View source for Mining

{{Update|Major rewrite needed due to December 2021, Version 19.11 major changes to mining mechanics.}}

{{Industry Links}}
{{hatnote|This page details the mechanics of mining ore. For a step-by-step beginner guide, see [[Mining Primer for Complete Beginners]]. For details about harvesting ice or gas, see [[Ice harvesting]] or [[Gas cloud harvesting]], respectively.}}
'''Mining''' is the activity of extracting ore from [[Asteroids and ore|asteroids]], though it is also used to describe [[ice harvesting]] and more rarely, [[gas cloud harvesting]]. Once extracted, ore can then be [[Refining|refined]] into minerals. These refined substances are used in the production and maintenance of all player-created items and structures in EVE, such as ships and modules. It is one of the few professions immediately available to beginning players and many industrialists started their careers by mining. Mining is considered a very economically safe profession, as minerals are always in demand. Mining requires specialized modules or drones, and [[ORE Basic Ship and Skill Overview|specialized mining ships]] also exist.

== As a profession ==

'''Advantages'''
* '''Low entry cost''': The {{sh|Venture}} mining frigate is provided for free as a mission reward from the [[career agent]] missions [[Industrialist (Entrepreneur)#Balancing the Books (2 of 10)|Balancing the Books (2 of 10)]] and [[Industrialist (Producer)#Making Mountains of Molehills (2 of 10)|Making Mountains of Molehills (2 of 10)]].
* '''Relatively low risk''': It is usually very safe to mine in high-sec (the principal dangers being suicide gankers or war targets).
* '''Low level of involvement needed''': In most scenarios, miners only need to be active 5 seconds for every 3 minutes (to target new asteroids) and an extra 1 minute for every 30 minutes (to unload the full cargo of mined ore in station).
* '''Guaranteed income''': Mining products are always in high demand because ships and structures are constantly being destroyed and replaced, and replacing ships and structures requires materials. Mining in fleets with boosts can earn 15-20 million ISK per hour or more, depending on the resources being harvested.
* '''Fun factor''': Mining in fleets is often a very social activity.


'''Disadvantages'''
* '''Skill intensive''': Despite the low entry cost, it takes a lot of training time to become an efficient miner.
* '''Non-transferable skills''': Mining skills are useful only for mining.
* '''Fun factor''': Solo mining, in particular, can be less than exciting. Mining fleets can provide conversation with other players in comms, but there usually isn't much going on otherwise.
* '''Income ceiling''': It is difficult to earn much more than 10 million ISK per hour mining solo in highsec. While it's possible to earn more money mining in lower-security systems (at higher risk), other professions can be much more lucrative.

== Prospecting ==
[[Image:Miningexample.jpg|thumb|500px|It ain't no trick to get rich quick<br>
If you dig with a shovel or a pick<br>
In a mine, where a million diamonds shine.]]

=== Asteroids and belts ===
{{main|Asteroids and ore}}
As their name suggests, asteroids are primarily found in asteroid belts, and most systems in [[New Eden]] have at least one. Asteroid belts can be viewed in the [[overview]] when enabled, and can also be viewed via the contextual menu by right-clicking in space. Each asteroid belt is composed of a variety of asteroids, each containing a particular type of ore noted in asteroid's name. The types and quantities of ore are determined by the [[system security]] rating of the system and which [[Topology|quadrant]] it is located in. Rarer and more valuable ores are found in lower-security systems, and ore deposits tend to be larger there as well. Once depleted, asteroid belts do not respawn until [[server downtime]], so belts may sometimes be found empty, or lacking a certain type of ore.

Asteroids can also be found in the deadspace pockets created for [[Mission mining|certain missions]], as well as in [[Cosmic Anomaly|cosmic anomalies]]. While these sites are a bit more difficult to find, they also tend to have much less competition and have richer pickings.

=== Mechanics ===
The basic mechanics of mining are very simple: Fit your ship with a [[ORE Basic Ship and Skill Overview#Fitting strategies and mining modules|mining module]], approach and [[targeting|target]] an asteroid, and activate your mining module. At the ''end'' of each cycle (usually between 1 and 3 minutes, depending on the module used), the ore mined is automatically deposited in your ship's cargo or mining hold. The mining module will then automatically continue mining until either your cargo/mining hold is full, or the asteroid has been "mined out" (all the available ore in that asteroid has been mined and it disappears). Make sure that you keep the asteroid within range of your mining module (usually by stopping your ship, or orbiting the asteroid) - if you are too far away, the mining module will finish its current cycle regardless, but you will receive no ore.

If you're using [[Drones#Mining Drones|mining drones]], launch your drones once you are near the asteroid, and give them the command to "mine repeatedly". They will then fly to the asteroid you have targeted, mine for one cycle (60 seconds), fly back to your ship, deposit the ore they have mined in your cargo or mining hold, then automatically fly back to the asteroid and continue mining it (until, as above, either your cargo/mining hold is full, or the asteroid has depleted because it no longer contains any ore). Since the drones have to fly back and forth repeatedly between your ship and the asteroid, it's worth flying as close as possible to the asteroid to keep their travel time down to a minimum.

