🏗️ Europa Universalis V Building Calculator

Step 1: Select Your Province Type

1. In Game: Click on the province you want to develop

2. Check Province Panel: Look for these details

• Location Type: Rural / Town / City
• Population: Current population count
• Terrain: Plains, Mountains, Forest, etc.
• Climate: Temperate, Tropical, etc.

Step 2: Enter Province Data in Tool

Location Type:

• Rural: Basic settlements, limited buildings
• Town: Medium development, most buildings available
• City: Full development, all advanced buildings

Population Slider: Move to match your province

• Most buildings require minimum population
• Higher population = more building options

Terrain: Select from dropdown

• Affects resource gathering buildings
• Mountains: Best for mines (+50% iron)
• Farmland: Best for farms (+30% grain)
• Plains: Neutral, no special bonuses

Current Age: Select your game's current age

• Buildings unlock in different ages
• Costs increase in later ages
• Renaissance = 1.5x cost, Discovery = 2.0x cost

Available Deposits: Check boxes if present

• Iron, Coal, Gold, Copper deposits
• Required for mine buildings
• Check province panel "Deposits" section

Step 3: Click "Calculate"

Tool instantly analyzes 30+ buildings and shows:

• Top 5 Recommendations: Best ROI buildings
• Production Chains: Strategic multi-building paths

Step 4: Review Top Recommendations

Rating Key:

• ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Excellent: <2 years payback, high profit
• ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Very Good: 2-3 years payback
• ⭐⭐⭐ Good: 3-5 years payback
• ⭐⭐ Fair: 5-8 years payback
• ⭐ Poor: >8 years or low profit

Step 5: Click "Details" for Deep Analysis

Detailed view shows:

Economic Data:

• Exact building cost (adjusted for age)
• Monthly income from outputs
• Monthly expenses (inputs + maintenance)
• Net monthly profit

Investment Returns:

• Payback period (months/years)
• 5-year total profit
• 10-year total profit
• ROI percentage

Production Chain:

• Required inputs (what you need)
• Outputs produced (what you sell)
• Downstream buildings (next steps)

Requirements Check:

• Population minimum (✓ or ✗)
• Location type (✓ or ✗)
• Terrain/climate (✓ or ✗)
• Age unlock (✓ or ✗)

Step 6: Make Your Decision

Decision Framework:

✅ Build Immediately if:

• ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating
• Payback <2 years
• Monthly profit >15 ducats
• All requirements met ✓

⚠️ Consider Building if:

• ⭐⭐⭐⭐ or ⭐⭐⭐ rating
• Payback 2-5 years
• Monthly profit >8 ducats
• Fits your strategy

❌ Skip if:

• ⭐⭐ or ⭐ rating
• Payback >8 years
• Monthly profit <5 ducats
• Requirements not met

Monthly Profit Explained

What It Means:

• +15 💰/month = You earn extra 15 ducats every game month
• Over 1 year (12 months): 180 ducats
• Over 5 years: 900 ducats
• Over 10 years: 1,800 ducats

Is This Good?

• 15+ ducats/month: Excellent ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
• 10-15 ducats/month: Very Good ⭐⭐⭐⭐
• 5-10 ducats/month: Good ⭐⭐⭐
• 2-5 ducats/month: Fair ⭐⭐
• <2 ducats/month: Poor ⭐

Payback Period Explained

What It Means: Time until building pays for itself

Example:

• Building costs: 250 ducats
• Monthly profit: 15 ducats
• Payback: 250 ÷ 15 = 17 months

After 17 months: You've recovered your 250 ducat investment

After that: Pure profit forever

Good Payback Times:

• <12 months (1 year): Exceptional
• 12-24 months (1-2 years): Excellent
• 24-36 months (2-3 years): Very Good
• 36-60 months (3-5 years): Good
• 60-96 months (5-8 years): Fair
• >96 months (8+ years): Too slow

ROI (Return on Investment)

5-Year ROI Example:

• Building cost: 250 ducats
• Monthly profit: 15 ducats
• 5 years = 60 months
• Total income: 15 × 60 = 900 ducats
• ROI: 900 - 250 = 650 ducats profit
• Percentage: (650 / 250) × 100 = 260% return

Good ROI:

• 300%+ return in 5 years: Exceptional
• 200-300%: Excellent
• 150-200%: Very Good
• 100-150%: Good
• 50-100%: Fair
• <50%: Poor investment

What Are Production Chains?

