GUIDE
How to choose between V1 and V2 recipes
A V2 recipe may save space or machines, but that does not always make it the best choice for the factory you are building.
- READ TIME
- 3 min
- UPDATED
- 2026-07-24
- GAME VERSION
- Update 1 · hotfix 0.2.8
This is useful when
You have a V1 and V2 option for the same item and want to know which one belongs in a new factory or an existing line.
What to do
Set the same items/min target for both options. Compare machine count, inputs, heat, and rail traffic. Use V2 only if it improves something that matters at this site.
What to expect
V2 often reduces the number of machines, but it may need a different material or put more demand on another part of the factory.
Check again when
Run the comparison again when you unlock another producer, change what the factory imports, or raise its output target.
Compare the same amount of output
Do not compare one V1 machine with one V2 machine. They usually produce different amounts, so that comparison tells you very little about the factory you would actually build. Start with the amount of finished product you want each minute. Enter that rate in the Production Calculator and check each recipe at the same target.
Once the output is equal, the useful differences become much easier to see. One option may need fewer finished-product machines. The other may use easier inputs or fit an existing line without adding another rail. Expand the production chain and look at the complete machine and resource totals instead of stopping at the first recipe.
If you are planning around a fixed number of machines, you can still use the machine control first. Switch to items/min when you compare recipes so both sides are doing the same job.
Check every material the factory needs
Look at the materials already available at the site, the materials you are willing to bring in, and the volume of each flow. A recipe that saves two machines may still be a poor choice if it introduces an input from the far side of the map.
This matters most when a factory has a simple transport plan. If the V1 recipe fits the materials already on one rail, adding a separate V2 ingredient can make the layout harder to build and harder to diagnose. The reverse can also happen: a V2 recipe may replace several busy inputs with one material that is easy to deliver.
Also check what happens upstream. A faster final machine can move the shortage to Sulphuric Acid, Liquid Helium, or another intermediate. The finished line is only sustainable when the producers behind it can keep up.
Use the unlocks you actually have
A recipe is not useful if its producer is still locked. Signed-in calculations can use the machines marked as unlocked for the active save. If you are browsing without a save, use the upstream machine selector to match the buildings available in your game.
Be precise about what is unlocked. Having one V2 building does not mean every V2 recipe is available, and two recipes for the same item may belong to different machines. The calculator keeps those choices separate so you can compare the combinations that are possible in your save.
When a planned line depends on a future unlock, reserve space for it and keep the current version working. That is safer than building around a recipe you cannot use yet.
Do not rebuild a good line without a reason
An existing V1 line that meets demand is still doing its job. Replacing it only makes sense when the change gives you something useful, such as more output in the same space, lower demand for a scarce input, or a cleaner route through the factory.
For a new site, compare both options before placing machines. For an established site, count the rails, storage, and nearby machines you would have to rebuild before replacing the line.