Once your cargo or mining hold is full, bring the ore you have mined to a station (either fly there yourself or transfer the ore to another player's ship to fly back (see [[Mining#Solo mining|solo mining]] and [[Mining#Cooperative mining|cooperative mining]] for more details)), then return to the asteroids and continue mining!

==== Mercoxit mining ====
Any ore mining module can mine any type of ore, with one exception: Mercoxit, the [[Asteroids and Ore#Ore variants|rarest ore type]] (and only source of Morphite minerals), which is found only in [[System security#Null security|nullsec]] systems and can only be mined with Deep Core mining modules (any module with "deep core" in its name). In order to use these modules you need to train {{sk|Deep Core Mining|icon=yes}}, and whilst they can be used to mine other types of ore, they are less efficient at it than "normal" mining modules.

Mercoxit mining has one other notable feature: when you mine a Mercoxit asteroid, it will randomly release a cloud of toxic gas which will damage your ship if you're caught in it. Fortunately, the cloud only forms within 5&nbsp;km of the asteroid, so keep your ship further away to escape any damage (note that this precludes you from using the basic Deep Core Mining Laser I module, as it has a maximum range of only 5&nbsp;km). Alternatively, you can train {{sk|Deep Core Mining|icon=yes}}, which reduces the chance of a cloud forming by 20% per skill level - in other words, at {{sk|Deep Core Mining|V}}, no clouds will form when you mine Mercoxit.

=== Efficiency ===
{{main|Mining yield}}
If you would like to dive more deeply into mining, it's worth determining the most profitable way to mine. This involves deciding:
* What asteroids to mine, and where to find these asteroids
* Which ships (and skills) are best suited
* How best to haul the ore to a [[refining]] station and then to the market
All miners should attempt to maximize their efficiency (and therefore their profitability), which is typically measured by the amount of ISK earned per hour.

When deciding what ore to mine, the driving factor is income per volume of ore (ISK per m<sup>3</sup>). For example, Veldspar is the [[Asteroids and Ore#Asteroid distribution|most common and cheapest ore]] in EVE and has a volume of 0.1&nbsp;m<sup>3</sup> per unit; Scordite is the next most common ore but has a volume of 0.15&nbsp;m<sup>3</sup> per unit. Therefore (ignoring [[ORE Basic Ship and Skill Guide#Mining crystals|mining crystals]]), you will always mine 50% more Veldspar than Scordite in a given period of time (since mining lasers mine a fixed ''volume'' of ore per minute). Therefore, in order for Scordite mining to be more profitable than Veldspar mining, Scordite's market price must in turn be 50% greater than Veldspar's. Since the market is player-driven, ore and mineral prices are ever-changing, hence miners should always check the market for the most efficient ore/mineral to mine for.

Websites like [http://eve.grismar.net/ore/ Grismar's Ore Chart] can look up the current market prices for ores and minerals, and give you a recommendation on which ores are the most profitable. Remember to double-check the prices that any automated tools give you - they will often use regional averages to determine mineral prices; if you plan to sell your goods at a specific station or hub then your priorities might come out differently. Lastly, don't forget that most ore types are only found in a [[Asteroids and Ore#Asteroid distribution|certain part of New Eden]], and most miners prefer to operate only in certain parts of space.

Once you have chosen what kind of ore you would like to mine, you will want to maximize the quantity you mine over time. This involves choosing what [[Mining Ships|ship]] to mine in, what [[ORE Basic Ship and Skill Overview#Fitting strategies and mining modules|modules]] to fit to it, and what [[Mining#Skills|skills]] to train; see those links for more details.

=== Ice and gas harvesting ===
In addition to ore, ice and gas can also be harvested. While the actual harvesting mechanics are fairly similar, the ships, equipment, and locations differ significantly from mining ore. ''(Further details can be found in [[ice harvesting]] and [[gas cloud harvesting]].)''

=== Moon mining ===
{{Main|Moon mining}}
Moon mining can take place only at [[Upwell structures#Refineries|refineries]] anchored within 250 km of a mining beacon in 0.5 space or below and fitted with a Standup Moon Drill I service module, which appears on the outside of the structure as a giant laser turret aimed at the moon.
The Moon Drill is then used to extract a chunk of the moon for mining.
The extraction process is beyond the scope of this article, but once the chunk has been extracted, it exists as an asteroid field that contains both normal ore types and special moon-specific ores which can be mined for moon materials.
After extraction, the mining is performed using the same mining equipment and processes described in this article, with the exception of Tier 2 modulated mining lasers requiring moon ore-specific crystals for good efficiency.

== Ships ==
{{main|ORE Basic Ship and Skill Overview}}
There are three types of ships used in mining: a mining ship, a hauler and a mining support ship.

