Frontkrieg Unit Production: Costs, Build Times & Mobilization

How much does an army cost in Frontkrieg? The cheapest unit is an infantryman at 5,500 money and 1 hour of production time; the most expensive is the railgun at 60,000 money, 400 iron, 400 coal, and 20 hours of factory time. Between those two poles sit 12 more unit types — and the difference between a player who mobilizes in a day and one who waits a week almost always comes down to three things: the right buildings, province morale, and a smart production queue. This reference is for Frontkrieg players — the free, no-pay-to-win WW1 grand strategy in your browser — who want exact numbers: what every unit costs, how long it takes to build, and how to cut that time dramatically. All figures reflect the current game balance.

How unit production works

Every unit is ordered in a specific province and joins that province's production queue. The order button only becomes active once the prerequisite building is standing: without a recruiting office you can't train even infantry, and without a level 2 factory there are no tanks.

Three factors determine actual production time:

• The unit's base time. From 1 hour for infantry and balloons up to 20 hours for the railgun.
• Province morale. The reference point is 80: at that morale a unit takes exactly its base time. Higher morale speeds production up, lower morale slows it down — so mobilizing in a freshly captured province sitting at 25 morale is a bad idea.
• Barracks. Level 1 barracks grant +50% recruiting speed (time divided by 1.5); level 2 grants +150% (time divided by 2.5). A tank with a 14-hour base time rolls off the line in roughly 5.6 hours in a province with level 2 barracks.

Money and resources are deducted when you place the order, so check your balance on the resource market before a big mobilization.

What every unit costs

Here is the full catalog with prices, base build times, and prerequisite buildings.

Infantry and cavalry

• Infantry — 5,500 money; 1 hour; requires a level 1 recruiting office. Upkeep: 1 money plus ~1 grain per day per unit.
• Cavalry — 6,500 money + 40 grain; 3 hours; requires a workshop and level 1 barracks. Moves at 1.0 provinces/hour — twice as fast as infantry.

Factory hardware

• Armored car — 7,000 money + 50 iron + 40 oil; 3 hours; level 1 workshop. The early-game defensive shield: 15 defense against ground targets.
• Artillery — 12,000 money + 100 iron + 80 oil; 8 hours; level 1 factory. Your first ranged unit (range 90).
• Tank — 25,000 money + 200 iron + 150 oil; 14 hours; level 2 factory.
• Heavy tank — 40,000 money + 350 iron + 250 oil; 18 hours; level 3 factory.
• Railgun — 60,000 money + 400 iron + 400 coal + 100 oil; 20 hours; level 3 factory plus a railway. Record firing range: 340.

Aviation

• Balloon — 8,000 money + 80 lumber; 1 hour; aerodrome + workshop. The cheapest "eye in the sky" with a 400 sight radius — the largest in the game.
• Fighter — 18,000 money + 120 iron + 80 oil + 30 lumber; 6 hours; aerodrome + level 1 factory.
• Bomber — 26,000 money + 240 iron + 150 oil + 50 lumber; 14 hours; aerodrome + level 3 factory.

Navy

• Transport — 20,000 money + 300 lumber; 4 hours; harbor + workshop. Carries up to 70 units.
• Light cruiser — 22,000 money + 200 iron + 150 coal + 100 oil; 8 hours; harbor + level 1 factory.
• Submarine — 30,000 money + 250 iron + 100 coal + 120 oil; 10 hours; harbor + level 2 factory.
• Battleship — 50,000 money + 450 iron + 350 coal + 300 oil; 16 hours; harbor + level 3 factory. The toughest unit in the game at 250 hit points.

For who beats whom in combat, see the dedicated guide to unit types and counters.

How to produce troops faster

Real mobilization in 1914 decided entire campaigns: the Entente and the Central Powers put millions under arms within weeks (see the article on World War I). In Frontkrieg, four techniques do the work:

• Build barracks in your production hubs. +150% speed at level 2 is the single largest multiplier in the game.
• Keep morale above 80. Produce in old provinces near your capital, not in freshly conquered territory.
• Parallelize production. Each province runs its own queue: three factory provinces build three tanks simultaneously.
• Use the free infantry. A recruiting office automatically recruits 1 infantryman roughly every 24 in-game hours at full province morale. Ten recruiting offices form a passive stream of reinforcements at zero cost.

Upkeep: your army bills you every hour

Every unit drains resources hourly, and a large army can eat a budget faster than a war does. Reference points: an infantryman costs 1 money/hour, a tank 7 money and 2 oil/hour, a battleship 15 money, 4 oil, and 4 coal/hour. A fleet of 10 battleships runs 3,600 money per day just for existing. Cavalry and balloons additionally consume grain, so watch your food balance — a food-category deficit hits morale across all your provinces. For production basics, see the economy and resources guide.

Production chains: what to build for which army

• Infantry mass: recruiting office → barracks. Cheap and effective from day one.
• Ground strike force: workshop → factory levels 1–3 → artillery, tanks, heavy tanks.
• Air wing: aerodrome + factory → fighters, then bombers.
• Navy: harbor + factory → cruisers, submarines, battleships.
• Siege artillery: level 3 factory + railway → the railgun.

The build order for the buildings themselves is its own topic — see what to build and in what order. And once the army is ready, plan its movement and front logistics.

Frequently asked questions

How do I decrease unit production time?

Build barracks (level 2 divides time by 2.5), keep province morale above the reference value of 80, and produce in several provinces in parallel. Combined, these cut a 14-hour tank down to roughly 5–6 hours.

What is the most expensive unit in Frontkrieg?

The railgun: 60,000 money, 400 iron, 400 coal, 100 oil, and a 20-hour base build time. In return it bombards targets at range 340 — the longest reach in the game.

What do I need to produce aircraft?

An aerodrome in the province plus a factory: level 1 for the fighter, level 3 for the bomber. A balloon only needs an aerodrome and a workshop.

Can I get troops for free?

Yes. Every recruiting office automatically recruits about 1 infantryman per 24 in-game hours at full province morale. It is the only free source of troops in the game.

Conclusion

Production in Frontkrieg is simple math: unit price, prerequisite building, morale, and barracks. Players who know the numbers mobilize twice as fast as their rivals and win the tempo before the first shot is fired. Remember the essentials: level 2 barracks divide build time by 2.5, recruiting offices generate free infantry, and the top-tier units all demand a level 3 factory. Put the numbers to the test — a new match starts every day.