Express loader — Factorio Production Calculator
Express loader is crafted in the assembling machine in 10 seconds, producing 1 per craft from 5 × Express transport belt, 1 × Fast loader. At 60 per minute you need 20 assembling machines, and the chain behind it draws on 3 raw resources: iron ore, heavy oil, copper ore.
Production chain for 60 Express loader / minute
| Item | Per minute | Machines | Machine |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iron plate | 15,750 | 840 | Furnace |
| Iron gear wheel | 7,050 | 117.5 | Assembling machine |
| Lubricant | 6,000 | 10 | Chemical plant |
| Copper cable | 1,800 | 15 | Assembling machine |
| Transport belt | 900 | 7.5 | Assembling machine |
| Copper plate | 900 | 48 | Furnace |
| Fast transport belt | 600 | 10 | Assembling machine |
| Electronic circuit | 600 | 10 | Assembling machine |
| Express transport belt | 300 | 5 | Assembling machine |
| Inserter | 300 | 5 | Assembling machine |
| Express loader | 60 | 20 | Assembling machine |
| Fast loader | 60 | 6 | Assembling machine |
| Loader | 60 | 2 | Assembling machine |
Raw materials
| Resource | Per minute |
|---|---|
| Iron ore | 15,750 |
| Heavy oil | 6,000 |
| Copper ore | 900 |
Machine counts are not rounded up. Add a little headroom in game — belt throughput and inserter speed usually mean you want 5-10% more than the exact number.
Express loader recipe
| Machine | Crafting time | Output | Ingredients |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assembling machine | 10 s | 1 | Express transport belt × 5, Fast loader × 1 |
What the whole chain needs
60 express loaders per minute pulls in 12 intermediate products, and the whole tree comes to 1,096 machines across 3 machine types, fed by 3 raw resources. The table above already sums demand across every branch — if copper cable is used by two recipes, you see the total, not one of them.
Belt check: the busiest input here moves 15,750 per minute, which is 17.5 of a yellow belt's 900 per minute. Above 1.0 and you need a second belt (or a faster tier) before the machines themselves become the limit.
What uses express loader
No base-game recipe consumes express loader — it is an end product. Once you build it, the chain stops here, which makes it a good target if you only want to size the sub-factory that feeds your mall.
What express loader is made from
- Express transport belt — 5 per craft
- Fast loader — 1 per craft
FAQ
How many assembling machines do I need for 60 express loaders per minute?
20 assembling machines. One at standard speed produces 3 per minute, so 60 ÷ that number is the count. The calculator above rounds nothing — add 5-10% headroom for belt and inserter losses in a real factory.
How much raw ore does express loader take?
At 60/min the chain consumes 15,750 iron ore per minute, 6,000 heavy oil per minute, 900 copper ore per minute. Those numbers are the theoretical minimum — mining productivity research and productivity modules both reduce them.
Machine counts assume bare machines at standard speed. Recipe data comes from the game's own prototypes (PlayerCalc, Factorio 2.0 base game). Not affiliated with Wube Software.