Factorio · Quality-enabled game · Ingredient matching

Better ingredient, stalled assembler? Check the selected recipe quality

On this page

1. Inspect the stalled machine in this order
2. Two different production plans
3. Why adding modules may disappoint
4. Sources and scope

Solid ingredients must match the quality selected for the recipe. A higher-quality ingredient is not automatically accepted by a lower-quality recipe. Generating a chance of a better output with quality modules is a different operation.

Inspect the stalled machine in this order

1. Read the selected recipe and quality in the machine.
2. Inspect the quality of each solid ingredient already in its input and waiting at the inserter.
3. Compare each missing ingredient with that exact tier, not with the total amount of the item across all qualities.
4. Check the upstream filters and logistic requests that feed those inputs.
5. Run one craft with a complete matched set before restarting the mixed supply.

For example, a recipe set to Uncommon cannot be completed merely by supplying some Uncommon ingredients while the remaining required solid ingredients are Normal. Decide whether the line should produce at Normal or Uncommon, then make its inputs consistent. Do not “fix” the issue by repeatedly changing the output recipe while leaving the supply unchanged.

Two different production plans

Matched-tier crafting: collect the complete ingredient set at the recipe’s selected quality and feed that tier consistently.

Quality generation: run an eligible machine with quality modules to give crafts a chance to produce higher-tier outputs. This is probabilistic; it is not a promise that the next craft will be upgraded. Route the resulting qualities so they do not obstruct a line expecting one tier.

Why adding modules may disappoint

Inspect the machine’s effective quality effect rather than counting installed modules alone. Speed modules have a quality penalty, and quality modules cannot be placed in beacons. Neither fact removes the need for valid input ingredients.

Quality requires ownership of Space Age, but its Quality mod can be enabled separately from most expansion content. On a game without that feature enabled, start with ordinary recipe and ingredient checks instead of searching for an absent selector.

Sources and scope

Published October 18, 2026. Official references checked on this date: Recipe tiers and feature availability · Module behavior and restrictions · Developer quality-interface illustration. This is an independently written source-based guide; examples are diagnostic setups, not performance measurements. Website assets used under Wube’s press guidance. Official game.

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