Most Schedule I guides tell you which ingredients to use without showing you the actual profit margin. This guide fixes that: every single-ingredient recipe ranked by net profit per unit after ingredient costs, plus the top multi-ingredient chains, all verified against v0.4.3 base prices and effect multipliers. Whether you are running weed, meth, or cocaine, you will know exactly which mix to use at every stage of your empire.
New to Schedule I? Start with the complete Schedule I beginners guide before diving into mixing optimisation.
How Mixing Profitability Works
Every ingredient you add to a product applies an effect that scales the customer sell price through a multiplier. Effects from multiple ingredients stack additively, so the final sell price is:
Sell price = base price × (1 + total effect multiplier)
Example: a weed unit with a $38 base sell price. Add Vitamin (Long Faced effect, multiplier +0.42):
- New sell price: $38 × 1.42 = $53.96
- Revenue increase: +$15.96
- Vitamin cost: $2
- Net profit gain from mixing: +$13.96 per unit
The same Vitamin on a Cocaine unit ($150 base):
- New sell price: $150 × 1.42 = $213
- Revenue increase: +$63
- Net profit gain: +$61 per unit from the same $2 ingredient
This is the central insight: the same cheap ingredient is exponentially more valuable on higher-tier products. On weed, Vitamin adds $14 per unit. On cocaine, that exact $2 ingredient adds $61. The multiplier maths rewards upgrading your product line far more than stacking expensive ingredients onto cheap products.
Three ingredients — Gasoline, Motor Oil, and Horse Semen — are net-negative on weed because their multiplier gain does not cover their purchase cost. They flip to profitable on meth and become highly profitable on cocaine. The master table below shows exactly where each ingredient crosses from loss to gain.
A separate mechanic called the mixing cascade allows specific ingredient sequences to trigger effect transformations, producing compound effects with different multipliers. The recipes in this guide use the base additive system to give a clean, comparable baseline for every ingredient. For cascade chain optimisation and advanced production layouts, see the Schedule I production guide.
Complete Schedule I Mixing Recipe Profit Table
All 15 single-ingredient recipes ranked by net profit gain per unit. Base prices used: Weed $38, Meth $75, Cocaine $150 (v0.4.3 average customer sell prices). Ingredient costs reflect standard v0.4.3 supplier pricing.
“Net profit gain” = additional revenue from the effect multiplier minus the ingredient cost. Negative values mean that ingredient loses money on that product type.
| Ingredient | Cost | Effect | Mult | Weed gain | Meth gain | Cocaine gain |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vitamin | $2 | Long Faced | +0.42 | +$13.96 | +$29.50 | +$61.00 |
| Iodine | $8 | Jennerising | +0.42 | +$7.96 | +$23.50 | +$55.00 |
| Battery | $8 | Bright-Eyed | +0.40 | +$7.20 | +$22.00 | +$52.00 |
| Mega Bean | $7 | Foggy | +0.36 | +$6.68 | +$20.00 | +$47.00 |
| Energy Drink | $6 | Athletic | +0.32 | +$6.16 | +$18.00 | +$42.00 |
| Mouth Wash | $4 | Balding | +0.30 | +$7.40 | +$18.50 | +$41.00 |
| Chili | $7 | Spicy | +0.30 | +$4.40 | +$15.50 | +$38.00 |
| Flu Medicine | $6 | Sedating | +0.26 | +$3.88 | +$13.50 | +$33.00 |
| Cuke | $2 | Energizing | +0.22 | +$6.36 | +$14.50 | +$31.00 |
| Banana | $2 | Gingeritis | +0.20 | +$5.60 | +$13.00 | +$28.00 |
| Horse Semen | $9 | Refreshing | +0.18 | −$2.16 | +$4.50 | +$18.00 |
| Donut | $3 | Calorie Dense | +0.16 | +$3.08 | +$9.00 | +$21.00 |
| Motor Oil | $6 | Slippery | +0.14 | −$0.68 | +$4.50 | +$15.00 |
| Paracetamol | $3 | Sneaky | +0.12 | +$1.56 | +$6.00 | +$15.00 |
| Gasoline | $5 | Toxic | +0.10 | −$1.20 | +$2.50 | +$10.00 |
Key takeaways from the data:
- Vitamin is the clear outlier — highest multiplier at the lowest possible cost. It is the mandatory first ingredient at every stage on every product.
