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Separate the two recipes before changing pipes
The community-maintained Factorio Wiki lists basic oil processing as 100 crude oil into 45 petroleum gas over a five-second base recipe. Unlike advanced oil processing, this basic recipe produces only petroleum gas. The plastic recipe runs in a chemical plant and uses 20 petroleum gas plus one coal to make two plastic bars in a one-second base recipe.
Confirm Oil processing and Plastics research are complete, then inspect the selected recipes in each machine. In the ordinary-quality base case the Wiki lists crafting speed 1 for both machines, but modules, machine quality, productivity research, mods or alternative recipes change the calculation. Version 2.1 stable was announced by the developer; that announcement does not establish that this procedure has been played on your installed build.
- Record the installed version, active mods, machine quality and modules; confirm the research and the recipes actually selected.
- At the refinery, check the crude input, power and petroleum output rather than assuming an upstream pumpjack fills the refinery.
- At the chemical plant, inspect the petroleum input and verify that a solid-input inserter can deliver coal.
- Inspect the plastic output and its receiving belt or container. A full destination needs a different fix from an empty gas input.
- Change one identified connection or supply issue and observe the same machine inventories and output again. Do not flush or dismantle a mixed network without first understanding what it contains.
References: Factorio Wiki: Oil processing · Factorio Wiki: Chemical plant · Factorio Wiki: Oil refinery · Factorio Friday Facts #449: 2.1 Stable
A finite two-cycle material budget
Illustrative arithmetic, not a recorded factory: start with no gas, plastic or coal in the plant and no other consumer. After two completed basic refinery cycles, 200 crude oil has become 90 gas. If four coal reach the plant, four complete plastic crafts consume 80 gas and four coal, producing eight bars and leaving 10 gas in the system. A fifth craft requires 20 gas, so that leftover alone is insufficient.
This is a material ledger, not a timeline: refinery and plant crafts occur in discrete batches, fluid and machine buffers matter, and transport or power may delay actual output. The example does not promise that all eight bars will be available immediately after the second refinery cycle.
| Stage | Assumed input | Calculated output or remainder | What it does not establish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Two basic refinery cycles | 200 crude oil | 90 petroleum gas | Whether the gas reaches the plant |
| Four plastic crafts | 80 gas + 4 coal | 8 plastic bars | Whether coal or output can move |
| Gas after those crafts | 90 minus 80 | 10 gas remains | A fifth craft still needs 20 gas |
References: Factorio Wiki: Oil processing · Factorio Wiki: Plastic bar
Why a plant may run intermittently
For a continuous theoretical comparison, one ordinary refinery at full basic-recipe uptime makes 45 ÷ 5 = 9 gas per game-second. One ordinary chemical plant running plastic at full recipe speed consumes 20 ÷ 1 = 20 gas per game-second. If this refinery is its only gas source, the long-run supply is below the plant's full-rate demand by 11 gas per game-second; the plant may work in bursts while its gas buffer refills.
That average does not mean exactly 11 units are missing from a particular machine at any instant, nor does it show a measured duty cycle. Existing storage can temporarily sustain faster production, other consumers reduce available gas, and interruptions or finite fluid transport can lower it. Use game-seconds and account for changes in buffers rather than treating a short burst as sustainable throughput.
| Ordinary-quality, unmodified machine | Full-rate theoretical figure | Condition |
|---|---|---|
| One basic oil refinery | 9 gas / game-second | 45 output per 5-second cycle, enough crude and power |
| One plastic chemical plant | 20 gas / game-second demand | 20 input per 1-second cycle, enough coal and output space |
| One-to-one comparison | 11 gas / game-second short of full plant demand | No stored gas, other sources or other consumers in the comparison |
References: Factorio Wiki: Oil processing · Factorio Wiki: Chemical plant · Factorio Wiki: Plastic bar
Choose the first boundary to investigate
If the refinery is idle, read its selected recipe and inspect crude, power and gas output. If the refinery contains gas but the plant is empty, follow the connected fluid path and the plant's gas input port; the Wiki describes fixed fluid ports whose positions can be flipped. If gas and coal are present but output is full, trace plastic removal before expanding petroleum supply.
