Factory Architecture · Throughput Optimization
While ultra-compact builds like the 'Matchbox' or 'Boxcar' are popular for early-game setups, scaling into late-game automation reveals a major bottleneck: mixed inputs (Snow, Red Sand, Copper, and Moonhop) quickly deadlock cramped belts. Designing for true high throughput requires understanding physical conveyor clearance heights, segregating high-density lines, and rate-matching low-output Stratacore feeds.
Quick answer
Separate mixed inputs (such as Red Sand, Copper, and Moonhop) onto dedicated parallel conveyor lines instead of a single shared belt. Ensure at least 2 tiles of vertical clearance above high-speed belts to prevent particle bottlenecking, and install overflow recirculation loops with Advanced Filters so backed-up secondary materials never stall your primary production line.
01
In Sandustry, loose items and ore chunks are simulated as discrete granular particles rather than abstract conveyor percentages. When items travel along a horizontal conveyor belt, they naturally settle and stack up to 2 to 3 layers deep.
Building low 1-tile ceilings directly over conveyor lanes physically scrapes away upper particle layers, severely throttling belt throughput to approximately 12 items/sec. Maintaining an open vertical clearance of at least 2 full tiles preserves granular stacking and unleashes unrestricted flow exceeding 30 items/sec.
| Conveyor Setup | Clearance Height | Measured Rate | Recommended Application |
|---|---|---|---|
| Matchbox / Boxcar | 1 Tile | ~12 items/sec | Isolated early-game loops (Gold Shaker or Steam Turbine) |
| Standard City Block | 2 Tiles | ~30 items/sec | Multi-input intermediate buses (Copper + Wet Sand) |
| Express Stratacore Line | 3 Tiles + Gravity Chute | ~45+ items/sec | Late-game Aura megabases and high-density sorting |
02
Compact footprints like the 'Matchbox' or 'Boxcar' suffer catastrophic deadlocks when heterogeneous materials (Wet Seed, Florin gas, Residue, and Copper) back up along shared belts. The proven solution is the 4-Gate architecture.
Each raw material stream passes through dedicated priority thresholds with automated spillways. When downstream buffers fill, excess items are shunted into an overflow recirculation loop or an unpowered incinerator rather than freezing the upstream supply trunk.
03
Unlike abundant surface Sand, deep subterranean Stratacore extraction yields a slow, high-value trickle (~15-20 blocks/min). Over-building downstream processing banks leaves factories operating at single-digit utilization.
Benchmark testing confirms that 1 Prefabulator combined with 2 Precision Lasers perfectly balances an active Stratacore vein. Buffer the output in a 3-tile gravity silo before feeding high-density laser cutters to guarantee continuous non-stop conversion.
04
When production halts, systematic diagnosis prevents unnecessary tearing down of working modules. Check the four primary failure points:
① Wet Seed flotation choking water pumps; ② Florin gas back-pressure in unvented pipes; ③ Residue conveyor back-stacking at the Kinetic Press drop chute; ④ Amethelis steam crystallization at filter boundaries.
Questions answered
Sandustry uses granular pixel physics. When materials move on a conveyor, particles can stack vertically 2 to 3 layers deep. A 1-tile ceiling physically scrapes off upper layers, throttling throughput by over 50%. A 2-tile clearance allows full particle stacking.
Segregate materials into parallel lanes early. If a mixed belt is unavoidable, place an Advanced Filter sorting station followed by an overflow return loop so that surplus items circulate instead of jamming the belt intake.
Use compact designs for self-contained, single-purpose loops (such as a local Shaker Gold separator or isolated Steam Turbine). Transition to a multi-lane high-throughput bus once you begin combining multiple raw inputs into advanced tech like Aura or Voidbloom.
Because Stratacore extraction is slow (~15-20 chunks/min), 1-2 Prefabulators paired with Precision Lasers are sufficient to process an entire vein's output. Sizing for more will leave downstream machines starved for inputs.
Evidence notes
These are useful player examples, not official specifications.
