Magnesium FAQ

What does Magnesium add?

Evaporation ponds that turn water into bittern in the sun, a short chain from bittern to magnesium, and magnesium in low density structures, flying robot frames and electric furnaces. There is no magnesium ore: it all comes from water. Factorio 2.1 is required; Space Age is optional.

What are the recipes?

Base recipes before quality, at crafting speed 1. Fluid amounts are fluid units.

The pond has crafting speed 6 at full sun; the heated evaporator has crafting speed 10 and uses 3 MW of heat.

Why did my ponds stop?

It is night. Ponds follow the same day curve as solar panels: full speed until dusk, fading to nothing by evening, stopped until morning, back to full by dawn. The pond shows "Night: waiting for the sun". Store bittern in tanks to keep the chemical plants running, or add heated evaporators.

How many ponds do I need?

One pond makes about 36 magnesium per minute at noon and about 25 averaged over a Nauvis day. A utility science pack needs about 2.3 magnesium (three low density structures and a robot frame per three packs), so one pack per second takes about six ponds. A vanilla rocket needs 1,000 magnesium.

Can I turn the sunlight off?

Yes: the map setting Ponds follow the sun makes ponds always run at full-sun speed.

Does it work on other planets?

With Space Age, pond speed follows the planet's solar power: 400% on Vulcanus, 50% on Gleba, 20% on Fulgora, 1% on Aquilo. Vulcanus has no water to pump, so melt ice. On Aquilo, use heated evaporators on the heat network. Ponds cannot be built on space platforms. In Space Exploration, ponds follow the sun SE sets for each zone, faster on hot, dry worlds and slower on cold, wet ones; the homeworld is the baseline.

Why is magnesium not in my robot frames?

Magnesium does not add itself where another mod already reinforces the frame (Cadmium's plated hardware, cobalt-chromium alloy or titanium), or where the frame uses aluminum 2219 that already contains magnesium. In those packs, magnesium reaches utility science through low density structures or the alloy instead.

My pack uses different plastic, pipe or concrete recipes.

Catalysed plastic, ductile pipe and Sorel concrete are built from your pack's own recipes. Ductile pipe only exists where pipes are made of iron plate, and Sorel concrete only where concrete uses stone bricks.

What changes with Krastorio 2, BZ and chlorine mods?

Magnesium processing arrives with chemical plants, which is early in Krastorio 2. Aluminum 6061 and 2219 use magnesium, coke replaces coal, mineral water gives twice the bittern and quicklime more magnesia. With chlorine, magnesium chloride electrolysis gives more magnesium plus chlorine, ponds can run as salt pans, and the Kroll process makes the most titanium per ore.

What does magnesium do with BZ, Timeken, Ashier and trikop metals?

It becomes a reagent. Silicon reduces magnesia (the Pidgeon process, twice as fast as coal), magnesium reduces silica and tantalite for more silicon, tantalum and niobium per ore, and Grignard reagents make more organotins. Magnesia precipitates nickel from sulfuric acid leach, neutralises chemical waste and depleted acid into water, lines electric foundries and carries platinum catalysts. Zinc-magnesium coating needs half the zinc for galvanized steel. All of these are alternatives or apply only where Magnesium never delays research.

What changes with Space Exploration?

Heat shielding takes magnesia in place of half its stone tablets, so every rocket part, cargo rocket section and delivery cannon capsule needs a salt works. Aeroframe poles take magnesium instead of an iron stick (with Krastorio 2 lithium, a magnesium-lithium pole needs half the beryllium). Magnesiothermic reduction makes more beryllium and holmium per ore, and magnesium, magnesia and magnesium chloride fit the delivery cannon.

Can I keep a recipe unchanged?

Yes: list it in the startup setting Unmodified recipes, for example low-density-structure, flying-robot-frame.

Is incendiary ammunition planned?

Not as Magnesium's own ammo line. A later version may add magnesium to incendiary ammunition from weapon mods that already have it.