Quick answer: Start with Layout 1 (2 Foundries, 90 Steel Ingots/min) the moment Tier 3 unlocks, triple it to Layout 2 at 270/min when you need more, switch to Layout 3's single-line manifold once Mark 3 belts are comfortable, and prioritize Layout 4's Encased Industrial Beams to unlock Mk.4 belts. All four share the same base ratio: 1 Iron Ore + 1 Coal → 1 Steel Ingot.
- free costs nothing
- cheap small cost
- setup needs preparation
- grind pays off slowly
- skip the thing to stop doing
Steel layouts at a glance
| Layout | Foundries | Iron Ore/min | Coal/min | Output |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Starter | 2 | 90 | 90 | 90 Steel Ingots/min → split into Steel Pipes and Steel Beams |
| 2. Tripled | 6 | 270 | 270 | 270 Steel Ingots/min → 45 Steel Beams/min + 60 Steel Pipes/min |
| 3. Single-line manifold | 6 | 270 | 270 | 270 Steel Ingots/min on one line, distributed downstream however you like |
| 4. Encased Industrial Beam | 3 (at 66.7% clock) | 120 | 120 | 90 Steel Ingots/min feeding Encased Industrial Beams (also needs 180 Limestone/min for Concrete) |
All four use the standard Steel Ingot recipe (3 Iron Ore + 3 Coal → 3 Steel Ingot per craft, 1:1:1 ratio at 45/45/45 per minute per Foundry) — see "Steel with alternates" below for when a different recipe is worth switching to.
Layout 1: the simple 2-Foundry starter
Two Foundries, each fed 90 Iron Ore and 90 Coal per minute combined (45 each), produce 90 Steel Ingots per minute total — matching the Satisfactory Wiki's standard recipe exactly: 3 Iron Ore and 3 Coal at 45/min each yield 3 Steel Ingots at 45/min per Foundry. Feed the manifold with a Mark 2 belt (120 throughput for 90 items) while the elevator into the facility can stay Mark 1.
From the two Foundry outputs, two Constructors handle Steel Pipes and Steel Beams. Per the wiki, a Steel Beam Constructor needs 4 Steel Ingots (60/min) and a Steel Pipe Constructor needs 3 Steel Ingots (30/min) — so with 45 ingots coming from each Foundry, a small load-balancing split (a splitter feeding 15 to each of three lines) routes 30 into the pipe line and 60 into the beam line, using the extra 15 from the second Foundry.
Layout 2: tripling up for 135 beams and 180 pipes
Tripling the first layout to six Foundries and six Constructors scales output to 270 Steel Ingots per minute total, split into 45 Steel Beams and 60 Steel Pipes per minute combined. This is the point where Mark 3 belts (270 throughput) become necessary on the main manifold line, which in turn requires steel beams to already be in production to unlock — which is exactly why the video builds the small layout first.
Layout 3: the clean 270/min single-line manifold
This is the creator's preferred way to process steel ingots at scale: six Foundries arranged in two facing rows, each output merging into one central line via alternating mergers, producing a single 270-ingots-per-minute steel line you can distribute however you like downstream. It requires 270 Coal and 270 Iron Ore per minute (three Mark 1 belts' worth, or two Mark 2 lines), and the video notes the manifold takes a little time to fully saturate — expect roughly 70-80% capacity while buffers fill before it settles at full throughput. Powering six Foundries plus whatever runs downstream is a real draw — see our Coal Power Plant guide if your grid needs the headroom.
Layout 4: Encased Industrial Beams and the road to Mk.4 belts
Encased Industrial Beams need 120 Coal, 120 Iron Ore, and 180 Limestone per minute — three Foundries underclocked to 66.6667% each (producing 30 Steel Ingots per Foundry, 90 total) feed two Steel Beam Constructors and four Concrete Constructors into two Assemblers. If underclocking isn't unlocked yet, the recipe still works, it just starts and stops rather than running smoothly, so unlocking under/overclocking before this build is worth prioritizing. This is also the direct input to Heavy Modular Frames, so it's worth building before you need that next tier, not after.
Steel with alternates: Solid Steel Ingot and Compacted Coal
| Recipe | Inputs/min | Output/min | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | 45 Iron Ore + 45 Coal | 45 Steel Ingot | 1 Coal per Steel Ingot — what all four layouts above use. |
| Solid Steel Ingot (alt) | 40 Iron Ingot + 40 Coal | 60 Steel Ingot | 1.5 Steel Ingot per Coal — the most Coal-efficient option, and generally considered the best upgrade once Iron Ingot supply isn't the constraint. |
| Coke Steel Ingot (alt) | 75 Iron Ore + 75 Petroleum Coke | 100 Steel Ingot | Trades Coal for Petroleum Coke — useful if your oil processing already produces a Coke surplus. |
| Compacted Steel Ingot (alt) | 5 Iron Ore + 2.5 Compacted Coal | 10 Steel Ingot | Needs a Compacted Coal line (Coal + Sulfur) running already; not a first choice on its own. |
None of the four layouts above use an alternate — they're deliberately built on the standard recipe so the ratios stay simple to copy. Once you're comfortable with the base build, see our alternate recipes guide for the full case on when Solid Steel Ingot (or the others) is worth switching to.
Quick answers: which layout and ratio should I build?
