Fuel is one of the most important components in Satisfactory. Within minutes of starting, you’ll notice that virtually every machine needs power. While the early-game options are fairly limited, more unlock as you progress through milestones. From biomass to nuclear fuel, Satisfactory has it all! You’ll also need fuel for vehicles, your jetpack, and the chainsaw, so it’s important to use the best fuel for each situation. Today we’ll look at every fuel type, when and how to use them, and which ones are most worth it.
Satisfactory early-game fuel: Biomass and natural resources
Your first fuel sources are simple and must be collected by hand. The planet has plenty of Leaves and Wood you can burn to generate early power. Use the Biomass Burner, which is built into your HUB or can later be built separately. You can also burn Mycelia and Alien Carapace. All of these fuels can power vehicles as well.
However, you should quickly convert these natural items into Biomass in a Constructor. This yields significantly more energy. In Tier 2 you also unlock Solid Biofuel, which is even more efficient. This fuel is used for the Jetpack and Chainsaw. Later, you can combine this biomass with water to make Liquid Biofuel, which is as effective in generators as standard oil-derived Fuel.
Satisfactory mid-game power: Coal, oil, and fuel
Coal becomes available in Tier 3 and is a major upgrade over biomass. You can extract it automatically with Miners, so you no longer need to gather by hand. It’s a great step up and the perfect bridge into the mid game.
There are two other coal variants you can use:
- Petroleum Coke: Produced from Heavy Oil Residue, a by-product of oil processing. It’s weaker than standard Coal.
- Compacted Coal: Can be made in several ways. The best alternate recipe combines Coal and Sulfur. It’s more efficient than standard Coal.
The next big fuel focus after Coal is classic Fuel from oil, unlocked in Tier 5. You’ll get several processing options here, which is what makes oil power so practical. It’s extremely important in the mid game and can cover a lot of your power needs.
The yellow Fuel is refined from crude oil. This process also creates Polymer Resin, which you can turn into Plastic or Rubber. Alternatively, you can convert Heavy Oil Residue into Fuel. If you still have Solid Biofuel left over, you can also convert it into a liquid form as described above.
You can take standard Fuel a step further. By combining it with Coal, you get Turbofuel. To unlock these recipes, research Sulfur in the MAM. Alternatively, you can combine Heavy Oil Residue with Compacted Coal.
All of these are liquid fuels, so they can only be used in the Fuel Generator. To use them for vehicles and the Jetpack, you need to package them. Packaged fuels are a great transport option, especially in the mid game. Learn more in our article: (Satisfactory Transport Guide: Conveyor Belts, Vehicles, Trains, and Hypertubes) .
Satisfactory late-game power: Nuclear, rocket fuel, and ionized fuel
Sticking with liquid fuels, there are two ways to push efficiency even further. In the MAM’s Sulfur research you can unlock Rocket Fuel and Ionized Fuel. Both are extremely potent and perfect for the late game. You can also package both for vehicle use.
- Rocket Fuel: Made from Turbofuel and Nitric Acid. You’ll need Nitrogen Gas, which you extract from Resource Wells. The setup is more involved, but absolutely worth it.
- Ionized Fuel: Created by adding Power Shards to Rocket Fuel. You only get shards from Power Slugs, which you must collect manually.
Although Ionized Fuel produces more energy, it usually isn’t worth the effort. Rocket Fuel is the best overall fuel in the game if you don’t go nuclear. It’s relatively straightforward to make and can even free up more Coal for other uses.
You can also go nuclear, unlocked in Tier 8. It produces more power than you’ll likely ever need, but the set-up is far more complex than Rocket Fuel. It isn’t always recommended unless you enjoy mastering intricate factory chains.
Think of nuclear power in Satisfactory as a chain reaction. You start with Uranium Fuel Rods, which require Uranium Ore and other materials. You must manage radiation, which already makes this power source more challenging. The process also produces Uranium Waste, which isn’t easy to get rid of.
Thankfully, you can convert that waste into Plutonium. This, however, requires multiple steps and complex factories: you’ll turn intermediates into Plutonium Pellets, then into fuel rods. A single Plutonium Fuel Rod yields 1.5 million MJ—twice that of uranium and over 400 times more than Rocket Fuel. Whether the effort is worth it is up to you.
And Plutonium also leaves waste, which you then use to produce FICSONIUM. This fictional nuclear fuel needs an entire additional factory chain and is far more radioactive than the other two. It does, however, mark the end of the nuclear chain, since FICSONIUM produces no waste. It’s only about one-tenth as energy-dense as Plutonium.
Conclusion: The best fuels in Satisfactory, from biomass to nuclear
Progress is everything—and Satisfactory’s fuel options reflect that. You’ll start by burning simple Leaves and Wood, then advance to Coal, Oil, and eventually nuclear power. Nothing will stop your growing factory empire. We definitely recommend Rocket Fuel for the late game, while nuclear can be a rewarding challenge if you enjoy complex builds.
If you want to experience Satisfactory with friends, rent one of our Satisfactory servers. Then you can try different fuels together and decide which ones you like best.