=== Mining ships ===
[[File:Venture.jpg|thumb|The [[Venture]], an entry-level dedicated mining frigate.]]
The best option for a new miner is to train into the [[Venture]], a dedicated [[Outer Ring Excavations|ORE]] mining frigate (before the [[Expansions#Retribution|Retribution expansion]], each race had its own mining frigate, but this is no longer the case). The Venture is given out for free by the industrialist career agents. The Venture is a mini mining barge with a substantial mining hold (which minimizes travel to stations to unload ore), very good [[mining yield]] and built-in warp core stabilization (which makes it easier to escape from hostile ships).

After a week's training, a budding miner should have the necessary skills to fly a mining barge, which have more than double the mining yield of a Venture, as well as even larger mining holds and/or a stronger tank. These ships are also more expensive (15-40M ISK, plus modules), but given that a Venture can mine about 500-700k ISK worth of ore per full mining hold, this money is soon earned. There are three different mining barges, each with a different focus (see table below).

The last word in mining ships are the [[exhumer]]s (Tech II variants of the mining barges). These ships require many more skills to fly, and are even more expensive, but have even greater mining yield, mining hold space and/or [[tank]] than the mining barges. Additionally, miners can train into the [[Prospect]] and the [[Endurance]], improved variants of the Venture which are designed for covert mining in dangerous areas of space and ice mining, respectively.

Before the Retribution expansions, players often used cruisers or battleships as mining ships, but these ships are no longer competitive with mining barges and exhumers.

=== Haulers and support ships ===
A hauler's purpose is to take the ore that has been mined from a mining ship and transport it back to a refining station or to the market. [[Hauling]] is normally done in an [[hauler]] or a [[freighter]].

Finally, a mining support ship can either come in the form of a security detail against rats and players looking to steal ore, or as a ship designed to provide mining efficiency bonuses. The ultimate mining support ships are the [[Orca]] and [[Rorqual]], of which only the [[Orca]] can enter high-security space and fit through normal stargates.

{| class=wikitable style="width:80%"
|- style="background:#222222"
! Ship Type 
! Ship 
! Use
|-
| '''Frigate'''
| [[Venture]]
| Low yield, tank and mining hold compared to specialized ships. Greater agility and speed. Is cheap and takes minimal training.
|-
| rowspan=2 | '''Expedition Frigate'''
| [[Prospect]]
| Improved (but much more expensive) variant of the Venture. Can fit a Covert Ops cloaking device and Ice Miners. 
|-
| [[Endurance]]
| Specialized version of the Venture, bonuses towards ice mining.  
|-
| rowspan="3" | '''Mining Barge''' 
| [[Procurer]] 
| Specializes in defense ([[shield tanking|shield tank]] and drone damage).
|-
| [[Retriever]] 
| Specializes in mining hold capacity.
|-
| [[Covetor]] 
| Specializes in ore yield.
|-
| rowspan="3" | '''Exhumer''' 
| [[Skiff]] 
| Specializes in defense (shield tank and drone damage).
|-
| [[Mackinaw]] 
| Specializes in mining hold capacity.
|-
| [[Hulk]] 
| Specializes in ore yield.
|-
| '''Support''' 
| [[Command Ships]] 
| Can fit gang assist modules and provide security.
|-
| '''[[Industrial Command Ship]]''' 
| [[Porpoise]] 
| Cruiser sized ship, bonuses towards [[Command Bursts]], has considerable cargo room, can compress asteroid ore and gas for self and fleet member.
|-
| '''[[Industrial Command Ship]]''' 
| [[Orca]] 
| Battleship sized ship, bonuses towards [[Command Bursts]], has considerable cargo room, can compress all types of ore for self and fleet member.
|-
| '''Capital Industrial Ship''' 
| [[Rorqual]]
| Capital ship, cannot enter in high-sec, bonuses towards gang link modules, can compress all types of ore for self and fleet member.
|}

== Skills ==

'''Basic skills '''
* {{sk|Mining|mult=yes}}: +5% ore mining yield per level.
* {{sk|Astrogeology|mult=yes}}: +5% ore mining yield per level; requires {{sk|Mining|IV}}.

These skills are the bread and butter of any miner and should be trained up to level IV reasonably quickly (primarily for the increased mining yield, but {{sk|Mining|IV}} in particular is a prerequisite to many other mining-related skills). However, note that these skills only increase the yield for ore mining!


'''Specialty mining skills '''
* {{sk|Ice Harvesting|mult=yes}}: Required for [[Ice Mining]]. 5% reduction in cycle time per level.
* {{sk|Gas Cloud Harvesting|mult=yes}}: Required for [[Gas cloud harvesting]]. Allows use of one gas cloud harvester per level. Note that the skillbook is very expensive (about 30M ISK)!
* {{sk|Deep Core Mining|mult=yes}}: Required for mining Mercoxit (a rare type of ore, only found in [[nullsec]] or [[wormhole]]s).

These skills are only relevant if you want to expand from basic ore mining to Mercoxit, ice, or gas cloud harvesting.


