The first part of this table tells you which worker produces the most value on a daily basis. This is particularly important when you have plenty of resources but are short on workers, such as in the early game.

is the number of goods a worker can produce in a day.

This number comes directly from the tooltip (I assume the number reflects how much a worker will produce in a day with no lord inspection bonus and no travel time to work, thus working from 9:00 to 18:00).

Some are straightforward:
Like a miner who will mine 6 iron a day.
A carpenter (workshop) who will produce 6 tools a day.

Some are not.
The rye field tooltip says 3 workers can produce 94 rye.
I assume this means 3 workers can produce 94 rye in 100% soil every 3 days with no bonus and full work time.
Similarly, the pig farm tooltip says that 3 workers can produce 28 meat every 6 days.
I assume this means 3 workers can turn 50 rutabagas into 28 meat every 6 days with no bonus and full work time.

It is important to note that lumberjacks periodically "carry the log" back to the lumber mill, so it is important to move the lumber mill closer to the forest regularly to maintain full efficiency.

And apparently, you should direct your lords with high management to inspect workplaces that either produce things you need the most or have the higher daily production value.

is how much gold the worker can make you in a day.

For example:
An axe worker, without bonus, in perfect conditions, can make 4 axes a day.
4 axes require 4 coals and 4 steels to produce.
Collectively, you can sell the materials to the caravan for 4 * 6 + 4 * 19 = 100 gold.
4 axes can be sold to the caravan for 4 * 50 = 200 gold.
So, an axe worker will make you 200 - 100 = 100 gold a day.

indicate which essential resources this particular good relies upon.

As long as you have wood, you can produce food, moonshine, beer, meat, etc.
As long as you have herbs, you can produce medical salve.
As long as you have herbs and wood, you can produce flavorful ale and nectar.
And so on.

It is important not to oversell goods based on a particular limited resource, especially iron, unless there is something urgent and you need to make a lot of money in a short period of time.

The second part of this table shows you the profit (or loss!!) if you buy all the materials (one tier lower) to make a good from the caravan. This is particularly important because the profit margin is VERY VERY thin.


is the cost of all materials if you purchase them from the caravan.

For example, you can buy iron for 8 and coal for 10 from the caravan. You can then transform them into steel and sell it back to the caravan for 19.
In this case, the production cost would be 18 gold.


is how much the caravan will pay you for a good. These prices are the base rates, assuming your lord and the trader have the same trading skills, providing no trading advantage.

In the previous example, the caravan buying price for steel, without any trade bonus, is 19 gold.


= caravan buying price - production cost. Pretty straightforward.

Continuing the example, the profit for buying coal + iron and selling steel back to caravan is 19 - 18 = 1 gold.


Because a trading advantage both lowers the costs of purchasing the materials from the caravan and raises the price of selling the end goods back to them, a trading advantage works 2-fold to increase your profit. Thus it is really important to have a lord with high trade skill.

The third part highlights some interesting observations based on the data.

1. In the early-to-mid game, if you are 1st, rich in herbs; 2nd, able to import hops; and 3rd, if your neighbors want to buy flavorful ale from you, making flavorful ale is one of the best ways to make money.
   This is because both herb workers and flavorful ale workers have high production value.
   Always look for this trade opportunity, even if it comes from different neighbors.
   
   
   
2. If you have plenty of workers, buying rutabagas from the caravan and selling meat back to them is actually a pretty good trade.
   This is because meat has one of the highest profits among resources based on wood. This makes this strategy viable and important for the mid-to-late game
   However, this strategy is less effective in the early game because meat workers have one of the lowest daily production values in the game.
   
   
   
3. Food, in general, has both low production value and profit, but a surplus of it is important for food security, especially if the matriarch hasn't "blessed" you with any food disasters yet.
   Therefore, you should always aim to have plenty of food surplus before a food disaster hits. After experiencing a food disaster, aim to maintain only a moderate amount of food surplus to maximize overall efficiency.
   
   
   
4. If you have plenty of forest and face an emergency, cutting down trees and selling them is actually a viable economic move, especially in the early game.
   This is because the lumberjack's daily production value is quite high.
   However, if there is no emergency, you should aim to at least transform the wood into coal to make even more money in the early-to-mid game since wood is still a limited essential resource.
   
   Since coal workers' daily production value isn’t the absolute bottom tier, the caravan usually carries plenty of wood, and you are likely to have a surplus of coal workers due to their importance, you can even consider buying wood and selling coal back regularly in the early-to-mid game. If you have a lord with high trading skills, this can become a powerful trading strategy.
   
   
   
5. A similar strategy is possible for tools since tools have a base profit of 3 gold. However, it is less viable because the caravan usually only carries very few iron but plenty of wood.
   
   
   
6. Iron is the most limited resource in the game, so try not to waste it by selling items like daggers, or worse, bows, unless there is an urgent need.
   In general, selling anything with a net loss to the caravan means you will have to spend more money to produce them in the future. Try not to do this without a good reason!
   
   
   
7. Paper has the second highest net loss in the game, so try not to sell it even if it has the highest production value in the game. That is a TRAP!
   Also, try not to burn through it in the chancellery.
   Always put it to good use.
   
   
   
8. If you already have enough maces for capturing prisoners, it's always better to produce spears instead.
   This is because spears have both a slightly higher production value and double the net profit of maces (spear: 6 vs. mace: 3). Spears are also more useful in early-to-mid game fights, as most enemies and the unholy horde don’t wear any armor.
   
   
   
9. Shields are probably the best good to produce in the mid-game due to their high production value and high net profit.
   Look for neighbors who buy shields starting in the second round of trading buy/sell requests (usually around Day 16-20).
   Therefore, if you able to build an armor shop, try to produce shields ASAP instead of light armor.
   
   
   
10. If you are nearing the late game and are buying resources from the caravan to sell them back, swords and heavy armor are the best goods for this due to their high profit margins in the game.
    
    Heavy armor, in particular, is even better than swords, and you should prioritize it.
    Assuming you only buy wood and iron from the caravan:
    • Making a sword can earn you 1 (for making coal) + 1 (for making steel) + 24 (for making the sword) = 26 gold.
      
    • Making heavy armor can earn you 1 (for making coal for tools) + 3 (for making tools) + 1 (for making steel) + 23 (for making heavy armor) = 28 gold.
      
    • The production chain for making heavy armor has a higher daily production value overall, resulting in a more efficient economy.

Armed with the wisdom above, I wish you happy hunting and success in founding the greatest empire!

There were some errors in the table in the first version of this guide, particularly with the materials for making flavorful ale and the calculation of the profit for daggers, thank you for pointing them out! I have corrected both errors. I have also discovered and corrected one more error regarding the nectar. The table should be error free now, hopefully.

I plan to gradually expand this guide to thoroughly cover the economic aspects of the game as my game understanding grows. I would be delighted to hear your ideas! Feel free to share your suggestions or check back regularly for new contents.

If you would like to play with the numbers yourself, you can view the table here:
Link to the Table [docs.google.com]