Production lines in Satisfactory can become quite long and complex. With a bit of research, however, you can tailor some of these setups and recipes so they not only consume fewer resources but also require fewer processing steps. That’s where alternative recipes come in, which you gradually unlock during your time in Satisfactory. Some aren’t particularly strong, while others can revolutionise your late‑game factories. Let’s take a look at the ten best current recipes.
Unlocking Satisfactory alternative recipes: Hard Drives and the MAM
You unlock recipes by researching Hard Drives in the MAM. There are 118 Hard Drives in total, allowing you to unlock 108 of the 113 recipes. The remainder come from various MAM research trees. Each Hard Drive offers you a choice of three recipes, appropriate to your current milestone.
You don’t have to pick a recipe the moment you research it — you can simply leave it in the MAM until you need it. This way they won’t keep repeating in the pool, and you’ll consistently get new recipes to choose from.
1. Cast Screws in Satisfactory: Screws without Iron Rods
Cast Screws are one of the earliest alternative recipes you can obtain — and they’re absolutely worth it because they let you skip an entire production step. Normally you must craft Iron Rods first and then convert them into Screws, which eats space in larger factories.
Later on, we also recommend the Steel Screw recipe, which makes Screws from Steel Beams. While it looks resource‑heavy at first glance, it can significantly simplify your screw production.
2. Heavy Encased Frame: the best alternative for late milestones
One of the best recipes in the entire game, as you’ll need these Heavy Encased Frames for many late‑game items. It’s better to make life easier from the outset. Although we’ve just talked about Screws, this alternative production cuts them out entirely. Instead, you’ll need Concrete, which is much easier to produce. You even get more frames than with the default recipe. Do avoid Heavy Flexible Frames — they offer little benefit.
3. Copper Alloy Ingot: save copper with iron ore
This recipe shines when you have less copper and more iron ore available. You can combine the two metals to produce Copper Alloy Ingots. Since you can unlock this as early as Tier 3, it’s particularly useful in the early game, especially at locations with limited copper.
4. Heavy Oil Residue: process oil efficiently from Tier 5
The following recipes fit perfectly into a single production line and are available from Tier 5 with Oil Processing. You’ll refine crude oil into Heavy Oil Residue as usual, but at the same time you’ll also produce Polymer Resin. That resin is key to making other alternative recipes efficient. You’ll also get three units of Heavy Oil Residue instead of just one compared to the default recipe — effectively 300 percent of the normal yield. You can then convert Polymer Resin into Rubber and Plastic.
5. Diluted and Packaged Fuel: maximise your fuel output
These two recipes pair beautifully. First, unlock Packaged Fuel, where you use the Heavy Oil Residue you just produced together with Packaged Water instead of standard Fuel and Empty Canisters. Packaging is a bit fiddly, but it saves you several steps.
With Tier 7, you gain Diluted Fuel, and you no longer need to package it. Simply combine Heavy Oil Residue with water and you can produce Fuel with ease. These two recipes are excellent for processing oil more effectively.
6. Recycled Plastic and Rubber: a loop for double output
The third alternative for better oil usage is the recycled recipes for Rubber and Plastic. They let you create a closed loop that produces Rubber from Plastic and Plastic from Rubber with the addition of Fuel. In the end, you’ll enjoy double the output. The Polymer Resin from point 4 is useful here too, making this combination even handier.
7. Pure ingots and Wet Concrete: more output with water
From Tier 5 you can unlock a whole suite of alternative recipes that improve your ore utilisation. You can add water to each raw material and refine them in the Refinery into more ingots. This works for everything from iron and copper to caterium and quartz. Even better is the recipe for aluminium, as you save on silica.
You can also enrich Concrete with water to yield more product. You unlock this alternative recipe as early as Tier 3, but you can only use it from Tier 5, when you unlock water transport. Since water is practically free, these pure recipes are extremely valuable.
8. Sloppy Alumina: aluminium without silica surplus
The aluminium ingots mentioned above become even better with this alternative recipe. You unlock it in Tier 7, and it works similarly to the default route using bauxite ore and water, except this time no additional silica is produced. That means one fewer by‑product to manage. Silica isn’t especially useful on its own, but the next alternative recipe might change your mind.
9. Silicon Circuit Board: efficient circuit boards with silica
In contrast to Sloppy Alumina, you might opt for this recipe where silica plays a key role. Here, you combine copper sheets with silica to produce circuit boards. It pairs nicely with Steamed Copper Sheet, which — like the pure recipes — uses water to increase output.
Circuit boards are also the foundation for the final recipe we want to showcase. They become crucial in the endgame, so you’ll need plenty of them.
10. Caterium Computer: endgame recipe without cable clutter
The circuit boards above are vital for crafting computers, so it’s important that all of your recipes dovetail neatly. Computers are a key component for many late‑game items. The Caterium Computer not only avoids unnecessary cable clutter but also synergises with the Silicon Circuit Board. It also pairs well with Recycled Rubber from point 6.
Alternatively, you can use Crystal Computer, which combines circuit boards with crystal oscillators. Both recipes come down to your chosen specialisation: quartz or silica.
Conclusion: alternative recipes for efficient factories in Satisfactory
Alternative recipes are an important part of Satisfactory, giving you the flexibility to simplify or otherwise expand your production lines. They’re highly situational, but the recipes we’ve highlighted should spark ideas for optimising your factories. For example, the closed loop for alternative oil usage is incredibly strong once you’ve set it up.
You can also try out new alternative recipes by renting your own Satisfactory server from us. Out of the 113 available recipes, there are many more that can make your work in Satisfactory easier.