'''Spaceship command skills '''
* {{sk|Mining Frigate|mult=yes}}: Needed for the [[Venture]].
** {{sk|Expedition Frigates|mult=yes}}: Needed for the T2 hulls [[Prospect]] and [[Endurance]].
* {{sk|Mining Barge|mult=yes}}: Needed for the [[Procurer]], [[Retriever]], and [[Covetor]].
** {{sk|Exhumers|mult=yes}}: Needed for the T2 hulls [[Skiff]], [[Mackinaw]], and [[Hulk]].
* {{sk|Industrial Command Ships|mult=yes}}: Needed for the [[Porpoise]] and [[Orca]].
* {{sk|Capital Industrial Ships|mult=yes}}: Needed for the [[Rorqual]].

In addition to letting you fly the mentioned ships (which only needs level I), training higher ranks of these skills greatly enhance their respective ships. For instance, the Venture gains +5% mining yield per level of the Mining Frigate skill - which is on top of the bonuses provided by {{sk|Mining}} and {{sk|Astrogeology}}! So if you've found a ship you like, train the corresponding spaceship command skill to make it even better.


'''Upgrade module skills'''
* {{sk|Mining Upgrades|mult=yes}}: Required for fitting and using Mining Upgrades. Requires Mining III.

As mining lasers and mining upgrades are CPU-hungry, training {{Sk|CPU Management}} will make it easier to fit your ship.


'''Drone skills '''
* {{sk|Drones|mult=yes}}: Increases number of drones in space by 1 per level, for a maximum of five drones in space at level V.
* {{sk|Drone Interfacing|mult=yes}}: Increases drone damage and mining drone yield by 10% per level. Requires Drones V.
* {{sk|Mining Drone Operation|mult=yes}}: Increases mining drone yield by 5% per level. Requires Drones I.

Mining ships use drones both for defense and increased mining yield. The Drones skill is the foundation skill and should be eventually trained up to V (once you start flying Exhumers it's highly recommended, and valuable even before). To use drones defensively, train up {{Sk|Light Drone Operation}}, whilst mining drones need Mining Drone Operation. Drone Interfacing is somewhat of a long train, but even getting it to level IV makes a big difference in how effective your drones are. Advanced Drone Avionics is only needed if you plan to use ECM drones, and the drone specialization skills are needed when you start using Tech II drones. For more details on how drones work, see [[drones]].


'''Fleet Support skills '''
* {{sk|Leadership|mult=yes}}, {{sk|Wing Command|mult=yes}}, and {{sk|Fleet Command|mult=yes}}: Increases Command Burst area of effect.
* {{sk|Mining Foreman|mult=yes}}: Increases duration of Mining Foreman Command Bursts. Requires {{sk|Leadership|I}}.
* {{sk|Mining Director}}: Increases the strength of Mining Foreman Command Bursts. Requires {{sk|Mining Foreman|V}}.
* {{sk|Command Burst Specialist|mult=yes}}: Reduces reload time for Command Burst modules. Requires {{sk|Leadership|V}}.

These skills become highly desirable once pilots start flying Orcas or Rorquals, and want to run mining fleets (and provide mining boosts to your fleet members). For more details on how fleets and Command Bursts work, see [[Command Bursts]].


'''Other skills'''
* Almost all the mining ships are shield tanked, so [[Tanking#Shield skills|shield tanking skills]] are useful to make them less vulnerable to [[gank]]ing.
* General [[Fitting ships|fitting skills]] will improve the PG and CPU output of your ship allowing better fits.

If you are still short on CPU, Electronics Upgrades allow you to fit co-processor modules (which increase your ship's CPU further). Mining upgrade modules increase your mining yield, while drone augmentor rigs increase the yield of mining drones.

== Implants ==
A number of implants can improve a miner's performance, such as increasing mining yield, increasing laser range, or decreasing the CPU penalty for mining upgrade modules. For details on these implants, see [[implants]] and [[Skill Hardwiring|skill hardwiring implants]] ("Industry" implants).

== Mining strategies ==

=== Bookmarks ===
[[File:Asteroid-belt-bookmarks.png|thumb|250px|An example of mining bookmarks in an asteroid belt]]
When you warp to an asteroid belt, you will land in the middle of a [[Asteroids and Ore#Asteroid belts|semicircle of asteroids about 50&nbsp;km in diameter]]. Since the (unboosted) range of mining lasers is only 10&nbsp;km (15&nbsp;km for strip miners), you will then need to fly closer to your target asteroid in order to mine it - and mining ships are not particularly known for their speed. You can cut down on this travel time by using [[bookmarks]], which allow you to warp directly next to an asteroid, and start mining immediately. If you're using [[Drones#Mining Drones|mining drones]], it's particularly important to be close to your target asteroid, as the drones have to otherwise spend a lot of time traveling back and forth between your ship and the asteroid.

It can be helpful to create bookmarks in the asteroid belts you mine in frequently. While there are many different approaches to creating these bookmarks, the picture on the right shows a simple example: warp to an asteroid belt in a fast ship (e.g. a [[shuttle]] or a [[frigate]]), and create three bookmarks along the perimeter of the belt. Position them in such a way that most of the belt is within 15&nbsp;km (the range of a strip miner) of any of the three bookmarks. Then, switch to your mining ship, and warp directly to one of the three bookmarks. You will then have a large selection of asteroids within range of your lasers, and be able to efficiently use mining drones on the closest ones. If a part of the belt is depleted, warp to a nearby celestial (e.g. a planet) and then warp back to one of the other bookmarks in the belt.

