Low density structure — Factorio Production Calculator
Low density structure is crafted in the assembling machine in 15 seconds, producing 1 per craft from 2 × Steel plate, 20 × Copper plate, 5 × Plastic bar. At 60 per minute you need 30 assembling machines, and the chain behind it draws on 4 raw resources: petroleum gas, copper ore, iron ore, coal.
Production chain for 60 Low density structure / minute
| Item | Per minute | Machines | Machine |
|---|---|---|---|
| Copper plate | 1,200 | 64 | Furnace |
| Iron plate | 600 | 32 | Furnace |
| Plastic bar | 300 | 2.5 | Chemical plant |
| Steel plate | 120 | 32 | Furnace |
| Low density structure | 60 | 30 | Assembling machine |
Raw materials
| Resource | Per minute |
|---|---|
| Petroleum gas | 3,000 |
| Copper ore | 1,200 |
| Iron ore | 600 |
| Coal | 150 |
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.
Low density structure recipe
| Machine | Crafting time | Output | Ingredients |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assembling machine | 15 s | 1 | Steel plate × 2, Copper plate × 20, Plastic bar × 5 |
What the whole chain needs
60 low density structures per minute pulls in 4 intermediate products, and the whole tree comes to 161 machines across 3 machine types, fed by 4 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 3,000 per minute, which is 3.33 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 low density structure
9 base-game recipes consume low density structure, sorted by how much each one takes:
- Spidertron — 150 per craft
- Satellite — 100 per craft
- Portable fission reactor — 50 per craft
- Power armor MK2 — 30 per craft
- Personal roboport MK2 — 20 per craft
- Energy shield MK2 — 5 per craft
- Personal battery MK2 — 5 per craft
- Personal laser defense — 5 per craft
- Utility science pack — 3 per craft
What low density structure is made from
- Steel plate — 2 per craft
- Copper plate — 20 per craft
- Plastic bar — 5 per craft
FAQ
How many assembling machines do I need for 60 low density structures per minute?
30 assembling machines. One at standard speed produces 2 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 low density structure take?
At 60/min the chain consumes 3,000 petroleum gas per minute, 1,200 copper ore per minute, 600 iron ore per minute and 1 more. Those numbers are the theoretical minimum — mining productivity research and productivity modules both reduce them.
Is low density structure needed for science packs?
Yes — it goes directly into Utility science pack. Open the science pack page to see the demand that lands on this recipe.
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.