If you're wondering exactly how to make steel and which of these four layouts is the best fit, it comes down to where you are in the game: use Layout 1 the moment you unlock Tier 3 steel production, triple it to Layout 2 once you need more throughput, switch to Layout 3's single-line manifold once you're comfortable with Mark 3 belts and want a cleaner build, and prioritize Layout 4's Encased Industrial Beams as soon as you're ready to push toward Mk.4 belts. All four layouts use the same base steel ratios covered above — the only real choice is how much space and belt tier you're willing to commit at each stage.
FAQ
How much coal per steel ingot? On the standard recipe, 1 Coal per Steel Ingot (45 Coal/min for 45 Steel Ingot/min). Solid Steel Ingot is more Coal-efficient at 40 Coal for 60 Steel Ingot — 1.5 ingots per unit of Coal.
What's the best steel ingot recipe? Solid Steel Ingot (40 Iron Ingot + 40 Coal → 60 Steel Ingot) is generally considered the best once you're not constrained on Iron Ingot supply, since it gets the most Steel Ingot per unit of Coal of any recipe. The standard recipe is still the right starting point since it needs no Hard Drive unlock.
How many Foundries do I need for 270 Steel Ingots per minute? Six, running the standard recipe at 100% clock (45 Steel Ingot/min each) — that's Layout 2 or 3 above, both built around the same six-Foundry total.
What does an Encased Industrial Beam need to produce? 120 Coal/min, 120 Iron Ore/min (as Steel Ingots and Steel Beams) and 180 Limestone/min (as Concrete), run through three underclocked Foundries, two Steel Beam Constructors, four Concrete Constructors and two Assemblers.
Is there a better steel recipe than the standard one? Yes, several alternates exist — see the table above. None of the four layouts in this guide use one, since they're built to stay simple and copyable on the standard ratio.
Sources
The Satisfactory Wiki's Steel Ingot page confirms every core ratio used in this guide: the standard recipe consumes 3 Iron Ore and 3 Coal (both 45/min) per Foundry to produce 3 Steel Ingots (45/min), a Steel Beam Constructor consumes 4 Steel Ingots (60/min) to output 1 Steel Beam (15/min), and a Steel Pipe Constructor consumes 3 Steel Ingots (30/min) to output 2 Steel Pipes (20/min) — all matching the video's on-screen numbers exactly. The alternate recipes (Solid Steel Ingot, Coke Steel Ingot, Compacted Steel Ingot) in the table above are also confirmed current on the same wiki page.
Read next
- Satisfactory Heavy Modular Frames Production Guide — where this steel output goes next
- Satisfactory Best Alternate Recipes Guide — the full case for switching steel recipes
- Factory Master Planning Guide — copyable layouts at base scale
- Satisfactory Nuclear Power Guide — steel beams and pipes used downstream
Frequently asked
What is the standard steel ingot recipe in Satisfactory?
The standard Steel Ingot recipe uses 3 Iron Ore and 3 Coal (both at 45 per minute) in a Foundry to produce 3 Steel Ingots at 45 per minute. This is confirmed exactly on the Satisfactory Wiki and matches every layout in this guide, which are all built around multiples of that base 45-ingot-per-Foundry rate.
How many Foundries do I need for 270 steel ingots per minute in Satisfactory?
Six Foundries running the standard recipe, each producing 45 Steel Ingots per minute, totals 270 per minute. This guide's third layout arranges those six Foundries in two facing rows that merge into a single central conveyor line, which needs to be at least a Mark 3 belt to carry the full 270 throughput.
How much steel do I need for Steel Beams versus Steel Pipes?
A Steel Beam Constructor consumes 4 Steel Ingots per minute for every 60 ingots/min of input to output 15 Steel Beams per minute, while a Steel Pipe Constructor consumes 3 Steel Ingots per 30/min input to output 20 Steel Pipes per minute. Both figures are confirmed by the Satisfactory Wiki and match this guide's layouts exactly.
What does Satisfactory's Encased Industrial Beam need to produce?
Encased Industrial Beams require 120 Coal, 120 Iron Ore, and 180 Limestone per minute. This guide's fourth layout uses three Foundries underclocked to 66.6667% (30 Steel Ingots each, 90 total) feeding Steel Beam and Concrete Constructors into two Assemblers. Encased Industrial Beams are required to unlock Mk.4 conveyor belts.
Is there a better steel recipe than the standard one in Satisfactory?
Yes — the Satisfactory Wiki notes that Solid Steel Ingot, an alternate recipe unlocked via Hard Drive scanning, is generally considered the most efficient option since it conserves Coal (the rarer of the two base ingredients) and has a favorable 2:3 Iron Ore to Steel Ingot ratio. This guide covers only the standard vanilla recipe, since alternate recipes require Hard Drive unlocks first.
How much coal per steel ingot?
On the standard recipe, 1 Coal per Steel Ingot (45 Coal/min for 45 Steel Ingot/min). Solid Steel Ingot is more Coal-efficient at 40 Coal for 60 Steel Ingot — 1.5 ingots per unit of Coal.
Best steel ingot recipe?
Solid Steel Ingot (40 Iron Ingot + 40 Coal → 60 Steel Ingot) is generally considered the best once you're not constrained on Iron Ingot supply, since it gets the most Steel Ingot per unit of Coal of any recipe.