What are Reactions?
Reactions are the processing step between Moon Mining and T2 components. Moon asteroids contain Raw Moon Materials that aren't productive on their own. Only through multiple reaction steps do they become T2 components like Fernite Carbide or Sylramic Fibers.
Without your own reactions, you pay market price for every intermediate product — often cutting T2 production margins to zero.
The reaction chain overview
The EVE SDE categorizes reaction materials via group_id:
- group 427 — Raw Moon Materials (direct from moon)
- group 428 — Processed Materials (stage 1)
- group 429 — Refined Materials (stage 2)
- group 974 — Polymer Materials (end product)
- group 4096 — Hybrid Reactions (mixed)
Example reactions
A typical chain for Fernite Carbide (T2 component):
| Reaction | Input | Output | Structure |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dysprosium + Promethium | Raw Moon | Dysporite (P1) | Athanor |
| Carbon Polymers + Promethium Mercurite | Processed | Fullerides (P2) | Tatara |
| Fullerides + Platinum Technite | Refined | Fernite Carbide | Tatara |
Each stage typically takes 3 hours per cycle. With multiple reaction slots you can run several chains in parallel.
Which structures do you need?
Reactions only run in Refineries:
- Athanor (Medium Refinery) — 4 reaction slots, standard for corps
- Tatara (Large Refinery) — 5 reaction slots, higher bonuses
The Tatara has higher output bonuses (up to 2% more material per cycle) and is preferred for serious reaction operations. An Athanor is sufficient for starter setups and corp side projects.
Economy: Is the effort worth it?
The truth: Running your own reactions saves on average 20-40% versus market purchase of finished materials. On a typical T2 production run, that's several million ISK in savings.
But: The setup cost is high. You need:
- Access to a moon (corp membership in lowsec/nullsec)
- Mining infrastructure (Moon Mining Laser, Barges)
- Refinery structure (Athanor ~400M ISK, Tatara ~3B ISK)
- Reaction skills (Advanced Industry, Mass Reactions, etc.)
Polymer Reactions as end products
Polymer Materials (group 974) are the end product of many reaction chains and used directly in T2 production. Examples: Fernite Carbide, Sylramic Fibers, Crystalline Carbonide.
These materials have stable demand and trade well — even if you don't produce T2 yourself, selling polymers in Jita is a solid side business.
Conclusion
For T2 production: Your own reactions are almost mandatory to stay profitable. The 20-40% savings vs. market purchase justifies the setup effort.
For pure traders: Producing polymer materials yourself and selling in Jita is a stable side business — if you have moon mining access.
EVE Industry Tool shows you with the REACT-BEDARF tab exactly where your reactions take effect and which materials you produce yourself vs. buy on the market.