Fluid Handling Basics

Factorio has various fluids including water, steam, crude oil, and sulfuric acid. Each fluid has a precise temperature that does not change on its own over time. Fluids are transported primarily through pipes, and later in the game through storage tanks, steel barrels, and fluid wagons on trains.

A network of connected pipes and fluid-handling buildings forms a fluid system. Without pumps, fluid spreads passively through the system until it is equally distributed across all connected pipes by percentage fullness. Fluids cannot mix, and any action that would cause two different fluids to meet is automatically blocked with a warning sound. This means pipe networks carrying different fluids must be kept physically separated.

Pipes

Regular pipes are 1×1 tile units that connect automatically to adjacent pipes and pipe interfaces in up to four directions. There is no way to prevent adjacent pipes from connecting, so pipelines carrying different fluids must be spaced apart — two or three tiles between parallel runs is a safe rule of thumb.

Selecting a pipe with the cursor announces its contents. You can walk on pipes, which matters when navigating tight factory layouts.

When building pipelines, it helps to hold the pipe item in hand and use cursor mode to find the exact fluid input or output tile of a building before placing. The building preview reads out what a pipe unit would connect to on each side, so you do not need to hover directly over each building interface.

Underground pipes

Underground pipe units curve into the ground and connect only on their front face. Placing two units with their back faces pointing toward each other creates an underground segment automatically. These segments are always straight, can be up to 10 tiles long, and can cross other underground segments without mixing fluids. The engineer can walk and build freely over underground pipe segments, and they pass under cliffs, ore patches, and water without issue.

Offshore pump

The offshore pump requires no fuel or electricity and outputs a continuous 1200 units of water per second — enough to supply a large steam power setup from a single pump. It is 2×1 tiles and can only be placed at a straight shoreline. Its water intake faces the water and its output pipe interface faces away from it.

When attempting to place an offshore pump near water, a placement assistant activates and presents a list of valid positions ordered by distance. A valid site needs a 3×2 rectangle of water tiles adjacent to a 3×2 rectangle of land tiles, with the pump placed in the centre of the land section. Multiple offshore pumps cannot be placed directly side by side.

When a pipe connected to the pump fills with water, a brief rushing water sound plays and then stops as the pipe becomes full and the pump pauses.

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See also:

• Fluid Handling Systems
• Steam Power and Electric Grids

External links:

• Official Factorio Wiki: Pipe