# Starter base – Northern Forest

> Canonical source: [Starter base – Northern Forest](https://satisfactorybase.com/guides/starter-base-northern-forest)
> Language: en

Version check pending: The fixed machine list and distances have not been recalculated for the current export. Listed node IDs and locations apply to the default world, not randomized resource settings.

A Tier 0–2 starter factory on two of the six pure iron nodes of the Northern Forest with the pure copper and the normal limestone node beside them – 240 iron ore per minute on Mk.1 miners, but plan foundations.


The Northern Forest has the densest node cluster of the map: six pure iron nodes, a pure copper node and a normal plus a pure limestone node within 300 m of each other, at about 100 m altitude. The catch is the terrain – ridges, cliffs and boulders. Expect to spend early concrete on foundations and to walk down to the water. Biomass is abundant (5/5).

Planner factory: [Northern Forest – Starter base](/w/starter-guide/factories/ac0723fb-21a4-5aa5-838d-2617a169738e) · [map](/w/starter-guide/map#-1;60098;-76687)

## Nodes

The starter uses only the two westernmost iron nodes – a pure node on a Miner Mk.1 already saturates a Mk.2 belt (120/min).

| Node | Resource | Purity | Position (m) | Rate /min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BP_ResourceNode430 | :icon[Desc_OreIron_C] [Iron Ore](/wiki/items/iron-ore) | pure | 591, −715 | 120 |
| BP_ResourceNode431 | :icon[Desc_OreIron_C] Iron Ore | pure | 646, −714 | 120 |
| BP_ResourceNode445 | :icon[Desc_OreCopper_C] [Copper Ore](/wiki/items/copper-ore) | pure | 561, −860 | 120 |
| BP_ResourceNode442 | :icon[Desc_Stone_C] [Limestone](/wiki/items/limestone) | normal | 606, −779 | 60 |

Still free for later: pure iron at (681, −810), (709, −781), (835, −905), (842, −864); pure limestone (696, −1004); impure quartz (550, −1306) and (623, −1374); normal caterium behind a boulder (1038, −949, needs Nobelisks) and (−128, −1046); four oil nodes 1 km north at (154…571, −1913…−1977).

## What it builds

| Product | /min |
|---|---|
| :icon[Desc_IronPlate_C] [Iron Plate](/wiki/items/iron-plate) | 30 |
| :icon[Desc_IronRod_C] [Iron Rod](/wiki/items/iron-rod) | 30 |
| :icon[Desc_IronScrew_C] [Screws](/wiki/items/screws) | 60 |
| :icon[Desc_IronPlateReinforced_C] [Reinforced Iron Plate](/wiki/items/reinforced-iron-plate) | 5 |
| :icon[Desc_ModularFrame_C] [Modular Frame](/wiki/items/modular-frame) | 3 |
| :icon[Desc_Wire_C] [Wire](/wiki/items/wire) | 90 |
| :icon[Desc_Cable_C] [Cable](/wiki/items/cable) | 30 |
| :icon[Desc_Cement_C] [Concrete](/wiki/items/concrete) | 20 |

Uses 222 of 240 iron ore, 75 of 120 copper ore and all 60 limestone. With Mk.1 belts you need two belts per pure node (or a Mk.2 belt from Tier 2 Logistics Mk.2) – 120/min does not fit a single Mk.1 belt.

## Machines (default recipes, 100 %)

| Building | Recipe | Machines | Build |
|---|---|---|---|
| :icon[Desc_SmelterMk1_C] [Smelter](/wiki/buildings/smelter) | Iron Ingot | 7.4 | 8 |
| Smelter | Copper Ingot | 2.5 | 3 |
| :icon[Desc_ConstructorMk1_C] [Constructor](/wiki/buildings/constructor) | Iron Plate | 4.35 | 5 |
| Constructor | Iron Rod | 6.1 | 7 |
| Constructor | Screw | 4.35 | 5 |
| Constructor | Wire | 5 | 5 |
| Constructor | Cable | 1 | 1 |
| Constructor | Concrete | 1.33 | 2 |
| :icon[Desc_AssemblerMk1_C] [Assembler](/wiki/buildings/assembler) | Reinforced Iron Plate | 1.9 | 2 |
| Assembler | Modular Frame | 1.5 | 2 |

≈ 35 machine-equivalents, ≈ 180 MW average plus 20 MW for the miners. That is six Biomass Burners at full load – the forest has the leaves for it, but the [coal plant](/guides/coal-power-setup#northern-forest) 800 m south-east is the real fix.

## Layout tips

- Build one foundation platform over the two iron nodes and the limestone node (they are within 90 m); the copper node is 150 m south on a lower step – belt the ore up.
- The classic 120-ore block per pure node: 4 smelters → 3 plate + 2 rod + 3 screw constructors → 2 assemblers = 10 reinforced plates/min. The seeded targets are a milder mix (more rods and frames); scale the block up as milestones demand.
- Water for coal lies at the Lake Forest lake (97 m) next to the coal nodes, roughly at the same altitude as the base – no pumps needed for the plant itself, and the power line runs uphill for free.


- [Open the factory in the planner](/w/starter-guide/factories/ac0723fb-21a4-5aa5-838d-2617a169738e)

- [Show on the map](/w/starter-guide/map#-1;60098;-76687)

- [Choosing a start location](/guides/starter-locations)

- [Coal power setup](/guides/coal-power-setup)