Iron Furnaces — a mod for upgrading furnaces made of various materials in Minecraft

Iron Furnaces — a mod for upgrading furnaces made of various materials in Minecraft

Iron Furnaces adds a lineup of smelting furnaces with different speed levels to Minecraft — from copper to netherite and rainbow. A standard furnace smelts one item in 10 seconds, and in the later stages of the game this speed often isn't enough. The mod solves this problem through a system of sequential upgrades: each subsequent furnace works faster than the previous one, and additional modules expand its functionality into an energy generator or a factory. 

Hierarchy of furnaces 

The mod is built around a sequential upgrade system. Each furnace can be crafted separately or obtained via a special upgrade item applied to the previous level. When upgrading, the furnace retains the contents of its slots — the items inside don't disappear.

The progression path looks like this: a regular furnace → copper → iron → silver → gold → diamond → emerald/crystal → obsidian → netherite.

An overall view of all the furnaces lined up in a row 

Table of furnace characteristics 

Rainbow furnace

The rainbow furnace stands apart from the main lineup — it can't be obtained through a quick upgrade of another furnace, but only crafted from scratch at a crafting table. Creating it requires two unique components: Rainbow Core and Rainbow Plating. This furnace has a colossal speed: it smelts an entire stack (64 items) at once in just 1 second.

Branching of the progression 

After the diamond furnace, the path branches. The emerald and crystal furnaces have the same smelting time, but differ in energy production output: 320 for the emerald versus 360 for the crystal. Both options lead to the obsidian furnace — via separate upgrade items. 

Augments

These are modules that are inserted into special slots of the furnace and change its behavior. In total, six types of augments are available in the mod (two of each type), which can be combined with one another. 

• Blasting Augment — limits the recipes to those accepted by a vanilla blast furnace, but doubles their processing speed. Ideal for mass smelting of ores.

• Smoking Augment — similarly limits the recipes to those accepted by a smoker, and doubles the cooking speed of dishes.

• Speed Augment — doubles the smelting speed of any items, but doubles fuel consumption. When combined with Generator Augment, energy is produced twice as fast, however each unit of fuel yields only half of its potential.

• Fuel Efficiency Augment — increases fuel efficiency by 100%. There is a trade-off, though: the smelting speed of items is reduced by 25%.

• Generator Augment — turns the furnace into an energy generator. Any fuel burning in the furnace, instead of smelting items, starts producing energy. The amount depends on the furnace's material — the values are set in the mod's configuration. For example, by default a netherite furnace with this module generates 1,000 energy.

• Factory Augment — radically changes the furnace's interface, adding several slots for simultaneous input and output of resources. The number of available automatic distribution slots increases automatically depending on the furnace's level. In addition, this module allows the furnace to run on energy instead of ordinary fuel.

A furnace with augments installed

Wireless energy transfer 

To transfer energy from a generator furnace to working furnaces, no cables are needed — the mod has its own wireless system.

The Wireless Heat Transmitter is placed right next to a furnace with Generator Augment. In the generator's side settings, you need to enable energy output (Energy Output) on the side where the transmitter stands — after that it will begin accumulating charge.

The Wireless Heat Receiver works like coal for a working furnace. Before use it needs to be synchronized: place it in the Transmitter's slot for a second, take it back, and then insert it into the fuel window of the desired furnace. After synchronization, the furnace will receive energy wirelessly, even at a distance from the generator.

A configured energy transfer system 

Conclusion

Iron Furnaces adds a clear step-by-step progression. The augment system gives more flexibility: one and the same furnace can work as a smoker, an energy generator, or a factory with several slots. The mod is suitable for survival with resource progression and for technical modpacks, where furnaces can be used as modular energy sources.