Excavate a repeatable grid of 24×24 tile cells separated by 2-tile wide perimeter corridors. Reserve the outer corridors for high-throughput arterial conveyor rings, fluid pipes, and Energy Connectors. Dedicate each cell's interior to a single production stage (e.g., Sand Washing, Flower Farming, or Steam Power), routing raw materials in through top gravity chutes and extracting refined outputs onto the outer bottom ring.
Architecture · Modular City Blocks
Sandustry Modular Factory Design Guide: Standard City Blocks, Bus Routing & Chute Logistics
As factories scale toward the 1 Million Gold milestone, chaotic spaghetti pipelines trigger deadlocks and physics thread lag. A standardized 'City Block' modular design divides the factory into repeatable 24x24 grid cells with dedicated transit corridors, isolating failure states and making mass expansion seamless.
Quick answer
How to build modular City Blocks in Sandustry
What the evidence supports
Architect modular cells,
prevent spaghetti deadlocks.
01 · Establish Standardized Grid Dimensions
Mark out 24×24 tile cells surrounded by 2-tile wide Foundation borders. Standard dimensions allow you to copy and paste entire production cells using the Marquee tool (C) without misalignment.
02 · Lay Dual Perimeter Transit Corridors
In the 2-tile perimeter trench between blocks, run two parallel lines: an outer counter-clockwise conveyor ring for raw feeds (Sand, Water pipes) and an inner clockwise ring for intermediate goods (Wet Sand, Residue, Liquid Copper).
03 · Implement Top-Down Vertical Gravity Chutes
Exploit Sandustry's falling physics. Feed granular materials into cells from the upper corridor using single-tile chutes into Shakers or Planters, avoiding power-hungry lateral belts inside the block.
04 · Wire Sub-Grid Energy Relays with Buffers
Place an Energy Connector at each block junction with a 4-cell Copper Mold buffer. Isolated power zones prevent an energy blackout in an agricultural block from cascading into your primary kinetic smelting lines.
05 · Connect Inter-Block Conveyor Portals
For long-distance transfers between distant production sectors, install Conveyor Portals at block intersections. If portals fail to connect after placing a blueprint, use Ctrl+H to horizontally mirror the layout and re-register portal node IDs.
Questions answered
Solve the next
blockage.
What is a City Block design in Sandustry?
A City Block layout divides the world into uniform rectangular cells (typically 24×24 or 32×32 tiles) framed by logistics corridors. Each cell specializes in one process, trading raw inputs and finished goods through the perimeter ring.
Why do 2D sandbox factories need vertical chutes instead of just conveyors?
In a pixel-physics engine like Sandustry, gravity is free propulsion. Dropping items down a vertical chute into Shakers or Presses requires zero electrical wattage, prevents horizontal belt jams, and dramatically reduces CPU entity pathfinding overhead.
How wide should the inter-block corridor be?
A minimum of 2 tiles is mandatory: 1 tile for conveyor transport and 1 tile for pressurized fluid pipes or wiring relays. Expanding to 3 tiles allows bi-directional belt loops and player service access.
How do I prevent cascading entity lag across modular blocks?
Equip each block output with a Clearing Frame or an automated overflow gate. If an output line backs up, excess byproduct (like Residue) is diverted into a Slag Burner rather than spilling into perimeter corridors.
Can I save an entire City Block into a Blueprint?
Yes. Press C to drag the Marquee tool over the entire 24×24 cell, press Ctrl+C, then open the Q Blueprint menu to save it. Note: Ensure internal fluid pipes are connected after pasting, as pipes require manual alignment verification.
Evidence notes
Confirmed first.
Tested second.
Source Wiki
- Foundations provide stable, non-reactive structural boundaries impervious to acid and erosion.
- Energy Connectors transmit wireless power across fixed radial zones and link with adjacent poles.
- The Marquee tool allows copying and saving rectangular player-placed structures directly into blueprints.
Community-tested
- Reddit r/SandustryGame (GAP-20260830-01): Factorio veterans established that 24×24 and 32×32 city block layouts prevent item pileups and single-digit FPS bottlenecks at 100k+ entities.
- Experienced architects recommend maintaining 2-tile service trenches between blocks to run non-interfering water pipes and energy conduits without tearing up active production machinery.
These are useful player examples, not official specifications.