- Iodine matches Vitamin’s multiplier but costs $6 more. Use it as a second ingredient, never first.
- Mouth Wash is underrated: same multiplier as Chili (+0.30) but $3 cheaper per unit, making Chili strictly inferior in every scenario.
- Gasoline, Motor Oil, and Horse Semen are weed traps. Skip them until you are running meth or cocaine.
- Energy Drink and Donut have identical cost-efficiency ratios — 103% ROI on weed and 700% ROI on cocaine — making them interchangeable filler ingredients when higher-tier options are unavailable.
Top Multi-Ingredient Recipes Ranked by Profit
Once your supply chain is stable, stacking two or three ingredients dramatically increases per-unit margin. Effects add together: net gain = (base price × sum of all multipliers) − sum of all ingredient costs.
Sorted by net profit gain on Cocaine — the benchmark for late-game performance. Weed figures show the same recipes during early-to-mid progression.
| Recipe | Ing. cost | Total mult added | Weed net gain | Cocaine net gain | Tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vitamin + Iodine + Battery | $18 | +1.24 | +$29.12 | +$168.00 | S |
| Vitamin + Iodine + Mega Bean | $17 | +1.20 | +$28.60 | +$163.00 | S |
| Vitamin + Battery + Mega Bean | $17 | +1.18 | +$27.84 | +$160.00 | S |
| Vitamin + Iodine + Energy Drink | $16 | +1.16 | +$28.08 | +$158.00 | S |
| Vitamin + Iodine | $10 | +0.84 | +$21.92 | +$116.00 | A |
| Vitamin + Battery | $10 | +0.82 | +$21.16 | +$113.00 | A |
| Vitamin + Mouth Wash | $6 | +0.72 | +$21.36 | +$102.00 | A |
| Vitamin + Mega Bean | $9 | +0.78 | +$20.64 | +$108.00 | A |
| Vitamin + Cuke | $4 | +0.64 | +$20.32 | +$92.00 | A |
| Vitamin + Banana | $4 | +0.62 | +$19.56 | +$89.00 | B |
| Cuke + Banana (no Vitamin) | $4 | +0.42 | +$11.96 | +$59.00 | B |
Two non-obvious findings from this table:
- Vitamin + Mouth Wash (+$21.36 on weed) outperforms Vitamin + Battery (+$21.16) despite a lower multiplier — because Mouth Wash costs $4 less. For weed production on a budget, Mouth Wash beats Battery as the second ingredient.
- On cocaine, Vitamin + Mouth Wash still returns +$102 for only $6 in total ingredient cost. When Iodine and Battery are supply-constrained, Mouth Wash is the strongest fallback.
Multi-ingredient logistics: Each additional ingredient requires a separate mixing pass. A three-ingredient recipe takes 3× as long and needs 3× the worker capacity for equal unit output. At early-to-mid game, a two-ingredient recipe running twice the batches will often out-earn a three-ingredient recipe in total daily profit — run the maths for your specific operation before adding complexity.
Related: schedule similar games.
Best Recipe Per Game Stage
The optimal mixing strategy depends on which products you can access and how much capital you have available for ingredients. Here is the recommended setup at each stage.
Early Game: Days 1–10
You are working with weed only, a single mixing station, and tight cash flow. Capital efficiency matters more than raw per-unit margin.
Best recipe: Vitamin (single ingredient)
- Cost per unit: $2
- Net profit gain per weed unit: +$13.96
- ROI: 698% — every $2 invested returns $15.96 in additional revenue
If Vitamins are not yet available from your distributor, Cuke ($2, +$6.36 gain) or Banana ($2, +$5.60 gain) are the next best options. Avoid Flu Medicine, Mega Bean, Battery, and Iodine at this stage — their $6–$8 cost strains early cash flow disproportionately compared to the margin they add on weed.
For more early income strategies, see the Schedule I money guide.
Mid Game: Days 10–25
Meth is now available, you have multiple mixing stations, and distributor relationships are expanding. This is when the product-tier advantage starts to compound significantly.
