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Your First Pipe Network

Learn the basics by building a simple pipe network that extracts items from a chest and delivers them to another chest.

What You'll Build

A basic transport system: 

[Source Chest] → [Extractor] → [Copper Pipes] → [Destination Chest]

This teaches the fundamentals: extraction, transport, and insertion.

Materials Needed

Craft these items first:

Pipes: - 8× Copper Transport Pipe (copper ingot + glass) - 8× Item Extractor Pipe (planks + glass)

Tool: - 1× Wrench (4× iron ingot)

Test setup: - 2× Chest (source and destination) - Some items to transport

Step-by-Step Build

1. Place Source Chest

Place a chest and fill it with some items (cobblestone, dirt, anything).

2. Place Extractor Pipe

Place an Item Extractor Pipe directly next to the chest. You should see it connect automatically (opaque connector appears).

3. Configure Extraction Face

  1. Take out your Wrench
  2. Right-click the extractor pipe
  3. Watch the opaque connector - it shows which face extracts
  4. Keep right-clicking until the connector points toward the chest
  5. Now the extractor will pull from that chest

4. Build Transport Line

Place Copper Transport Pipes extending from the extractor: - Connect to any free face of the extractor - Extend as far as you want (3-5 blocks for this example) - Pipes connect automatically to each other

5. Place Destination Chest

Place a second chest at the end of your copper pipe line. The pipe should automatically connect to it (you'll see a connector appear).

6. Watch It Work

Items automatically extract from the source chest, travel through the pipes (you can see them moving!), and enter the destination chest.

If items aren't moving: - Check extraction face points at source chest (use wrench) - Verify pipes connect to both chests (connectors visible) - Ensure source chest has items

What You Learned

Automatic connection: - Pipes connect to adjacent pipes and inventories automatically - Visual connectors show connections

Extraction: - Item Extractor Pipes pull from inventories - Configure extraction face with Wrench - Only one face extracts at a time

Transport: - Copper Transport Pipes move items - Items visible while traveling - Random routing at junctions (we'll address this next)

Insertion: - Items automatically try to enter adjacent inventories - Works with any inventory (chests, furnaces, hoppers, etc.)

Next Steps

Controlled Routing

Random routing is fine for single destinations, but what about multiple chests?

Use Item Merger Pipe to guarantee direction: 

[Source A] ↘
           [Item Merger] → [Guaranteed path to destination]
[Source B] ↗

Sorting Items

Want specific items to go to specific chests?

Use Item Filter Pipe: 

[Mixed items] → [Filter] → [Ores] → [Ore chest]
                    ↓
              [Everything else] → [General chest]

Speed Up Transport

Use Golden Transport Pipe with redstone power to accelerate items.

Learn More

Common Mistakes

Items drop instead of entering destination: - Destination chest might be full - Pipe might not be connected (no connector visible) - Use Item Insertion Pipe to prefer inventories

Extraction face pointing wrong way: - Right-click with wrench to cycle faces - Opaque connector shows active face - Should point directly at source chest

Pipes don't connect: - Must be adjacent (no gaps) - Check for Marking Fluid preventing connection - Item Passthrough Pipes don't connect to inventories

See Also