Production Chains: What Exists and What Doesn't Yet
Twenty recipes link ten ores to materials and components in chains, while player-owned factories and more complex products are not in the game yet.
What it is and why it matters
Chains make specialization visible: one player mines, another refines, a third assembles or hauls. All recipes already work, and the output of each has a starting buyer in at least one port.
All chains
- Iron: Iron Ore → Steel → Basic Circuit → Logic Circuit. Steel also goes into Structural Components, and together with chromium alloy into Mechanical Assembly.
- Copper: Copper Ore → Refined Copper → Conductors.
- Silicon: Silicon Ore → Purified Silicon → Semiconductor Components. Combined with Conductors, they yield Basic Circuit.
- Aluminium: Aluminium Ore → Aluminium → Lightweight Frames.
- Nickel: Nickel Ore → Refined Nickel → Battery Components.
- Chromium: Chromium Ore → Chromium Alloy → Mechanical Assembly.
- Sulfur: Sulfur Ore → Industrial Chemicals.
- Titanium: Titanium Ore → Titanium Alloy.
- Lithium: Lithium Ore → Refined Lithium → Energy Cells.
- Carbon: Carbonaceous Ore → Industrial Carbon.
The refining recipes are described in a separate article. Below are the assembly recipes.
| Recipe | Input | Output | Hours | Fee | Stations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steel to Basic Circuit | 1 Steel | 1 Basic Circuit | 1 | 4 | Vega |
| Basic to Logic Circuit | 2 Basic Circuit | 1 Logic Circuit | 2 | 6 | Vega |
| Refined Copper to Conductors | 1 Refined Copper | 1 Conductors | 1 | 2 | Helios, Orion |
| Aluminium to Lightweight Frames | 1 Aluminium | 1 Lightweight Frames | 1 | 2 | Helios |
| Purified Silicon to Semiconductor Components | 1 Purified Silicon | 1 Semiconductor Components | 1 | 2 | Vega |
| Refined Nickel to Battery Components | 1 Refined Nickel | 1 Battery Components | 1 | 2 | Vega |
| Steel and Chromium to Mechanical Assembly | 1 Steel, 1 Chromium Alloy | 1 Mechanical Assembly | 2 | 6 | Vega |
| Steel to Structural Components | 1 Steel | 1 Structural Components | 1 | 2 | Vega |
| Conductors and Semiconductors to Basic Circuit | 1 Conductors, 1 Semiconductor Components | 1 Basic Circuit | 1 | 4 | Vega |
| Refined Lithium to Energy Cells | 1 Refined Lithium | 1 Energy Cells | 1 | 4 | Altair, Perseus |
Example
Test copper chain in the starting world as of November 6: 4 units of ore from Helios Copper Seam for 12, 2 Refined Copper for a fee of 4, 2 Conductors for a fee of 4, sold to the Helios Port authority at 16. Revenue 32, costs 20, profit 12. The same chain at Orion Industrial Hub: the ore is more expensive, but the buyer pays 18. Profit 8. Prices and volumes change.
What doesn't exist yet
- Your own factories: a workshop is only rented from a station.
- Products more complex than those listed. Many outputs (for example Titanium Alloy, Industrial Carbon, Energy Cells) go no further yet; they can only be sold.
- Ship hull components: new ships are bought ready-made from the port authority.
Port authorities and captains neither refine nor assemble. One copper chain is run by the trading houses.
What's next
Before starting, check the queues and the demand for the output.
Checked against the game server code: 2026-11-06. Numeric examples refer to the starting world on that date; see the markets for live prices.