In Satisfactory players can choose a number of different things to focus on. Some like to explore the giant map and different biomes. Some like to make their bases look the most aesthetically pleasing and others like to go for pure efficiency. Here we will learn how ratios work in Satisfactory so we can optimize our bases for efficiency.
What are ratios in Satisfactory?
Satisfactory ratios refer to the input-output ratios for ingredients and produced items. What you put in compared with what you get out. As the game gets more complex the ratios get more difficult to manage. Some items will require a lot of early game items to craft and will craft slowly, throwing off the efficiency of your factories.
Let’s take a look at a simple example to help us better understand how ratios work in Satisfactory.
Iron Rod Ratio Example
We will look at building Iron Rods and attempt to plan for a perfect ratio.
When working with ratios we will want to pay attention to 3 primary things. The input amount, the output amount, the per-minute production, and optionally the per second craft time.
- Input Amount – How much of one ingredient is required to start production.
- Output Amount – How much of an item is generated at the end of production.
- Per-minute production – How much of this item will be produced in one minute
- Per Second Craft Time – How long does one item take to make
In order to build Iron Rods, we will need to smelt Iron Ingots which will in turn need Iron Ore. So let’s start with Iron Ore.
If we place a Miner Mk.1 on an Iron Ore deposit we can he “E” on it to read some stats.
Miner Mk.1 (Iron Ore)
- Output: 1 Iron Ore
- Production: 30 Iron Ore per minute
- Production Time: 2 Seconds per Iron Ore
So now we know that our Miner will product 30 Iron Ore per minute. Meaning that it will produce a single piece of Iron Ore every 2 seconds.
Lets create a smelter and check the stats on Iron Ingots
Smelter (Iron Ingots)
- Input: 1 Iron Ore
- Output: 1 Iron Ingot
- Production: 30 Iron Ingots per minute
- Production Time: 2 Seconds per Iron Ingot
We can see that our smelter produces Iron Ingots at the same rate as our Miner mines the ore. Meaning we have a 1 to 1 ratio of Ore to Ingots. For each ore we generate, we will produce exactly 1 ingot and within the same time frame.
Now lets create a constructor and take a look at the Iron Rod stats.
Constructor (Iron Rods)
- Input: 1 Iron Ingot
- Output: 1 Iron Rod
- Production: 15 Iron Rods per Minute
- Production Time: 4 Seconds per Iron Rod
Now here is something different. Constructors produce Iron Rods slower than a smelter makes Iron Ingots. You will produce 2 Iron Ingots by the time you make a single Iron Rod. So you have a 2 to 1 ratio of Ingots coming out of your smelter to Iron Rods being produced in your Constructor. In this scenario, we will want to create a second constructor making Iron Rods and split the smelter’s output to both of the contractors.
Here is our final product.
This small factory will produce 30 Iron Rods per-minute and maintain a perfect ratio to the ore being produced. As you can probably tell this can quickly become very complex and maintaining this type of efficiency is part of the challenge of the game.
There are also some useful planners and calculators online to help you plan out your builds.
Now that you know how ratios work in Satisfactory read some of our other Satisfactory guides.
