Space Engineers Hydrogen Tank: Stats, Variants, Recipes and How to Run It

If your ship in Space Engineers runs on Hydrogen Thrusters, sooner or later you will need a Hydrogen Tank. Without one, you are basically asking your thrusters to drink from an empty cup. This guide covers every variant, its stats, the materials to build it, and how to actually fuel and operate it.

What the Hydrogen Tank Actually Does

The Hydrogen Tank is a functional block that stores and distributes Hydrogen across your grid. Its two main jobs are feeding Hydrogen Thrusters and refilling Hydrogen Bottles for personal use. Pair it with an O2/H2 Generator and a steady supply of ice, and you have a closed loop that keeps your propulsion system alive.

Tank Variants and Their Stats

Space Engineers ships with four different Hydrogen Tank blocks, split between small and large grids. Pick the one that matches your build, because the gap between the smallest and the largest is enormous.

Small Ship Hydrogen Tank

• Dimensions (W, H, L): 5, 5, 5
• Volume: 15.625 m³
• Mass: 1,580.8 kg
• Integrity: 6,254
• Build time: 30 seconds
• Power consumption: 1,000 W (idle: 1 W)
• Gas capacity: 500,000 L
• Airtight: Partially
• Power consumer group: Factory
• PCU cost: 25

Small Ship Small Hydrogen Tank

• Dimensions (W, H, L): 2, 2, 1
• Volume: 0.5 m³
• Mass: 109.8 kg
• Integrity: 454
• Build time: 12 seconds
• Power consumption: 200 W (idle: 0.2 W)
• Gas capacity: 15,000 L
• Airtight: Yes
• Power consumer group: Factory
• PCU cost: 25

The Small Hydrogen Tank variants were introduced in Update 1.194.

Large Ship/Station Small Hydrogen Tank

• Dimensions (W, H, L): 1, 2, 1
• Volume: 31.25 m³
• Mass: 3,161.6 kg
• Integrity: 12,508
• Build time: 32 seconds
• Power consumption: 1,000 W (idle: 1 W)
• Gas capacity: 1,000,000 L
• Airtight: Yes
• Power consumer group: Factory
• PCU cost: 25

Large Ship/Station Hydrogen Tank

• Dimensions (W, H, L): 3, 3, 3
• Volume: 421.875 m³
• Mass: 8,161.6 kg
• Integrity: 34,908
• Build time: 50 seconds
• Power consumption: 1,000 W (idle: 1 W)
• Gas capacity: 15,000,000 L
• Airtight: Partially
• Power consumer group: Factory
• PCU cost: 25

Crafting Recipes

Materials required to build each variant:

| Component | Large Ship/Station Hydrogen Tank | Large Ship/Station Small Hydrogen Tank | Small Ship Hydrogen Tank | Small Ship Small Hydrogen Tank | |---|---|---|---|---| | Computer | 8 | - | 8 | - | | Large Steel Tube | 80 | - | 40 | - | | Small Steel Tube | 60 | - | 60 | - | | Construction Component | - | 40 | - | 40 | | Steel Plate | 160 | 120 | 60 | 20 |

Notice how the smaller variants drop the Computer and Steel Tube cost entirely and lean on Construction Components instead. Handy if you are short on advanced parts in the early game.

Filling the Tank and Running It

To fill a Hydrogen Tank, connect it to an O2/H2 Generator and feed that generator with ice. That is the only fuel pipeline involved.

From the Control Panel Screen you can decide whether a tank is filling up or releasing gas. The key toggle is Stockpile:

• Stockpile ON: the tank pulls Hydrogen from a connected O2/H2 Generator and stores it. Useful for hoarding before a long trip.
• Stockpile OFF: the tank releases its stored Hydrogen to whatever needs it, like Hydrogen Thrusters.

A common mistake is leaving Stockpile on permanently and wondering why your thrusters never get any gas. They will not, because the tank is busy hoarding instead of distributing.

Reading the Status Lights

The LEDs on the tank tell you what is going on at a glance:

• Black: empty or below 25% capacity.
• Red: no power, or the block is switched off.
• Blue: accepting Hydrogen, or not delivering because Stockpile is ON.
• Green: actively supplying Hydrogen to connected blocks while Stockpile is OFF.

Capacity, Ice Cost and Storage Footprint

Not all tanks are created equal. Here is how the four variants compare in terms of how much Hydrogen they hold, how much ice you need to top them up, and how much cargo space that translates to:

| Tank Type | Capacity (liters) | Ice to fill (tons) | Cargo containers to fill | |---|---|---|---| | Small Grid Small Hydrogen Tank | 15,000 | 0.75 | 2.22 small cargo containers | | Small Grid Hydrogen Tank | 500,000 | 25 | 2.74 medium cargo containers | | Large Grid Small Hydrogen Tank | 1,000,000 | 50 | 1.18 small cargo containers | | Large Grid Hydrogen Tank | 15,000,000 | 750 | 17.76 small cargo containers or 0.66 large cargo containers |

The Large Grid Hydrogen Tank is the obvious pick for any serious vessel that plans to leave a planet, but topping it off needs 750 tons of ice. Plan your mining runs accordingly.

Quick Checklist Before Liftoff

1. Tank is connected to an O2/H2 Generator with a clear conveyor line.
2. The generator has ice in its inventory.
3. Stockpile is OFF if you actually want to launch.
4. Status lights show green when thrusters fire.

Get those four right and your ship leaves the ground. Skip one and you get a very expensive paperweight.