Alchemy Factory Black Powder Recipe: Fuel Value
Quick answer
Black powder in Alchemy Factory is a high-heat fuel in the powder-and-potion tier, made in a cauldron during the mid-game. Its heat value and sell price were both doubled in the June 2026 patch (v0.5.4467), so any older fuel guide undervalues it. The exact cauldron recipe inputs are 待确认.
Where black powder sits
Fuels climb from raw logs and coal ore through refined charcoal and coke to powders and potions. Black powder belongs to that top tier alongside charcoal powder, coke powder, blast potion, and panacea potion — the fuels with the highest heat per item.
Because it is a powder-tier fuel, black powder is meant for the mid and late game, not the early grind. It is a step up from refined coke once your production chain reaches the cauldron stage.
The June 2026 doubling
The June 2026 recipe rebalance changed black powder decisively. Its heat value was doubled in v0.5.4467, and the same patch doubled its sell price. The source is explicit that any fuel comparison dated before June 2026 undervalues black powder.
That matters for planning: if you read an older guide ranking fuels, black powder's real heat-per-item and coin value are roughly twice what that guide shows. Always re-check against a current patch.
Black powder vs coke powder
Coke powder — made by running coal ore through a stone crusher — is the recommended reliable mid-game fuel because of its tiny footprint and self-fuelling loop. Black powder sits a tier above in heat per item but is a cauldron output, so it competes for cauldron time with liquid and potion recipes.
In practice, coke powder is the workhorse and black powder is the upgrade you reach for when you want maximum heat per item and can spare the cauldron capacity.
How fuel value actually works
Heat is measured in P per second. A furnace burns fuel to make heat, and consumers stacked on it draw a fixed amount — a crucible always takes 4 P/s. Fuel type changes how long the furnace runs, never how fast the machines work. Black powder's doubled heat value means the furnace stays lit longer per item, which is what makes it strong.
What is still unconfirmed
The exact black powder recipe inputs (what the cauldron consumes to make it), its precise heat value after the doubling, its craft time, and how it interacts with the Advanced Athanor catalysts are 待确认. The fuel-tier placement and the June 2026 doubling are the confirmed facts; the recipe details should be verified against the in-game cauldron tooltip and official patch notes.