory 1.0?
Satisfactory released as version 1.0 on 10 September 2024. One change relevant to factory planning was the addition of straight conveyor-belt build mode in patch 1.0; the community-maintained wiki also records later changes to belts and other patches.
Because throughput and unlock details can change with updates, use the current in-game information for your build and consult the current community wiki when a plan depends on an exact value or unlock. The listed Mk.1–Mk.6 throughput values are the wiki’s 2026 figures, not a guarantee that every historical guide or older save will describe the same state of the game.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I hand-mine resources while an automated line is running?
Yes. The beginner workflow allows either a Miner or hand-mined material as an input. Hand-mining can supply a temporary bootstrap line, while a Miner provides an automated source once you have one available.
Does a faster conveyor belt increase the speed of a Constructor?
No. A belt’s listed throughput is its maximum transport capacity; it does not change a production building’s rate. Check the machine’s input and output rates separately when planning a chain.
Why do my Coal Generators have power connections but still fail to run?
A power connection alone does not supply the coal and water the generators require. Check both inputs and the generators’ indicator lights, then confirm the coal grid is linked to the base.
Do I need to rebuild my whole factory when a new belt mark unlocks?
Not necessarily. Identify whether a belt segment is actually limiting a route before replacing it; a higher-capacity belt will not help when production or the receiving machines are the constraint.
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