Idle Planet Miner Spreadsheet
Idle Planet Miner drops you into the role of an interstellar mining corporation. You dig through procedurally generated planets, extract resources, refine them into alloys, and sell them for profit. The loop is classic incremental gameplay: earn money → upgrade ships → dig deeper → reset for prestige bonuses.
However, what separates this game from the pack—and why players often seek out spreadsheets for it—is the depth of its crafting and resource management systems.
I can generate a Google Sheets / Excel starter template with the tabs and sample formulas above. Say “Yes — make template” and I’ll produce a downloadable file or share a link.
A spreadsheet is an essential tool for Idle Planet Miner players looking to optimize their galaxy progression, especially during the mid-to-late game when bottlenecks become more complex. Most community-created "Mastersheets" focus on three primary areas: Planet ROI, Smelting/Crafting Efficiency, and Mothership Room Prioritization. 📊 Core Spreadsheet Functions Planet ROI (Return on Investment)
This is the most critical tab for early-to-mid-game players. It calculates the "payback period" for upgrading a planet's mining, cargo, or speed levels.
The Goal: Identify which planet level-up will increase your galaxy value the fastest for the lowest cost.
Key Input: You must enter your current Mothership Room levels and Manager boosts to get accurate numbers, as these multipliers drastically change the "best" planet to upgrade.
Bottleneck Detection: High-quality sheets will highlight if your shipping/cargo is falling behind your mining rate, preventing "lost" ore. Smelting & Crafting Calculator idle planet miner spreadsheet
As you progress, raw ore sales become secondary to high-value items like Wind Turbines or Subspace Relays.
Profit Per Second: Calculates the net gain of an item after subtracting the value of its base ingredients.
Recipe Logic: Helps you decide if it’s more profitable to sell a raw alloy (like Platinum Bars) or wait to craft it into a more complex item based on your current crafting speed.
Resource Stars: Accounts for the random "Stars" you've earned, which permanently boost specific item values by 20% or more. 🚀 Popular Community Spreadsheets
The Mastersheet (v1.7+): A classic community tool that includes planet step-by-step guides and manager efficiency.
Kaphor’s ROI Sheet: Widely used but primarily effective up to Aether or Wind Turbines. It remains one of the best for early-game planet leveling.
$ Per Second / Profit Calculator: Newer sheets found on the Idle Planet Miner Reddit focus on late-game crafting and "Arking" (using the Ark ad bonus for exponential growth). 💡 How to Use These Tools Effectively Idle Planet Miner drops you into the role
Smelting/Crafting Update - Profit Calculator (has been renamed)
Most players quit because they let their spreadsheet go out of date. You do not need to update every minute. You need the "Login Audit."
That is one minute. If you spend 60 seconds a day on your spreadsheet, you will progress 3x faster than a casual player.
Spreadsheets require manual updates after game patches (e.g., new planets, balance changes). Automating data entry via OCR or API is possible but against some games’ terms of service.
For a planet upgrade costing C credits that increases mining rate by Δ:
ROI time (seconds) = C / (Δ × ore value)
Ore value = base sell price or derived value from crafted items.
Input your ores → output ingots, alloys, and high-tech items (circuits, lasers, etc.). Tracks: I can generate a Google Sheets / Excel
If you want to start today, here is the minimum viable spreadsheet. Open a blank sheet and type this exactly:
| Planet | Level | Base Ore | Rate/sec | Upgrade Cost | ROI Hours | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Planet 1 | 25 | Copper | 25*(1+2.5)=87.5 | 18k | 0.2 | | Planet 2 | 22 | Iron | 22*(1+2.2)=70.4 | 22k | 0.3 | | ...and so on... | | | | | |
In Cell D2 (Rate/sec): =B2*(1+(B2*0.1)) Wait, this is recursive? No. Correct formula is Base Rate * (1 + (Level * 0.1)).
In Cell F2 (ROI Hours): =E2 / (VALUE_OF_ORE * D2 * 3600)
Then, CONDITIONAL FORMAT on Column F: Red for >24 hours, Yellow for >8 hours, Green for <2 hours.
Now, you never ask "What do I upgrade?" again. You upgrade the Green ones.
| Item | Input 1 | Qty | Input 2 | Qty | Time (sec) | Output Value | Value/sec | |------|---------|-----|---------|-----|------------|--------------|-----------| | Copper Bar | Copper Ore | 3 | - | - | 5 | 6 | 1.2 | | Iron Bar | Iron Ore | 2 | - | - | 10 | 8 | 0.8 | | Bronze Bar | Copper Bar | 1 | Iron Bar | 1 | 15 | 20 | 1.33 |
Key check: If Value/sec of a bar is less than selling the raw ore directly, do not smelt it (except for quests/tech).
Bottleneck formula:
Total Ore Input needed per minute = Sum of all smelter demands
Ore supply = Ship speed * Cargo * Trips per minute
Adjust miners or smelters until Supply >= Demand.