When mining in NULL sec space it is extremely important to create a couple of tactical bookmarks around the asteroid/ice belt that you should warp to first. When you are in a large mining ship the align and warp speed can mean that hostile pilots can appear in local and beat you to the belt before you get there. By warping to the tactical bookmark first you are giving yourself a chance to warp away to a safe spot or station before the hostile pilot can get a lock on you.

=== Survey scanner ===
[[File:Survey_scanner.jpg|thumb|250px|The results of a survey scan. Note the different kinds of asteroid which make up this asteroid belt, and the different amounts of ore in each.]]
The survey scanner (a mid-slot module) is a very useful tool for any asteroid miner, as it shows how much ore each asteroid in the vicinity contains. This is important, as asteroid mining modules (mining lasers and strip miners) will always complete an entire cycle (60s for mining lasers, 180s for strip miners), irrespective of how much ore is actually left in the asteroid.

For instance, say you are mining an asteroid that contains 200 units of Veldspar (Veldspar has a volume of 0.1&nbsp;m<sup>3</sup> per unit, so this asteroid contains 20&nbsp;m<sup>3</sup> of Veldspar). Your Mining Laser I has a yield of (say) 100&nbsp;m<sup>3</sup>/min, and a cycle time of 60 seconds. Even though there are only 20&nbsp;m<sup>3</sup> of Veldspar left in the asteroid, the module will complete its entire 60 second cycle before shutting off (with a message saying "the asteroid is depleted") - but those 60 seconds of mining only yielded 20&nbsp;m<sup>3</sup> of ore (instead 100&nbsp;m<sup>3</sup>)! The problem becomes even worse when using strip miners, as they have a much higher yield and a cycle time three times as long - which can result in a lot of wasted time if you're mining asteroids that don't contain much ore.

Therefore, when mining, refresh the survey scanner window from time to time (it does not refresh automatically, you need to reactivate the survey scanner module) to check whether the asteroid(s) you are mining are close to depletion. If an asteroid is almost empty, you can "[[Mining Yield#Short cycling|short cycle]]" your mining laser (i.e. turn it off manually before it completes its full cycle, by clicking on it) to mine out the last dregs of ore before moving on to another asteroid. Note that each time you activate your mining laser it takes energy from your ship's [[capacitor]]; activate it too often and you might empty your capacitor and have to wait a moment for it to recharge.

You can [[Targeting|target]] asteroids directly from the survey scanner window (much like the asteroids in the overview); this can be a useful shortcut to help you mine the particular asteroid you're interested in. A little marker shows you which asteroids you are targeting (note that, just like the rest of the information, this is only refreshed when you refresh the survey scanner window).

==== Appraising an Asteroid Belt ====
Survey scanners can be used to provide the approximate value of an asteroid belt with the help of 3rd party appraisal tools. This activity is relatively easy when in a fleet that provides range bonuses to Survey Scanner. Without range boosts an estimate can be done by scanning one area of the belt at a time and removing duplicate asteroid entries before submitting.

'''Steps to get an estimate'''
# Move into a position where the Survey Scanner range-indicator overlaps all the asteroids to be appraised
# Perform Survey Scan by clicking on the module's icon or appropriate hotkey
# Expand any category of ore in the Survey Scanner Results window that is collapsed (ores in collapsed categories do not get copied)
# Copy the results from the Survey Scanner Results window:
## Click on any item in the window to select it
## Press {{Button|CTRL}}+{{Button|A}} to select all items
## Press {{Button|CTRL}}+{{Button|C}} to copy
# Submit the values into a 3rd party appraisal tool like [http://evepraisal.com/ Evepraisal]
Buy values in Jita or one of the other [[trade hubs]] would be the closest estimate to actual returns from an immediate sale of the ore.

== Solo mining ==
[[File:Hulk.jpg|thumb|The Hulk: sucking asteroid belts dry since 2003]]
There are several methods commonly used in mining, the most basic only requires one account and can be run by very low skilled players, while the most advanced will require multiple players all performing separate tasks in order to be effective.

=== Mining hold mining ===
The most basic way to mine is to fill the mining hold of a ship full of ore and then return to a station to drop it off. Its advantages are that it requires only one character, can be done at very low skill levels and is completely theft-proof. Its disadvantage is that the time you spend traveling to and from a station is wasted (i.e. not spent mining) - however, most mining ships (with the notable exception of the [[Covetor]] and the [[Hulk]]) have large enough mining holds that they do not need to return frequently to a station to unload.