Connected buildings where one building's output becomes another's input.

Example: Textile Chain

Stage 1: Cotton Plantation
↓ Produces: Cotton
↓
Stage 2: Textile Workshop
↓ Consumes: Cotton
↓ Produces: Textiles
↓
Stage 3: Clothing Manufactory
↓ Consumes: Textiles
↓ Produces: Clothes (high value!)

Why Production Chains Matter

Benefits:

1. Maximized Efficiency: Use your own inputs (don't buy from market)
2. Higher Profits: Finished goods sell for much more
3. Supply Security: Never run out of inputs
4. Economic Synergy: Buildings support each other

Example Profit Comparison:

• Selling cotton raw: 2 💰/unit
• Processing into textiles: 3.2 💰/unit (+60%)
• Processing into clothes: 4.5 💰/unit (+125%)

Top Production Chains

1. Textile Chain (Best for: Trade cities)

• Cotton/Silk Farm → Textile Workshop → Clothing Manufactory
• Investment: 700 ducats
• Monthly Profit: 45 💰
• Payback: 16 months
• Best in: Venice, Florence, Constantinople

2. Military Chain (Best for: Military powers)

• Iron Mine → Blast Furnace → Weaponsmith → Arsenal
• Investment: 1,380 ducats
• Monthly Profit: 76 💰
• Payback: 18 months
• Best in: Milan, Nuremberg, Toledo

3. Luxury Chain (Best for: Wealthy cities)

• Silk Farm → Textile Workshop → Clothing Manufactory
• Investment: 750 ducats
• Monthly Profit: 66 💰
• Payback: 11 months
• Best in: Venice, Constantinople, Lyon

4. Naval Chain (Best for: Maritime nations)

• Timber Camp → Iron Mine → Blast Furnace → Shipyard
• Investment: 1,080 ducats
• Enables fleet construction (strategic value)
• Best in: Venice, Genoa, England, Portugal

Mistake 1: Building Without Input Supply

Problem: Building Textile Workshop without cotton source

Result:

• Building sits idle (0% efficiency)
• You paid 250 ducats for nothing
• Need to import cotton (expensive)

Solution: Check production chain FIRST

• Tool shows "Needs: Cotton (×4)"
• If you don't have cotton, build Cotton Plantation first
• Or find alternative building that uses available inputs

Mistake 2: Ignoring Population Requirements

Problem: Building University in 10k population town

Result: Building failed to construct (requirements not met)

Solution: Check requirements section

• University needs: 30k population
• Your town: 10k population ✗
• Wait for population growth or choose different building

Mistake 3: Wrong Terrain Selection

Problem: Building Iron Mine in Plains (no iron deposit)

Result: Can't build, wasted planning time

Solution:

• Check "Deposits" in province panel
• Only build mines where deposits exist
• Tool filters automatically if you select correctly

Mistake 4: Chasing High Income, Ignoring Payback

Problem: Building shows +30 💰/month but costs 2,000 ducats

Calculation: 2,000 ÷ 30 = 67 months (5.6 years) payback

Better Option: Building with +15 💰/month, 250 cost

• Payback: 17 months (1.4 years)
• Profit faster, reinvest sooner

Rule: Prioritize fast payback over high absolute profit

Tip 1: Start With Infrastructure

Build This First (in every province):

1. Marketplace (+80 trade capacity) - CRITICAL
2. Housing (if population growing)
3. Food production (if needed)

Then: Build profit-generating buildings

Why: Infrastructure enables trade and growth

Tip 2: Specialize Provinces

Don't: Build everything everywhere

Do: Focus each province

Examples:

• Venice: Textile production center
• Milan: Military production center
• Paris: Administrative center (universities)
• Hamburg: Trade hub (marketplaces, harbors)

Benefit: Efficiency through specialization

Tip 3: Capital Gets Best Buildings

Why Capital:

• 100% control (maximum efficiency)
• Best infrastructure
• Highest population
• Most stable

Build Here:

• Universities (advance points)
• High-value manufacturing
• Complete production chains
• Strategic military buildings

Tip 4: Check Terrain Bonuses

Massive Profit Differences:

• Iron Mine in Plains: +6 iron ore
• Iron Mine in Mountains: +9 iron ore (+50%!)

