Manufacturing in EVE Online lets you build everything: ammo, modules, ships, rigs, drones, and eventually Tech II/T3 items. It’s a core part of the game’s player-driven economy and a great way to generate ISK with a little planning and smart investing.
🧰 1. What Is Manufacturing?
Manufacturing is the process of turning blueprints and raw materials into usable in-game items. You set up jobs in stations or structures, wait for them to complete, and then sell or use what you’ve built.
You’ll Need:
- A blueprint (BPO or BPC)
- Materials (usually minerals)
- A station or player structure with a manufacturing facility
- Some skills (to speed things up and unlock more jobs)
📘 2. Blueprints: Your Manufacturing Recipe
There are two types:
| Blueprint Type | Description |
|---|---|
| BPO (Original) | Permanent; can be researched for better efficiency. |
| BPC (Copy) | Limited number of runs; cheaper; often used for T2 production. |
For beginners, start with ammo, drones, or basic modules.
Where to get them:
- NPC stations (sell basic BPOs)
- Contracts (players sell BPCs)
- Exploration/Industry (BPCs from data sites)
🪙 3. Materials: What You Build With
Most manufacturing requires minerals, obtained from:
- Mining and reprocessing ore
- Buying from the market
Key minerals include:
- Tritanium
- Pyerite
- Mexallon
- Isogen
- Nocxium
- Zydrine
- Megacyte
There are other materials but the above are the basics gathered from mining
🏗️ 4. How to Manufacture – Step-by-Step
Here’s how to go from blueprint to finished product:
Step 1: Acquire a Blueprint
- Start with something simple (e.g. Antimatter Charge S, Hobgoblin I, or Small Shield Extender I).
Step 2: Get the Required Materials
- Right-click the blueprint > View in Industry to see what you need.
- Buy minerals from a market hub like Jita or Amarr.
Step 3: Use an Industry Facility
- Go to a station with manufacturing services (look for 🏭 in the station services).
- Or use a player-owned structure (Upwell structure) with lower job fees (like an Engineering Complex).
Step 4: Start a Manufacturing Job
- Open the Industry window (
Alt + S). - Select the blueprint.
- Click Manufacturing tab.
- Choose the number of runs (e.g., 10 ammo batches).
- Make sure all materials are available.
- Click Start.
Wait for the job to finish (can be seconds to hours depending on the item and skills).
🧠 5. Skills to Train Early
You don’t need all these at once, but each helps you scale up:
| Skill | Benefit |
|---|---|
| Industry | Reduces manufacturing time. |
| Mass Production | Allows more simultaneous jobs. |
| Advanced Industry | Further reduces manufacturing time. |
| Supply Chain Management | Lets you start jobs remotely (useful later). |
Train Industry to level 3–4 and Mass Production to level 2–3 to get started comfortably.
💰 6. Making Profit: What to Build?
Start simple and profitable. Ideal beginner items:
- Ammo: High demand, quick build, cheap.
- T1 Drones: Always in use.
- Meta 0 Modules: Fit for mission ships.
- Frigates: Especially useful in Faction Warfare space.
How to Check Profitability:
Use these third-party tools:
- 🔧 Fuzzwork Blueprint Calculator
- 📊 Adam4EVE Industry Tools
- 🖥️ [EVE ISK per Hour (EVE IPH)] – Windows app
These let you input blueprint details, mineral prices, and job costs to see estimated profit per run.
📦 7. Selling Your Products
Where and how you sell matters:
- Jita 4-4 (The Forge): Highest competition, but best volume.
- Amarr (Domain): Slightly less competitive.
- Regional trade hubs: Less volume but higher prices possible.
- Mission hubs (e.g., Dodixie): Great for selling ammo/drones.
Tip: Use Sell Orders, not Instant Sell. Set a price slightly under market average and wait.
🧾 8. Tracking Costs
To succeed long-term, understand your input and output:
| Cost Type | Includes |
|---|---|
| Material cost | Ore/minerals or BPC price |
| Job cost | Facility taxes, system index |
| Broker fee | Listing fee on market |
| Sales tax | Tax on successful sales |
Skills like Accounting and Broker Relations reduce market fees.
✅ Beginner Project: Make and Sell Ammo
- Buy Antimatter Charge S BPO.
- Train Industry to level 2+.
- Buy enough Tritanium and Pyerite for 10 runs.
- Go to a station with 🏭 manufacturing.
- Build the ammo.
- Sell in a mission hub like Dodixie or Jita.
This project is cheap, fast, and introduces you to all major mechanics.
🔄 What’s Next?
Once you’re comfortable, scale up:
- Move into Tech II manufacturing (requires Invention).
- Join an industry corp for access to low-tax structures.
- Set up buy orders for minerals to reduce cost.
- Explore Planetary Industry to supplement materials.
- Research your own BPOs for better efficiency.