Is Factorio a game or a way of life? At this point, we’re not even sure ourselves. There’s something that keeps drawing us back time and time again. It hits all the right spots of crafting and strategy and there’s a strange itch that gets scratched when you automate production lines just right. And a large part of automation is the Factorio main bus, which helps you on your way to becoming a machine overlord of an alien planet.

You can have the most efficient production belts and layouts on the planet, but it all starts with the Factorio main bus area.

That’s why we’ve put together this handy guide to give you all the details on what the main bus is and some tips and tricks on using it in your layouts.

Factorio main bus – what is it?

The main bus is a central area that you use to store all of your most important materials that are used most often. It allows all of your assembly machines to pick up from one nifty place as a source of materials for assembly lines.

Factorio main bus – why is it important?

The main bus in Factorio is a key design decision that should be made early on in your planning and strategising life. This is because it will affect the whole layout of your factory and the central area the main bus is comprised of must be built large enough to facilitate the growth of your machines and belts.

The main bus also plays a crucial role in keeping your factory organised. It prevents what are known as spaghetti factories, which are the more organic factory layout with assembly lines that end up being built all over the place because you haven’t thought out your layout beforehand.

Tips and tricks to making the most efficient layout

When first creating your main bus area and subsequent assembly lines, it is best to start with the smelting of iron, copper, and steel as the first resources to be drawn from the bus.

After you’ve set up the processing of these basic resources, these are the best items to start assembling: