It can’t always be easy to calculate the ratios and figure out the best setups throughout the game! With this list, you’ll have a miner setup for all stages of the game and for multiple playstyles!

5. Basic Electric mining

Basic Electric mining drill setup

In the early game we don't really have a lot of spare resources, so ideally we should go with the cheapest solution.

• Cheapest setup in early game
• The design can be used in later parts of the game
• Very simple and easy to construct
• You can add modules to them later on

All you need for building is:

• Put down a line of yellow belt
• Add 15 miners on both side (30 red belt, 45 for blue)
• Put wooden poles around the miners, make sure all the miners are powered

4. Underground belt mining

Basic mining drill setup with underground belts

This one is also an early game method, but it costs slightly more resources, but you will be able to have more output from the same amount of area.

With this method, most of the time, you’ll have enough space on the ore field to add enough miners for an additional full belt line. Tho, I mostly recommend only using this after you automate red belts in your Mall.

• A bit more expensive, but you’ll have more ore output
• Very easily tileable
• You can add modules to them later on

All you need for building is:

• Put down a line of yellow belt
• Add 15 miners on both side (30 on both sides for red belt, 45 for blue)
• Pick up some of the belts, and put the (preferably steel) poles instead of them
• Have an underground before and after each pole
• Make sure every miner is putting the ore onto a belt

3. Uranium mining

Uranium mining setup

Uranium mining is a very similar process to the previous 2 methods!

At first it can be a bit scary that miners now require sulfur, but at this point in the game, sulfur is a pretty cheap basic product.

• Sulfur is easily accessible for the mining
• Uranium is a very useful material that can be used for multiple purposes
• The setup is almost the same as with the previous 2 methods
• You can add modules to them later on

All you need for building is:

• Construct one of the setups from the previous points (keep in mind that you need twice as much of each setup for the same amount of output than with other ores)
• deliver either sulfur acid or sulfur to the mining spot
• (if you delivered sulfur, set up a chemical plant, add some water to it and convert it into acid)
• Link in the acid into one miner in each line

2. Beacon mining

Beacon mining setup

You can put productivity or speed modules into miners, and then you can also put beacons around the miners. Keep in mind, this is a very crazy and very much endgame method!

It will not give a highly covered area, but with this method you can get full blue belts of ore by using only a few miners, and after the miners are depleted, you can easily move the blueprint a bit to the side, so you can keep the miners going.

• Only need 12 miners instead of 90 per blue line (calculated with miner productivity 4 researched, without it you’ll need 15 miners in total)
• Very fast
• Easily tileable

All you need for building is:

• Put down a blue underground belt
• Add 2 miners on both sides
• Surround them with a total of 12 beacons
• Make sure each miner is affected by 9 beacons
• Put tier 3 speed modules into the beacons and tier 3 productivity modules into the miners
• Copy the blueprint and tile it easily

1. Direct mining

Mininers directly mining into a train

By directly mining into the trains, you can make the game run better.

With this method, you won’t have to worry about the material cost of the belts because you will be directly feeding the ores into the trains. (designed by Nilaus)

• The game will run better because you’ll have less items moving around on belts which will increase the game’s performance
• After mining out the ore fields, you can easily move the whole setup by a few tiles
• You will only need 2 miners to fill up a wagon under a few minutes and then you can instantly transport them into a smelting location

All you need for building is:

• Put down a rail, a train stop and a train with at least 3 cargo wagons
• Make a direct line of miners from the first wagon to the last 
• Make sure the miners touch and each wagon is getting 2 miners (6 miners in total)
• Put down a line of beacons, make sure each miner is affected by 4 beacons
• Put speed modules into the beacons and then put either speed or productivity modules into the miners
• You can have it setup on both sides to double the speed of the process

You may also be interested in:

• [Top 10] Factorio Best Blueprints

• [Guide] 25 Best Factorio Tips and Strategies

• [Top 15] Factorio Best Settings To Improve Gameplay Experience