MINING / VISUAL FIELD GUIDE

Refine ore and collect the result

Turn a mining load into a planned refinery job and a separate delivery.

Getting startedSolo in stages or miner and hauler6 min read

STEP 1 OF 7

Choose a sale or a work order

Identify exactly what you brought back: raw ore, gems and refined commodities are different things. Check the refinery’s available services and the material it recognizes before committing.

Our planning suggestion: record the immediate sale value alongside the quoted work-order cost, expected output and completion time. Do not compare a raw load with a refined sale while forgetting processing fees and transport.

1
Record the input before choosing a method
Land at a location offering refinery services. Read the recognised input on its refinery terminal and write down the material and amount. Keep the raw-sale option separate from a processing quote.
What you should see
You know which resource the station can process and what the job will consume.
That did not happen
Gems, raw ore and finished commodities are not interchangeable refinery input. Check the material name instead of trying each job at random.
RSI Commodities

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The same published instructions in one readable view. Use the steps above for controls and practice panels.

Choose a sale or a work order

Identify exactly what you brought back: raw ore, gems and refined commodities are different things. Check the refinery’s available services and the material it recognizes before committing.

Record the input before choosing a method

Land at a location offering refinery services. Read the recognised input on its refinery terminal and write down the material and amount. Keep the raw-sale option separate from a processing quote.

Expected result: You know which resource the station can process and what the job will consume.

If it did not work: Gems, raw ore and finished commodities are not interchangeable refinery input. Check the material name instead of trying each job at random.

Compare two quotes using the same input

Refining exchanges time and a fee for a particular output. Compare methods using the same material and amount, otherwise a bigger number can simply mean you selected more input. The best choice for a short play session can differ from the best choice for an overnight job.

Write a four-part quote

Separate controls: F

On one available work-order preview record input amount, expected output, processing fee and finish time. Then inspect another method without submitting a second job.

Expected result: You can compare what you pay, what you receive and when you can collect it.

If it did not work: If a method changes selected materials, put them back to the same selection before comparing. A larger output total from a different input is not a better yield.

Use a simple net-value check

For your chosen method estimate accepted sale proceeds, then subtract the displayed refinery fee and planned transport costs. Keep the unrefined sale quote beside it. Leave uncertain sale prices marked as estimates.

Expected result: You can explain why this order is worth the later collection trip.

If it did not work: If the refined estimate only wins by assuming a price you cannot support, choose a smaller trial. Time waiting for a job and time actively hauling are different costs.

Yield: How much usable output the process produces from the chosen input.
Processing time: The wait until the order completes. Collection and sale still take a separate trip.

Read the whole refinery confirmation

Use the refinery terminal to select the relevant ship or stored material and inspect the available jobs. Accept only after checking the material, quantity, method, price and duration shown there.

The 4.2 notes changed refinery speeds and loading of completed orders. Older “always use this method” tables can therefore be stale. Keep the location and order details so you can find the correct job again.

Preview the work order before paying

Separate controls: F

Interact with the refinery terminal, choose your available input and inspect the quoted method, fee, yield and finish time. Submit only the job you intend to fund.

Expected result: A work order appears at that refinery with the expected input and completion state.

If it did not work: If input is missing, check the selected ship or location storage and the current unloading requirement. Do not repeatedly pay for new orders to refresh the list.

Make a collection note

Record the station, order, expected finish and estimated output volume. Plan a cargo ship for that output rather than assuming the mining ship can haul finished boxes.

Expected result: You have an identifiable job and a practical collection trip.

If it did not work: If several miners are sharing a session, record who submitted each order. Another crew member should not assume it is in their own terminal list.

Correct input
Cost covered
Completion time recorded
Collection ship planned

Keep ore input, station storage and output separate

An accepted order, a warehouse entry and a box on the elevator represent different stages. For structural salvage, CIG specifically describes unloading the material into station inventory before starting refinement. Use the input actually offered for your mining load; do not assume every material follows an identical loading shortcut.

Confirm what the order consumed

After submission, compare the order detail with the selected input. Record any material you chose not to process and where it remains.

Expected result: You can account for both the pending order and the unprocessed remainder.

If it did not work: If the order is absent, check confirmation and the correct station before creating another. A terminal preview alone is not an accepted job.

Choose a collection ship before the order finishes

Compare expected output with usable cargo-grid capacity and container access. Leave a buffer for other freight already aboard. Arrange a friend with a hauler if your mining ship cannot carry the output.

Expected result: The collection plan fits actual boxes and does not depend on an empty ship you do not have.

If it did not work: If collection capacity is short, arrange another suitable destination or ship before confirming transfer. Do not assume a work order can be split in whatever way you need.

Collect with enough usable cargo capacity

Return to the job’s location with a suitable hauler when processing is complete. Review the terminal’s collection options before transferring the output. Confirm the refined cargo is present before departing.

If several friends mine together, agree who owns the order, who moves the finished cargo and how costs will be divided. A refinery job does not itself settle that agreement.

Transfer only a completed order

Separate controls: F

Return to the same refinery. Select the completed order, inspect the offered destination and loading options, then transfer it to suitable available storage or transport.

Expected result: The job is collected and the finished material is visible in its chosen destination.

If it did not work: If capacity is insufficient, arrange a suitable hauler before confirming. Read the actual completion state instead of relying only on elapsed time.

Close the loop with a sale or planned use

Take the refined output to a buyer that accepts it, or reserve it for a known recipe. Compare the actual return with your recorded job and transport costs.

Expected result: The cargo has a useful destination and your account of the trip includes processing and delivery.

If it did not work: A finished work order is not sale income. Leave yourself enough funds and time to move the result.

Diagnose the stage that is stuck

Stop at the first stage that lacks confirmation. This avoids turning one missing inventory selection into several duplicate jobs or misplaced loads.

The terminal cannot see the material.: Check this station, the source selector, material type and whether unloading is required. Structural salvage input belongs in the station inventory first.

The displayed finish time passed but the job cannot be collected.: Read its actual status, reopen the correct station order list and check the current patch issue list. Your note is a reminder; the terminal determines the current state.

The completed job will not fit my ship.: Arrange sufficient usable cargo capacity before accepting transfer. Count existing freight and container dimensions as well as total SCU.

The commodity kiosk will not buy the result.: Confirm the exact refined resource, source storage, buyer acceptance and available demand. Refinery completion does not create a guaranteed buyer.

Before you commit

Allow time for collection and sale after the mining session. A full mining ship and a completed refinery order are not yet money in your wallet.

Patch transitions can affect in-progress jobs; the cited 4.2 release explicitly warned that those jobs were not retained for that release. Consult the notes for the actual next patch rather than assuming an order survives.

Version history

Sources & guide information

Sources checked 14 October 2026. Latest-known defaults; gameplay review on your build is welcome.. Reference information, not a claim of current-patch playtesting.

RSI Commodities RSI Mining Basics, historical interface reference CIG Alpha 4.2: ASD, radiation and refinery changes CIG Crafting Gameplay Guide, 4.7 introduction CIG Industrial Gameplay Guide, checked 14 October 2026 CIG Salvage and Repair Guide, checked 14 October 2026