As an example: An average-skilled miner flying a [[Venture]] can mine about 250&nbsp;m<sup>3</sup>/min of ore, which is enough to fill the Venture's mining hold (5000&nbsp;m<sup>3</sup>) in about 20 minutes. Given that the Venture aligns and warps like a frigate, round trips to a station will take only a minute or two, so very little time is lost. A highly-skilled miner flying a [[Hulk]], on the other hand, can mine about 1600&nbsp;m<sup>3</sup>/min of ore, which will fill the Hulk's mining hold (11,500&nbsp;m<sup>3</sup>) in about 7 minutes, requiring frequent return trips to a station (made longer by the slow align time and warp speed of the Hulk).

(Note: Prior to the [[Expansions#Retribution|Retribution expansion]], cargohold mining was very unprofitable, as the cargo holds of non-industrial ships were so small that they filled up too rapidly. However, with the introduction of dedicated mining holds on all mining ships, this is no longer the case.)

=== Jetcan and GSC mining ===
Players can jettison items from their holds into space, which results in a cargo container (more commonly called a "[[jetcan]]" or just a "can") forming within 2,500 m of the ship. This jettisoned container has a volume capacity of 27,500&nbsp;{{m3}}. Miners can take advantage of this capacity by transferring the ore in their mining hold into the jetcan. Typically a player will fill a jetcan with ore, and then (once the jetcan is full) swap to a ship with a larger mining/cargo hold (most often an [[hauler]]) and haul the ore to a nearby station.

If you're flying a mining ship with a mining hold that's considerably smaller than a jetcan (such as a [[Venture]] (5,000&nbsp;{{m3}} mining hold) or a [[Covetor]] (9,000&nbsp;{{m3}} mining hold)), this method can increase your efficiency, as you can spend more time mining and less time hauling.

However, jetcans only have a lifespan of 2 hours and they are not secure, meaning [[Can flipping|anyone can open and remove items from a jetcan]]. This is a common form of theft and griefing in the game, where a player will "flip" a jetcan either to steal the ore or to induce a fight without [[CONCORD]] intervention. While it's possible to combat this by using secure containers (which can be programmed with a password), the largest of these (the giant secure container, often called a GSC) can only hold 3,900&nbsp;m<sup>3</sup> of ore, which is less than the mining hold on even the smallest mining ship.

As nearly all mining ships have mining holds which are as large or larger than a jetcan (in addition to the time lost in changing ships and the risk of getting your ore stolen), using jetcans is probably not worth your time. They do, however, come in very handy if you're [[#Dual account mining|mining with two accounts]] or in a [[#Mining fleets|fleet]] (see below). Given their small size, using GSCs for mining is not worth it (although it was a commonly-used practice in the past when mining ships had much smaller cargo holds).

A better alternative to GSCs are mobile tractor units. They have nearly as much capacity as a jetcan, are unable to be accessed by random people, and have a decay of 2 days. They also suck in and store any ore a miner might jetcan into a safer place. A mining barge can store 3 MTUs and deploy them for a temporary total of 8,1000m<sup>3</sup> of extra space. This allows for a large amount of time to be saved from station mining, as a miner instead of having to dock up can just jetcan the ore to be stored for later.

=== Dual account mining ===
If you have two EVE accounts, you can [[multiboxing|multibox]] them (i.e. play them on one computer simultaneously). One of these can mine while the other one flies a [[hauler]] to drop the mined ore at a nearby station. The miner transfers the mined ore into a jetcan or a GSC (see above) which is then picked up by the hauler. This way, the miner can mine non-stop, obtaining more ore. Eventually, the hauler character could train towards an [[Orca]] (to provide mining boosts to the miner, further increasing yield), while the miner character is free to train and fly ships like the [[Hulk]], which have very high mining yield but small mining holds.

See [[Creating an Alt Hauler]] and [[Creating an Alt Miner]] for tips on creating these [[alternate characters]].

== Cooperative mining ==
[[File:Orca.jpg|thumb|The Orca: the easiest way to make yourself loved by miners.]]
Of the professions in EVE, mining and production are most impacted by the player’s efficiency. For miners, it’s all about mining. Time spent hauling, killing rats, moving cans, or dealing with ore thieves, can flippers, and other flavors of griefers is time not spent making little rocks out of big ‘roids. Anything that can be done to eliminate or minimize the impact of all of those other factors means more little rocks in the hold, which means a fatter wallet.

Properly designed and staffed co-operative [[Archive:Mining fleets|mining fleets]] allow miners to spend their time doing what they do best: mining. It also allows the miners to benefit from mining yield bonuses available only to members of a group. These bonuses can add an additional 10% or more to a miner’s yield. If the miners are mining, then someone has to haul the little rocks to the station. If the op is in [[System security#Low security|lower sec regions]], something other than drones may be needed to protect the miners from rats, not to mention thieves and assorted other scoundrels. Those protection activities will result in a second “mining” operation as the wrecks are looted and salvaged for the benefit of the op participants.

Our theoretical op has miners, haulers, damage dealers, and salvagers; a fairly broad slice of the possible professions in EVE! Mining ops are generally more relaxed than combat fleet ops, co-operative mission running or complex clearing. Chat and/or [[Mumble]] deal with a wider variety of topics and separating the required tasks to specialists provides everyone time to participate in the conversations. Not only does this atmosphere provide a social element of connection with the other members, but it also lets the "teaching" move beyond mining to cover a myriad of subjects.

