Transport network

Transport networks consists of Transport belts, Splitters, Underground belts, Inserters and Storages.

Transport belts are the core element in Factorio. They are used for transporting items in your factory. You put items at one place and take them down at another. In the simple setup below the transport belt is used to transport the iron ore from Mining drills to the right where an Inserter picks it up and puts it into the furnace.

File:Transport-belt-intro-1.jpg

Use chests to store items, instead of using them immediately.

In most of the cases inserters must be used to put/pick things from the transport belts. However Mining drills place items they produce (mine) directly on the transport belt - as you can see above.

Transport belts (Moving ground)

The Transport belts where the first elements of this class of entities, so the whole class is called so, even if the Underground belts and Splitters work quite differently. ("moving ground" might hit the meaning better)

Transport belts	Underground belts	Splitters	Speed (tiles/second)	Needed research
File:Basic-transport-belt.png Basic transport belt	File:Basic-transport-belt-to-ground.png Basic underground belt	File:Basic-splitter.png Basic splitter	~1.8	none
File:Fast-transport-belt.png Fast transport belt	File:Fast-transport-belt-to-ground.png Fast underground belt	File:Fast-splitter.png Fast splitter	~3.6	Logistics 2
File:Express-transport-belt.png Express transport belt	File:Express-transport-belt-to-ground.png Express underground belt	File:Express-splitter.png Express splitter	~5.6	Logistics 3

Learn more about the simulated physics of the belts, or how to optimize the flow of items.

Inserters

File:Transport-belt-two-lines-4.jpg

It is assured that inserters always put the items on the more distant part of the transport belt. Inserters also prefer taking items from the closer part of the belt.

Item	Max power	Description
File:Burner-inserter.png Burner inserter	180 W (burner)	Most basic inserter, needs burning fuel.
Inserter	13 W	Basic electric inserter.
File:Long-handed-inserter.png Long handed inserter	18 W	Basic inserter able to grab Items from 2 tiles distance.
File:Fast-inserter.png Fast inserter	30 W	Inserter working at double speed.
Smart inserter	40 W	Inserter able to connect to Circuit network and specify work conditions.

Storages

A storage is used to store items. Many things can be used to store items: Furnaces, assemblies and any entity, that has stacks, like cars, but even the belts or the Ground can be seen as storage. But in conjunction with the Transport network we mean the most efficient way, which is using Chests:

Item	Max stacks	Description
File:Wooden-chest.png Wooden chest	16	Basic storage chest.
File:Iron-chest.png Iron chest	32	Larger basic chest.
File:Steel-chest.png Steel chest	48	Basic chest with maximum capacity of 48 stacks.
Smart chest	48	Connectable to Circuit network.
File:Provider-chest.png Provider chest	48	Used for Logistic network, Circuit network.
File:Storage-chest.png Storage chest	48	Used for Logistic network, Circuit network.
File:Requester-chest.png Requester chest	48	Used for Logistic network, Circuit network.

See also Storages.