Always: Match terrain to building

• Farms → Farmland
• Mines → Mountains/Hills
• Ranches → Grassland

Tool Shows: Terrain bonus automatically applied

Building Priority Order

CRITICAL (Build First):

1. Marketplace (enable trade)
2. Food production (if needed)
3. Housing (if growing)
4. Roads/Harbors (infrastructure)

HIGH PRIORITY (Build Next):

5. High-ROI manufacturing (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)
6. Resource gathering (mines, farms)
7. Production chain starters

MEDIUM PRIORITY (Build Later):

8. Chain middle stages
9. Specialized manufacturing
10. Cultural buildings (universities)

Profit Benchmarks

MONTHLY PROFIT GOALS:

• Rural Province: 5-10 💰/month
• Town: 15-30 💰/month
• Small City: 40-60 💰/month
• Major City: 80-150 💰/month
• Capital: 150-300 💰/month

PAYBACK TIME GOALS:

• Excellent: <2 years
• Good: 2-5 years
• Acceptable: 5-8 years
• Avoid: >8 years

Building Cost by Age

• Age of Traditions: 1.0x (base)
• Age of Renaissance: 1.5x
• Age of Discovery: 2.0x
• Age of Reformation: 3.0x
• Age of Absolutism: 4.0x
• Age of Revolutions: 5.0x

Example: 100 ducat farm

• → Traditions: 100 ducats
• → Renaissance: 150 ducats
• → Discovery: 200 ducats
• → Absolutism: 400 ducats!

Tip: Build early for lower costs!

Q: Why is my building not showing in recommendations?

A: Check requirements:

• Population too low?
• Wrong terrain/location type?
• Building not unlocked in your age yet?
• Missing required deposit (mines)?

Tool only shows buildings you CAN actually build.

Q: Tool says "Needs Cotton" but I don't have cotton farm. What do?

A: Two options:

1. Build Cotton Plantation FIRST, then Textile Workshop
2. Choose different building that doesn't need cotton
3. Import cotton (expensive, not recommended)

Always build production chain from START to END.

Q: Payback time seems long (5+ years). Is this normal?

A: Depends on building type:

• Manufacturing: 1-3 years (fast)
• Mines: 2-5 years (moderate)
• Infrastructure: Never pays back directly (strategic value)
• Universities: 10+ years (long-term investment)

Focus on 1-3 year payback for main economy.

Q: Should I build highest profit building always?

A: Not always. Consider:

• Do you have required inputs?
• Does it fit your production chain?
• Do you have enough capacity?
• Is it strategic (military buildings)?

Sometimes lower profit but better synergy wins.

Q: Can I trust the calculations?

A: 90-95% accurate IF you input correct data:

• Correct terrain selection
• Accurate population
• Right age selected
• Actual market prices (if adjusted)

Default calculations use average prices, actual may vary ±10%.

Q: How often should I use this tool?

A: Use when:

• Developing new province
• Conquered new territory
• Have 200+ ducats to invest
• Planning economic expansion
• Comparing building options
• Every 10-20 game years for optimization

Q: What if I already built wrong building?

A: Unfortunately buildings are permanent. Lessons learned:

• Always calculate BEFORE building
• Can't demolish buildings in EU5
• Focus on optimizing remaining slots
• Use tool for all future buildings

Prevention > cure!

Scenario: You just conquered Venice (City, 50k pop, Plains, Temperate)

Step 1: Open Building Calculator

Step 2: Enter Venice data

• Location: City
• Population: 50,000
• Terrain: Plains
• Climate: Temperate
• Age: Age of Renaissance
• Deposits: None

Step 3: Click "Calculate"

Results:

• 1. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Textile Workshop - 250 ducats, +15 💰/month, 17 mo payback
• 2. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Silk Farm - 300 ducats, +18 💰/month, 17 mo payback
• 3. ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Marketplace - 300 ducats, +0 💰 (strategic value)
• 4. ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Shipyard - 750 ducats, enables fleet (strategic)
• 5. ⭐⭐⭐ Paper Mill - 330 ducats, +12 💰/month, 28 mo payback

Step 4: Click "Textile Workshop" details

Analysis:

• Needs cotton input (check if you have)
• Produces textiles (3.2 💰/unit)
• Can build Clothing Manufactory next (chain)
• Excellent ROI, fast payback

Step 5: Check production chain

Best Strategy: Build complete textile chain

1. Now: Cotton Plantation (250 ducats)
2. 6 months later: Textile Workshop (250 ducats)
3. 12 months later: Clothing Manufactory (300 ducats)
4. Result: Venice becomes textile empire, +45 💰/month

Execute in game!