<!-- (Commenting out BYOC fleets, as these don't really work the same way after the fleet boosting changes.)

=== Mining booster fleets (BYOC)  ===
The simplest mining fleet would be the equivalent of a [[Mission_Fleets#Spider_Fleet|spider mission fleet]], in that each miner does his/her own thing while being supplied with a [[Fleet Leadership#Booster Skills|fleet booster]] which will improve everyone's yield, miner range, miner cycle time, and/or miner capacitor use (note that boosters only work within the same system). These fleets are generally a "join and leave as you want" situation, with no extra services (eg hauling, protection from rats etc) provided. "BYOC" stands for "bring your own can", meaning it's your responsibility to bring the ore you mine to a station. 

It's generally suggested that you avoid mining the same asteroid as another fleet member (as there is a risk that one of you wastes a mining cycle if the asteroid depletes halfway through), although if you ''really'' want that particular asteroid you can always ask nicely if you can have it. There is usually no central belt for everyone to be working on at once, but it can be a majestic sight to see a fleet of barges and exhumers emptying a belt efficiently. 
-->

=== Mining fleets ===
{{main|Mining Fleets}}
The next type of fleet is more structured. A standard mining fleet in [[System security#High security|high security space]] generally includes a mix of mining barges, exhumers, and haulers. The miners will work on a single belt constantly and transfer the ore they mine into a jetcan. The haulers will ferry the resources from space to a station. This makes for increased proficiency as the mining lasers never need to stop unless you need to switch belts. Fleet boosters are usually present here as well, and an [[Orca]] may be used instead of a jetcan. Mining fleets in low-sec will also include combat ships to protect the fleet against rats and hostile players.

==== Splitting the ISK ====
Since all the ore is combined into a single pot (and often refined and sold later), you need to agree on a method of splitting the proceeds from the mining fleet between the participants. Since a fleet often includes not only miners with different skill levels flying different ships, but also fleet boosters, haulers, combat ships etc, the simplest way to split the ISK proceeds is to allocate them based on time spent in the fleet; however, this might discourage larger ships from joining the fleet. [[Scrapyard's Mining Op Worksheet]] can accommodate several different methods of weighing the contributions of fleet members. Whichever way you choose, make sure that the method of splitting the ISK is agreed upon by the fleet before the mining op starts.

==== Mining fleets in the Uni ====
Periodically, the Uni will undertake a large-scale, long-duration mining operation. These expeditions are planned and announced several weeks in advance to allow for adjustment of training schedules, acquisition of desired ships and fittings, and research/scouting of the target system and surrounding space. Because of the travel involved and the length of planned stay, expedition locations generally provide opportunities for mission/complex running as well.

The Expedition Boss for a particular expedition will publish the rules for that expedition, including record keeping requirements for any Common Can portions, rules for interaction with locals and what happens to the ore mined.

Such fleets are often run to donate minerals to the University, with the added bonus of attempting to break the record for the previous donation fleet.

==== BYOC Booster Tipping ====
Though not required, Historically it WAS polite to tip your fleet booster. However, for 2022, this is not the method used for Uni anymore. With Uni giving Boosters free Heavy Water and Charges, it is available at most Community stations, it is no longer an out of pocket cost for the Boosters.

Many public mining groups or organizations outside of EVE University may require tipping a booster or a new player may encounter situations where boosters ask for a tip. One should always use their best judgment and be wary of [[Scams in EVE Online#Recruitment Scams|recruitment scams]] and attempts to take advantage of miners. When in doubt ask others for advice if something seems suspicious.

== Compression ==
[[File:Rorqual.jpg|thumb|The Rorqual, backbone of null-sec mining operation, released with a signature ability known as the ore compression, which now available to Orca and Porpoise too.]]
Compression offers significant savings in valuable cargo-space, allowing a non-mining ship like a hauler to bring a large number of materials between structures and trade hubs. In the case of fleet operations, a ship-based compressor also allows mining ships to mine for a significantly extended time, as there is no need to deposit their mining hold regularly. Compressed ore still fits in the mining hold.

There are two ways of compression: an Upwell Structure with Reprocessing Service online which is available to you, or an Industry Command Ship with a compressor activated. Compressing ore is free (and the structure owner cannot set a tax for it) and there is no limit on how many of them you can compress at the same time, despite bringing a Reprocessing Service online or bringing an Industrial Core active cost fuel to operate.

Compression ratios nowadays are simple: compressed ore is either 1% (for asteroid ore, moon ore, and Mercoxit) or 10% (for ice and gas cloud) volume compared to their uncompressed version.

Compression will not change the reprocess yield of ore, the same type and amount of uncompressed ore and compressed ore will yield the same amount of materials, and thus compression only helps hauling.

=== Ship based compressor ===

The [[Porpoise]], [[Orca]], and [[Rorqual]] can fit a Compressor: a high-slot module that enables compression for one type of ore. The compressor comes in different types and sizes, and they can only compress ores with the right type and can only be fitted to ships with the right size.

