Complete resource processing tree from raw ores through intermediate products to finished endgame components. Rows grouped by mining source: Asteroid Minerals, Gas Extraction, Exo-Planet Ops, and Crafted Components.
The Full Processing Chain at a Glance
Outworld Station’s resource system has four mining sources and two intermediate stages before final components. Understanding the chain prevents building the wrong infrastructure. I spent two hours building a Titanium plate line before realizing I needed a different smelter type.
This is a reference page. For specific production line builds, see Smelting Guide and Chemical Processing Guide.
Four raw sources: Asteroids (ores + ice), Gas Giants (gas), Containment Asteroids (mixed), Exo-Planet surfaces (rare). Ores →Smelters →Ingots →Assemblers →Components. Gases →Chemical Processors →Compounds. Three endgame materials bottleneck everything: Superalloy (Lv5+), Electronics (Lv6+), Nitronic Acid (Lv9+). Manage these three and you can build anything.
Mining Sources
Asteroid Mining (Level 1+)
| Resource | Source Node | Mining Method | Base Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iron Ore | Common asteroid | Mining Drill | 18/min |
| Copper Ore | Common asteroid | Mining Drill | 15/min |
| Titanium Ore | Rare asteroid | Mining Drill | 6/min |
| Silicon Ore | Rare asteroid | Mining Drill | 8/min |
| Coal | Common asteroid | Mining Drill | 12/min |
| Ice | Any asteroid | Mining Drill | 20/min |
Gas Giant Mining (Level 8+)
| Resource | Source | Mining Method | Base Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hydrogen | Gas Giant | Gas Extractor | 5/min |
| Helium | Gas Giant | Gas Extractor | 3/min |
| Methane | Gas Giant | Gas Extractor | 4/min |
| Sulfur Vapor | Gas Giant | Gas Extractor | 2/min |
For gas setup details, see Deep Space Gas Giant Mining Guide.
Containment Asteroid Mining (Level 13+, v1.1)
| Resource | Source | Rate | Best Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nitrox | Gas Asteroid | 12/min + 8 H/min | v1.1 recipe changes |
| Titanium + Silicon | Mineral Asteroid | 8/min + 6/min | Superalloy supplement |
| Small output both | Mixed Asteroid | 5/min + 4/min | Skip (rates too low) |
See Enhanced Containment Guide for capture mechanics.
Exo-Planet Surface Extraction (Level 15+)
| Resource | Planet Type | Rate | Market Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exotic Matter | All types | 4-8/run | ~2,200 cr/unit |
| Helium-3 | Medium+ | 3-6/run | ~1,800 cr/unit |
| Quantum Dust | High+ | 1-3/run | ~5,000 cr/unit |
| Platinum | All types | 6-12/run | ~1,200 cr/unit |
| Dark Matter | Rich only | 3-7/run | ~12,000 cr/unit |
See Exo-Planet Lifter Guide for mission details.
Smelting: Raw Ore to Ingots
| Input | Process | Output | Used In |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Iron Ore | Smelter | 1 Iron Ingot | Iron Plate, Steel, Basic parts |
| 2 Copper Ore | Smelter | 1 Copper Ingot | Wire, Electronics, Pipes |
| 3 Titanium Ore | Smelter | 1 Titanium Ingot | Superalloy, Advanced modules |
| 2 Silicon Ore | Smelter | 1 Silicon Wafer | Circuit Boards, Optics |
| 1 Coal | Smelter (burn) | Carbon Dust | Steel, Advanced Alloys |
Assembly: Ingots to Components
| Input | Machine | Output | Used In |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Iron Ingot | Assembler | 2 Iron Plate | Basic construction, Turrets |
| 1 Copper Ingot | Assembler | 3 Copper Wire | Electronics, Circuit Boards |
| 2 Copper Wire + 1 Silicon | Assembler | 1 Circuit Board | Electronics, Computers |
| 1 Iron Plate + 1 Circuit Board | Assembler | 1 Electronics Module | Everything mid-game+ |
| 2 Iron Ingot + 1 Coal | Assembler | 1 Steel Ingot | Structural components |
| 1 Titanium + 1 Steel + 1 Carbon | Plasma Forge | 1 Superalloy | All Level 5+ buildings |
Bottleneck warning: Electronics Module production is the biggest gate in mid-game. One Assembler making Circuit Boards feeds roughly 2 Electronics Assemblers. If Electronics is slow, check your Copper Wire supply →?1 Copper Ingot only makes 3 Wire, but each Circuit Board needs 2 Wire.
Chemical Processing: Gas to Compounds
| Input | Machine | Output | Used In |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 Hydrogen + 1 Oxygen | Chemical Processor | 1 Water | Life support, Cooling |
| 2 Hydrogen + 1 Carbon | Chemical Processor | 1 Methane | Fuel, Plastic |
| 2 Methane + 1 Sulfur | Chemical Processor | 1 Nitronic Acid | Research, Advanced crafting |
| 3 Helium | Chemical Processor | 1 Helium-3 | Fusion, Endgame fuel |
| 2 Hydrogen + 1 Nitrogen | Chemical Processor | 1 Ammonia | Fertilizer, Organic processing |
For the full gas processing chain, see Nitrox Gas Processing Guide and Chemical Processing Guide.
Endgame Components (Level 8+)
| Component | Recipe | Used In | Produced By |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steel Frame | 4 Steel Ingot + 2 Iron Plate | Ship hull, Station expansion | Assembler |
| Advanced Circuit | 2 Circuit Board + 1 Silicon Wafer | CPU Control, Advanced turrets | Assembler |
| Superalloy | 1 Titanium + 1 Steel + 1 Carbon Dust | Plasma Forge | Plasma Forge |
| Quantum Processor | 2 Advanced Circuit + 1 Quantum Dust | Endgame research, Space Elevator | Assembler |
| Antimatter Cell | 3 Hydrogen + 1 Methane + 1 Sulfur | Antimatter Power, Warp drives | Chemical Processor |
| Dark Matter Core | 2 Dark Matter + 1 Quantum Processor | Space Elevator | Assembler |
| Nano Composite | 1 Superalloy + 1 Nitronic Acid + 1 Platinum | Lv18+ modules | Plasma Forge |
Processing Reference Card (Quick Print)
IRON: Mine →Smelter (2:1) →Ingot →Assembler →Iron Plate →Buildings/Turrets
COPPER: Mine →Smelter (2:1) →Ingot →Assembler (1:3) →Wire →Circuit Board
SILICON: Mine →Smelter (2:1) →Wafer →Circuit Board + Advanced Circuit
TITANIUM: Mine →Smelter (3:1) →Ingot →Plasma Forge →Superalloy
COAL: Mine →Smelter (burn) →Carbon Dust →Steel + Superalloy
GASES:
HYDROGEN: Gas Giant →H + O = Water | H + C = Methane
HELIUM: Gas Giant →3 He = Helium-3
METHANE: Chemical (2H+C) →+ Sulfur = Nitronic Acid
SULFUR: Gas Giant →Nitronic Acid (through Methane)
ENDGAME LOOP:
Ores →Ingots →Components →Superalloy + Electronics →Everything
All ratios confirmed on v1.1.1.0. Recipe changes from Steam patch notes. v1.1 recipe list confirmed via in-game tooltips. Base rates are un-upgraded →?Mining Efficiency and Advanced Smelting research improves throughput by 30-60%.