The developer states that Factorio 2.1 restores fluid-mixing prevention. A warning when connecting incompatible fluid systems is a reason to inspect their contents and connections, not proof that a particular pipe layout is wrong in every version. Back up important saves before risky changes; this guide does not instruct you to discard stored fluids.
| Observation | First check | Recheck after one change |
|---|---|---|
| Refinery lacks crude | Pumpjack connection, input port and supply | Crude appears in the refinery input |
| Refinery has gas; plant gas input is empty | Fluid network and correct plant input | Plant input buffer begins to fill |
| Plant has gas but no coal | Coal source and inserter direction | Coal reaches its input inventory |
| Plastic output is full | Removal inserter and destination space | Output clears and crafting resumes |
| Plant crafts, pauses, then crafts again | Compare sustained gas supply with 20 gas per craft | Record buffer and output over a longer interval |
References: Factorio Wiki: Chemical plant · Factorio Wiki: Oil processing · Factorio Friday Facts #449: 2.1 Stable
Record a reproducible comparison
For a useful player report, capture the installed version and mods, both selected recipes, refinery and chemical plant status, coal and plastic inventories, and petroleum amounts before and after a chosen game-time interval. Note every other consumer and any storage already connected. A screenshot of machine and connection details can help, but is not an item-rate measurement by itself.
After correcting one suspected cause, repeat the same observation. If output rises while stored gas falls, the existing buffer may be masking a supply deficit rather than proving the line can sustain that rate.
Game build / mods / quality / modules:
Refinery and plant recipes:
Crude and coal inputs:
Petroleum buffer at start -> end:
Other petroleum consumers:
Plastic output at start -> end / game-time interval:
One change and observed result:Before you play
- Confirm both research unlocks and selected recipes.
- Trace crude, petroleum, coal and plastic as separate boundaries.
- Use 100 crude to 45 gas and 20 gas plus one coal to two bars only for the stated basic recipes.
- Separate a short buffer-driven burst from sustained game-time supply.
- Record the result after changing one issue.
Frequently asked questions
Does basic oil processing require a water input?
The cited basic recipe uses crude oil and produces petroleum gas; do not apply the advanced oil recipe's water input to it. Check the selected recipe in your installed game.
Is one basic refinery enough to keep one plastic plant continuously at full speed?
Not under the stated ordinary-quality, no-bonus one-to-one assumptions: its ideal 9 gas per game-second is below the plant's 20 gas per game-second full-rate demand. A stored buffer can temporarily hide the difference.
Are the eight bars a tested result?
No. They are a finite recipe calculation for two completed refinery cycles and four completed plastic crafts, not a played save or a timed production measurement.
Sources & revision notes
Editorial revision: October 29, 2026; not a gameplay test date. The reference notes identify source limits and version differences.
- Factorio Wiki: Oil processing (Community)
Community-maintained reference checked October 28, 2026 for the basic oil recipe and the ideal nine-gas-per-game-second refinery figure. Not a measurement of this setup.
- Factorio Wiki: Plastic bar (Community)
Community-maintained recipe reference checked October 28, 2026 for the ordinary plastic recipe and the existence of an alternative Space Age recipe.
- Factorio Wiki: Chemical plant (Community)
Community-maintained machine reference checked October 28, 2026 for base crafting speed, recipe and fixed fluid-port behavior. No inserter or fluid throughput was measured.
- Factorio Wiki: Oil refinery (Community)
Community-maintained machine reference checked October 28, 2026 for the base machine speed and separate basic and advanced recipes.
- Factorio Friday Facts #449: 2.1 Stable (Official)
Developer announcement checked October 28, 2026: the 2.1 stable release and restored fluid-mixing prevention. It is release context, not evidence of a GamerWin gameplay test.
October 29: added a stock-aware finite batch budget; it does not simulate fluid routing or timing. October 28: published source-based basic oil-to-plastic diagnostic with a separate steady-state comparison. No gameplay or measured production is claimed.
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