There are five types of compressors: Asteroid ore, Gas cloud, Ice, Moon ore, and Mercoxit. Compressors come in three sizes: Medium Compressor for Porpoise, Large Compressor for Orca, and Captial Compressor for Rorqual. Additionally, there are no medium sized compressors of Ice, Moon ore, and Mercoxit for the Porpoise to equip.

To activate the compressor, the ship has to activate its Industrial Core first. An active compressor will affect all fleet members within range: 44 km for a medium compressor, 83 km for a large compressor, and 144 km for a capital compressor. When a ship is mining within compressor effect range, the mined ores are compressed ores - ores that are automatically compressed by a compressor in fleet.

There is no limit to the count of compressor that can be fitted and active at the same time, but since a mining site only yields one category of ore, fitting more than one compressor is unnecessary as you can easily refit your ship to change a compressor type, saving the high-slot for other utility modules.

Additionally, having a compressor activated will also enable manual compression, which allows you or your fleet member to compress their uncompressed ore in their mining hold, by simply right clicking it and selecting "compress". This helps if a ship is accidentally outside compressor range and mined uncompressed ore, they can simply fly back to compressor range to get their ore compressed.

=== Structure compresser ===

There is still a chance for players to compress their ore if one doesn't have access to a ship with a compressor. Upwell Structures with Reprocessing Service online and available (Refinery, Engineering Complex, or Citadel, NOT NPC station even if they have reprocessing service!), will allow players to compress their ores in item hangers. Simply right click ores and select "compress", and then they will be compressed and fit most haulers.

=== Gas decompression ===

Gas cannot be reprocessed, and blueprints don't accept compressed gas as an input. Compressed gas can be decompressed by simply right-clicking ores and selecting "decompress". This will return the exact same amount of gas before compression.

Like compression, gas decompression needs a structure with Reprocessing Service online.

=== Batch compressed ore ===
[[File:pos_compress.gif|center]]

Prior to [https://www.eveonline.com/news/view/patch-notes-version-20-03 Patch 20.03], ship based compression was exclusive to the Rorqual and there was no compressor module - the Industrial Core did the compression work. At the time, asteroid ore and Mercoxit had to be compressed in a whole batch: 100 units of ore compressed to 1 unit of compressed ore. After the introduction of 1 to 1 compression, old compressed asteroid ores are now called "Batch Compressed" ore and are no longer creatable, but can still be traded and refined.

A batch of "batch compressed" ore when reprocessed has the same percent yield as uncompressed ore and has the same result as refining 100 times the number of uncompressed ore.

Batch compressed ore has various volumes depending on the type, unlike the current compression which is all 0.01 or 0.1 ratio. See the below for specific volume information.

{| class="wikitable sortable collapsible collapsed"
|- style="background-color:#222222" 
! Ore 
! data-sort-type="numbers" | Ore volume (m³) 
! data-sort-type="numbers" | Batch compressed ore volume (m³) 
! data-sort-type="numbers" | Compression ratio
|-
| Arkonor || 16 || 8.8 || 0.0055
|-
| Bistot || 16 || 4.4 || 0.00275
|-
| Crokite || 16 || 7.81 || 0.00488125
|-
| Dark Ochre || 8 || 4.2 || 0.00525
|-
| Gneiss || 5 || 1.8 || 0.0036
|-
| Hedbergite || 3 || 0.47 || 0.001566666667
|-
| Hemorphite || 3 || 0.86 || 0.002866666667
|-
| Jaspet || 2 || 0.15 || 0.00075
|-
| Kernite || 1.2 || 0.19 || 0.001583333333
|-
| Mercoxit || 40 || 0.10 || 0.000025
|-
| Omber || 0.6 || 0.3 || 0.005
|-
| Plagioclase || 0.35 || 0.15 || 0.004285714286
|-
| Pyroxeres || 0.3 || 0.16 || 0.005333333333
|-
| Scordite || 0.15 || 0.19 || 0.01266666667
|-
| Spodumain || 16 || 28 || 0.0175
|-
| Veldspar || 0.1 || 0.15 || 0.015
|}

== See also ==
* [[Ice harvesting]] and [[gas cloud harvesting]]: The other two kinds of mining
* [[Refining]]: What to do with all the ore you just mined
* [[Orca Guide]]
* [[Mining aligned]]: a technique that sets you up to make a quick getaway if you need to

== External links ==
* [https://www.fuzzwork.co.uk/blueprint/ Fuzzworks blueprint Calculator]
* [https://www.fuzzwork.co.uk/ore/ Fuzzworks ore table]
* [https://ore.cerlestes.de/index.html Cerlestes ore table]
* [http://eve.grismar.net/ore/ Grismar - ore chart]
* [https://greedygoblin.blogspot.com/p/why-was-i-ganked.html greedygoblin - mining safety tips from a ganker]
* [https://eveminingfleet.ovh EVEMiningFleet]

{{Mining Links}}

[[Category:Mining| ]]
[[Category:Industry]]