Compression

Compression is the action that convert raw ores to their smaller compressed forms. The compression system offers a minimum-actions design make it very easy to preform.

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. The skill "Fleet Compression Logistics" increase compressor effect range by 10% each level, up to 50% at level 5.

Having a compressor activated will enable compression, which allows the ship with actived compressor or fleet member within compressor effect range to compress their uncompressed ore in their mining hold, by simply right clicking it and selecting "compress".

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.

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

Prior to 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.

Ore	Ore volume (m³)	Batch compressed ore volume (m³)	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