Best recipe: Vitamin + Iodine on Meth
- Cost per unit: $10 ($2 Vitamin + $8 Iodine)
- Net profit gain: $75 × (0.42 + 0.42) − $10 = $63 − $10 = +$53 per meth unit
- Why Iodine: Meth’s $75 base makes Iodine’s $8 cost highly efficient. Jennerising + Long Faced is the highest-multiplier two-ingredient combination available without late-game suppliers.
Keep running Vitamin-only weed on your first station for volume customers while the meth line handles high-value regulars. The weed line covers ingredient overhead; the meth line builds capital for cocaine expansion.
Late Game: Days 25+
Cocaine is available, automation is running, and the goal is maximum throughput times per-unit margin.
Best recipe: Vitamin + Iodine + Battery on Cocaine
- Cost per unit: $18 ($2 + $8 + $8)
- Sell price: $150 × (1 + 0.42 + 0.42 + 0.40) = $150 × 2.24 = $336 per unit
- Net profit gain vs unmixed: +$168 per unit
At this stage, cocaine supply volume is the bottleneck, not mixing speed. Expand your cocaine supply chain before adding more mixing stations. Worker automation setup is covered in the Schedule I automation guide.
| Stage | Product | Best recipe | Ing. cost/unit | Net gain/unit | Est. daily gain (1 station, 100 batches) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Early (Days 1–10) | Weed | Vitamin | $2 | +$13.96 | ~$1,400 |
| Mid (Days 10–25) | Meth | Vitamin + Iodine | $10 | +$53.00 | ~$5,300 |
| Late (Days 25+) | Cocaine | Vitamin + Iodine + Battery | $18 | +$168.00 | ~$16,800 |
Ingredient Cost Reference (v0.4.3)
Standard supplier prices at base reputation level. Prices typically decrease 10–20% at maximum reputation with each distributor — factor this in when comparing recipe costs at late game.
Choosing between these two? schedule similar next breaks down the pros and cons.
| Ingredient | Buy price | Effect | Multiplier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vitamin | $2 | Long Faced | +0.42 |
| Cuke | $2 | Energizing | +0.22 |
| Banana | $2 | Gingeritis | +0.20 |
| Paracetamol | $3 | Sneaky | +0.12 |
| Donut | $3 | Calorie Dense | +0.16 |
| Mouth Wash | $4 | Balding | +0.30 |
| Gasoline | $5 | Toxic | +0.10 |
| Flu Medicine | $6 | Sedating | +0.26 |
| Energy Drink | $6 | Athletic | +0.32 |
| Motor Oil | $6 | Slippery | +0.14 |
| Mega Bean | $7 | Foggy | +0.36 |
| Chili | $7 | Spicy | +0.30 |
| Battery | $8 | Bright-Eyed | +0.40 |
| Iodine | $8 | Jennerising | +0.42 |
| Horse Semen | $9 | Refreshing | +0.18 |
Mixing Station Throughput: How Much Can You Make Per Day?
Knowing your best recipe is half the battle. Throughput — how many batches your operation runs per day — determines actual earnings.
In v0.4.3, a single mixing station processes one unit every 20 seconds of game time. That is three batches per real-time minute when mixing manually. Automated workers run the same 20-second mix cycle without requiring player action.
See also our guide to schedule rank guide.
| Setup | Units/hour | Primary bottleneck | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manual (player only) | 60–80 | Player time | Early game, recipe testing |
| 1 station + 1 worker | 80–100 | Product supply | Mid game, single product line |
| 2 stations + 2 workers | 160–200 | Product supply | Late game, two product lines |
| 3 stations + 3 workers | 240–300 | Worker wages + supply | Full late-game operation |
The real constraint is supply, not station speed. A single worker can theoretically process 100+ units per in-game day, but your cocaine or meth supply chain rarely delivers that volume before late game. Build supply capacity first — add mixing stations when product stock is consistently bottlenecking workers.
Multi-ingredient throughput cost: Each additional ingredient requires one extra mixing pass per unit. A three-ingredient recipe takes 3× the station time and needs 3× the worker capacity for equal unit output. A Vitamin-only recipe producing 300 units per day will often generate more total daily profit than a three-ingredient recipe producing 100 units — run the maths for your specific operation before adding complexity.
For a full worker assignment and storage automation walkthrough, see the Schedule I production guide.
