Item Pipeline
Item Pipeline is separate from power. It does not move UE. It moves items from chests and machine outputs to downstream containers. Nodes are Output, Input, and mid segments. Endpoints can take a whitelist.
Used to transport items
Right-click to quickly dismantle and retrieve the target pipe (only when holding a pipeline)
Right-click a pipe endpoint to switch between Output and Input modes (only when NOT holding a pipeline)
Output mode pipes extract items from connected containers and transfer them to containers connected to Input mode pipes— In-game tooltip
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Tile size | 1×1 |
| Craft yield | 333 segments / craft |
| Place cost | 20 UE |
| Power network | Independent (no UE drain in operation) |
| Travel speed | ~1 segment / 0.08 s at full speed |
| Extract interval | Output endpoints about every 0.13 s |
| Extract cap | 64 items per pull |
Recipe
Section titled “Recipe”Anvil. Yields 333 segments.
| Material | Count | Yield |
|---|---|---|
| Circuit Board | 5 | 333 segments |
| Iron Bar / Lead Bar | 5 | |
| Chest | 2 | |
| Glass | 5 | |
| Workstation | Anvil |
How to wire it
Section titled “How to wire it”A typical run:
Source chest → Output → Normal pipe → Input → Target chest
| Node | Role |
|---|---|
| Normal | Mid segment. No container interaction |
| Output | Pulls from an adjacent container into the network |
| Input | Accepts items from the network into an adjacent container |
Only endpoints (at most one pipe neighbor) can be Output or Input. Mid tiles stay Normal.
Right-click a placed endpoint without holding Item Pipeline to cycle Normal → Output → Input. A non-endpoint refuses.
How items move
Section titled “How items move”The network records which way each segment should send the next item. Place, break, mode change, or a new connection flags a rebuild. Rebuilds wait at least about 0.2 s. Even with no change, a rebuild runs about every 10 s.
An Output pulls about every 0.13 s:
- Find an Input that can take the item. If none, do not pull
- If an Item Filter Board is bound, apply the whitelist
- Pull up to 64 items
- Put them on the network and send them along the recorded path
When an item reaches an Input:
- Full stack fits: merge
- Partial space: split
- No space: reject, about 0.5 s cooldown, item returns to the network
- Magic Storage is supported when installed
A filtered Input accepts listed types only.
If an item sits too long
Section titled “If an item sits too long”| Stuck time | Behavior |
|---|---|
| ~1 s | Relaxed pathfinding: ignore the target’s receive check and head for any reachable Input |
| ~3 s | Move into any empty neighbouring pipe |
| ~6 s | Reverse up to 8 pipe segments |
| 60 s | Force deposit into any adjacent container |
| Still failing | Drop to the world |
Rewiring mid-run will not leave items stuck forever.
Controls
Section titled “Controls”| Action | Result |
|---|---|
| Left-click with Item Pipeline | Place |
| Right-click pipe while holding Item Pipeline | Remove that segment |
| Right-click endpoint empty-handed or with a non-pipe item | Cycle Normal / Output / Input |
| Right-click endpoint with an Item Filter Board | Copy the whitelist |
| Hover Output / Input | Show filtered item icons |
Fully separate from Energy Pipeline: different tiles, two networks. Operation spends no UE (only the 20 UE place cost on the item). A miner setup is often one power pipe, one item pipe, and chests.