Satisfactory Steel Production Guide

Steel is the point where Satisfactory starts asking you to coordinate multiple raw resources rather than simply extending another iron line. In Update 1.2, the standard Steel Ingot recipe combines Iron Ore and Coal in a Foundry, then turns those ingots into Steel Beams and Steel Pipes.

Unlock Basic Steel Production

Steel production is unlocked through the Tier 3 Basic Steel Production milestone. This gives you the Foundry and the standard Steel Ingot, Steel Beam and Steel Pipe production chain.

Standard Steel Ingot recipe

One Foundry at 100% clock speed consumes 45 Iron Ore/min and 45 Coal/min to produce 45 Steel Ingots/min. That clean 1:1 raw-resource ratio makes the first steel factory relatively easy to scale.

Steel Beams

A Constructor producing Steel Beams consumes 60 Steel Ingots/min and outputs 15 Steel Beams/min. One standard Foundry therefore cannot fully supply one Beam Constructor at 100% by itself.

Steel Pipes

A Constructor producing Steel Pipes consumes 30 Steel Ingots/min and outputs 20 Steel Pipes/min. A single standard Foundry can fully supply one Pipe Constructor and still leave 15 Steel Ingots/min for another use.

A simple starter steel factory

For a first setup, concentrate on creating a stable Steel Ingot line and split the output according to what you currently need. Pipes are used heavily in later production and research, while Beams are important for construction and further recipes. Leave room for more Foundries rather than trying to force every steel product through one machine.

Two-Foundry starter module: beams and pipes together

To produce both basic steel products continuously with the standard recipes, start with 2 Foundries and 2 Constructors, all at 100% clock speed. Feed each Foundry 45 Iron Ore/min and 45 Coal/min. Together they use 90 Iron Ore/min and 90 Coal/min and produce 90 Steel Ingots/min.

Route 60 Steel Ingots/min to a Constructor making 15 Steel Beams/min and the remaining 30 Steel Ingots/min to a Constructor making 20 Steel Pipes/min. The entire 90-Ingot output is used, with no surplus at steady state.

Required supply and transport

• Raw inputs: 90 Iron Ore/min and 90 Coal/min, with a separate 45/min feed of each material to each Foundry.
• Machines: 2 Foundries using the standard Steel Ingot recipe; 1 Steel Beam Constructor; 1 Steel Pipe Constructor.
• Outputs: 15 Steel Beams/min and 20 Steel Pipes/min when continuously supplied.
• Belts: if you merge both Foundry outputs onto one belt, use at least Mk.2 for the combined 90 Steel Ingots/min; a Mk.1 belt caps at 60/min. The individual 45/min Foundry feeds and 60/min and 30/min Constructor feeds can each fit on Mk.1 belts.

Construction sequence

1. Secure sustained Iron Ore and Coal supply. Keep the coal reserved for steel separate from any coal-power-critical feed.
2. Place two Foundries side by side and feed each 45/min of both raw resources.
3. Merge Steel Ingot outputs using a belt rated for at least 90 items/min.
4. Split the ingots into a 60/min Steel Beam Constructor feed and a 30/min Steel Pipe Constructor feed. Check production rates and belt throughput once buffers have filled.
5. Store Beams and Pipes separately so construction use does not clog the wrong output.

This is a standard-recipe rate-balanced example, not a physically tested or downloadable blueprint. Alternate recipes will change the optimum machine counts. References: Steel Ingot, Steel Beam, and Steel Pipe on the official Satisfactory Wiki.

Plan the coal supply carefully

Coal now has two major early uses: power generation and steel. Avoid accidentally starving your coal generators because a new steel line consumed the same belt. Dedicated coal supplies or clearly planned belt capacity make expansion much safer.

Use alternate recipes when they genuinely help

Hard Drive research can unlock alternate steel recipes. One particularly useful option is Solid Steel Ingot, which consumes 40 Iron Ingots/min and 40 Coal/min to produce 60 Steel Ingots/min. Alternate recipes can improve a factory substantially, but this guide uses the standard recipes as the baseline because they are available directly through normal Tier 3 progression.

Where to go next

Once steel and coal power are stable, your factory is in a much stronger position for the more complex production chains ahead. Return to the Progression Guide or browse all Satisfactory guides.