ROI Tier Rankings: S Through C
Single-ingredient ROI rankings across all three product types. ROI = (net profit gain ÷ ingredient cost) × 100. Rankings reflect the most relevant product at each game stage.
| Tier | Ingredient | Weed ROI | Meth ROI | Cocaine ROI | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S | Vitamin | 698% | 1,475% | 3,050% | Mandatory first ingredient on every product at every stage |
| S | Cuke | 318% | 725% | 1,550% | Best cheap second ingredient; stacks cleanly with Vitamin |
| S | Banana | 280% | 650% | 1,400% | Identical role to Cuke; use whichever your supplier has in stock |
| A | Mouth Wash | 185% | 463% | 1,025% | Underrated; same multiplier as Chili at $3 less — always strictly better |
| A | Energy Drink | 103% | 300% | 700% | Solid ROI; useful filler when Iodine is supply-constrained |
| A | Iodine | 100% | 294% | 688% | Matches Vitamin multiplier; best premium second ingredient for meth and cocaine |
| A | Mega Bean | 95% | 286% | 671% | Strong mid-game option; near-A cost-to-multiplier ratio |
| A | Battery | 90% | 275% | 650% | High multiplier; best third ingredient in 3-step cocaine recipes |
| B | Donut | 103% | 300% | 700% | Low absolute gain; use only when better options are unavailable |
| B | Flu Medicine | 65% | 225% | 550% | Positive ROI on all products but low multiplier-per-dollar |
| B | Chili | 63% | 221% | 543% | Same multiplier as Mouth Wash but $3 more expensive — never pick over Mouth Wash |
| C | Paracetamol | 52% | 200% | 500% | Lowest multiplier; viable only as a 4th+ effect on cocaine |
| C | Motor Oil | −11% | 75% | 250% | Loses money on weed; skip until you are running cocaine |
| C | Horse Semen | −24% | 50% | 200% | Worst cost-to-multiplier ratio in the game; cocaine-only late filler |
| C | Gasoline | −24% | 50% | 200% | Identical profile to Horse Semen; skip on weed and meth entirely |
Three patterns worth highlighting:
- S tier is simple: Vitamin first, always. Then Cuke or Banana as your cheap second effect on any budget.
- A tier is the mid-game engine: Iodine or Battery alongside Vitamin gets you to +0.84 combined multiplier for $10 per unit — this is where most mid-game per-unit profit lives.
- C tier finds late-game purpose: On cocaine, even Gasoline, Motor Oil, and Horse Semen deliver positive ROI. Once you have stacked three high-tier effects, these previously-worthless ingredients become viable 4th or 5th additions.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most profitable Schedule I recipe overall?
Vitamin + Iodine + Battery on Cocaine: +$168 net profit gain per unit for $18 in ingredient cost. For early game, Vitamin alone on weed gives 698% ROI — the best return on capital at that stage.
Does mixing order matter?
For base additive recipes, no — effects stack regardless of order. However, the mixing cascade system produces different compound effects based on specific ingredient sequences. If you are following a cascade recipe from the community wiki, order matters. For standard additive stacking as covered in this guide, mix in any order.
Why does every guide recommend Gasoline if it loses money on weed?
Most early guides were written for weed before anyone ran full profit calculations. Gasoline has the lowest multiplier (+0.10) of any ingredient but costs $5, making it net-negative on weed at −$1.20 per unit. It is only profitable on meth (+$2.50) and cocaine (+$10.00). Skip it on weed entirely.
How many ingredients can I stack on one product?
Up to 8 distinct effects per product in v0.4.3. Each mixing pass adds one. The practical profitable ceiling depends on base value — cocaine supports 5–6 ingredients before marginal gains narrow; weed typically caps at 2–3 before ingredient costs outpace additional multiplier revenue.
Is it worth hiring workers to automate mixing?
Workers become profitable at roughly 60+ units per day. At that volume, daily wages are covered within 3–5 hours of automated production. For operations at 200+ units per day, automation is essential — manual mixing cannot sustain that throughput. Full setup is in the Schedule I beginners guide.
Do these prices change between patches?
Yes. Schedule I is in Early Access and ingredient costs and base sell prices are adjusted between patches. All figures here are verified for v0.4.3. When a major update ships, recalculate using the same formula (base price × multiplier − ingredient cost) — the method stays constant even as the numbers change.