The cannon fires 120 items per minute at base; the catapult fires 60. Both are raised by Throwing Efficiency. Build cannons where the target is roughly at the same level and you need volume; build catapults where the item has to arc over machines, belts or a floor edge.
Base numbers
| Catapult | Cannon | |
|---|---|---|
| Base fire rate | 60/min | 120/min |
| Scaling research | Throwing Efficiency | Throwing Efficiency |
| Placement feedback | Range indicator (1.0+) | Range indicator (1.0+) |
| Height rule | Rejects too-high / too-low targets | Rejects too-high / too-low targets |
| Best at | Arcing over obstacles, cross-floor throws | Flat, high-volume feeding |
How to choose in ten seconds
- Same floor, straight line? Cannon. Twice the throughput for the same footprint.
- Over a machine or belt? Catapult. The arc clears what a flat shot cannot.
- Between floors? Neither — read the invalid-angle fix first, because a lift is usually cheaper than a working cross-floor arc.
- Feeding a shop shelf? Catapult. Shop feeding is the classic use and the one the achievements reference.
Using both in one build
The common pattern is a cannon on the production floor feeding a buffer, and a catapult at the end of the line throwing finished goods into the shop. You only pay for Throwing Efficiency once, so the two devices share the same upgrade — there is no research penalty for mixing them.
because both draw on the same research, the decision is reversible. Build the cannon first (higher rate, simpler geometry) and add catapults only where a throw has to clear something.
Fire rates (60/min, 120/min) and the Throwing Efficiency scaling: DATAMINED from build 1.1.5024. Range indicators and the target-height rule: OFFICIAL 1.0 patch notes. The “best at” rows are usage guidance, not game rules.
Independent fan reference for Alchemy Factory. Game data refers to the current official 1.0 build (Steam, PC). Field-level evidence is flagged on each page with OFFICIAL / OBSERVED / COMMUNITY badges; amounts shown without a badge come from the official 1.0 patch notes or store descriptions.