Prefer half red belt of steel to full yellow belt of steel

Saw a post about why people use yellow belts. Figured this PSA was needed after reading replies.

Goal: move 15 steel per second for cheap

Analysis:

1. Construction is not complete until the belt is moving 15 steel per second.

2. A belt can’t move 15 steel per second until it has buffered the appropriate amount of steel on top of the belt. This makes the buffer on top of the belt a cost of construction.

3. A red belt will buffer 4 steel on top while moving 15 steel per second, and a yellow belt will buffer 8 steel on top while moving 15 steel per second.

4. The steel on top of the belt can be broken down to iron ore, just like the crafting cost of yellow and red belt.

Conclusion:

yellow belt: 1.5 iron (crafting cost) + 40 iron (buffering cost of 8 steel) = 41.5 iron per belt tile

Red belt: 11.5 iron (crafting cost) + 20 iron (buffering cost of 4 steel) = 31.5 iron per belt tile.

So the red belt is 10 ore cheaper per belt tile, and you haven’t even used half of it yet.

Don’t buy into the dogma that belt speed doesn’t matter.