Refining Raw Materials
Ten refining recipes turn ore into materials in rented station workshops, and the output appears in storage not immediately but at the end of the job.
What it is and why it matters
Refining adds value to raw material. Each ore has its own recipe: 2 units of raw material yield 1 unit of material in 1 world hour. The fee is paid per unit of output. The workshop is rented from the station; the player does not own a factory. At the start, the buyer for the finished material is most often the authority of the same port.
| Recipe | Input | Output | Hours | Fee | Stations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iron to Steel | 2 Iron Ore | 1 Steel | 1 | 4 | Vega |
| Copper to Refined Copper | 2 Copper Ore | 1 Refined Copper | 1 | 2 | Helios, Orion |
| Aluminium Ore to Aluminium | 2 Aluminium Ore | 1 Aluminium | 1 | 4 | Helios |
| Silicon to Purified Silicon | 2 Silicon Ore | 1 Purified Silicon | 1 | 2 | Vega |
| Nickel to Refined Nickel | 2 Nickel Ore | 1 Refined Nickel | 1 | 2 | Vega |
| Chromium to Chromium Alloy | 2 Chromium Ore | 1 Chromium Alloy | 1 | 4 | Vega |
| Sulfur to Industrial Chemicals | 2 Sulfur Ore | 1 Industrial Chemicals | 1 | 2 | Vega |
| Titanium Ore to Titanium Alloy | 2 Titanium Ore | 1 Titanium Alloy | 1 | 4 | Vega |
| Lithium to Refined Lithium | 2 Lithium Ore | 1 Refined Lithium | 1 | 4 | Altair, Perseus |
| Carbonaceous to Industrial Carbon | 2 Carbonaceous Ore | 1 Industrial Carbon | 1 | 2 | Altair |
How to start
- Deliver the raw material to the recipe's station: into storage or the ship's hold.
- Keep the ship at that station's berth.
- Ask for a production calculation.
- Confirm the order. Inputs are reserved immediately, and the fee goes to the station right away.
- Wait for completion: the product appears in the station's storage.
- Check the storage and the unit cost: it is the cost of the inputs plus the fee.
Example
"How much steel can we produce from our iron stock at Vega, and what is the full cost?"
Starting-world example as of November 6: 40 units of mined iron, 8 of which go into 4 units of steel. Fee 16, job time 4 world hours. Unit cost of the steel is 48. Selling to the Vega Station authority at 16 brings revenue of 64 and a profit of 16. Prices change.
Limits and risks
- The ship stays at the berth for the duration of the job and does not leave.
- One ship runs one refining job; only assembly has a separate queue.
- Stopping before the due time returns the inputs to storage and refunds the fee. If the due time has already passed, stopping simply delivers the result.
- The economic tick does not start recipes on its own. The bid for the output is not reserved.
Common mistakes
- Looking for a steel workshop in Helios Port: steel is smelted only at Vega Station, and the iron has to be hauled there.
- Assuming the result is ready immediately: there is no product until the due time.
What's next
Components are assembled from materials. See the articles on electronics, queues, and all chains.
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.