Smithing
| Details | |
|---|---|
| Category | Production |
| Training methods | Smelt ore at a furnace; work bars at an anvil |
| Tools | Ore for smelting; bars and a hammer for anvil work |
| Training and progression | |
| Unlocks | Metal equipment, ammunition parts and cannonballs |
Smithing turns ore into bars and bars into equipment or ammunition. Smelting and anvil work both train the skill. Start with bronze, then use the best metal you can keep supplied.
Get started
- Gather or buy the ore you need. Mining covers early ores; Motherlode Mine supplies coal and higher-level ores from 30 Mining.
- Carry the ore to a furnace and choose Smelt. Select the bar you want and the amount to make.
- Take the finished bars and a hammer to an anvil.
- Use a bar on the anvil, choose an unlocked item, and make a batch.
- Bank the results and restock your materials.
Use ordinary, unnoted ore and bars for this starter route. The Mining level needed to gather an ore can differ from the Smithing level needed to use it.
Smelting recipes
These are the ordinary furnace recipes before coal-saving or material-saving bonuses. Each recipe makes one bar.
| Bar | Smithing level | Materials |
|---|---|---|
| Bronze | 1 | 1 copper ore + 1 tin ore |
| Iron | 15 | 1 iron ore |
| Silver | 20 | 1 silver ore |
| Steel | 30 | 1 iron ore + 2 coal |
| Gold | 40 | 1 gold ore |
| Mithril | 50 | 1 mithril ore + 2 coal |
| Adamantite | 70 | 1 adamantite ore + 3 coal |
| Runite | 85 | 1 runite ore + 4 coal |
Iron smelting does not have a failure roll on Sarim. You do not need a ring of forging to turn iron ore into bars.
Choose the bar from the furnace's Smelt menu, especially when carrying iron and coal. This lets you pick iron or steel deliberately.
A simple training route
Use these as milestones, then choose items you want to keep. Daggers use one bar and are available as soon as you unlock each metal. Platebodies use five bars and need a higher level.
| Metal | Dagger level | Platebody level |
|---|---|---|
| Bronze | 1 | 18 |
| Iron | 15 | 33 |
| Steel | 30 | 48 |
| Mithril | 50 | 68 |
| Adamant | 70 | 88 |
| Rune | 85 | 99 |
A straightforward route is bronze → iron → steel → mithril → adamant → rune. Stay on a cheaper metal if it is easier to supply. You do not have to replace your whole stock whenever a new metal unlocks.
For useful side goals, bronze nails unlock at 4 Smithing for Construction, and steel dart tips unlock at 34 Smithing for later Fletching. Gold and silver are smelted into bars for crafting rather than the ordinary metal armour menu.
Using a coal bag
Buy a coal bag for 100 golden nuggets from Prospector Percy. With coal in your inventory, use the bag's Fill option, then keep the bag with you while smelting. The furnace uses its stored coal before loose coal.
Check shows how much is left; Empty returns coal to free inventory spaces. A basic bag holds 27 coal, with more space from eligible donor ranks or a worn Smithing cape. Use Check before starting a long batch.
Cannonballs
Bring steel bars and an ammo mould to a furnace. Use the mould or a steel bar on the furnace, then choose how many to make.
- Ammo mould: 1 steel bar makes 4 cannonballs.
- Double ammo mould: 2 steel bars make 8 cannonballs.
The double mould handles two bars at once; it gives the same number of cannonballs per bar. Keep the required mould in your inventory.
Useful bonuses
- Forgemaster can save materials and reduce coal use. Equip it through Perks Menu before starting; unlocking a perk alone does not activate it.
- If you own goldsmith gauntlets, wear them while smelting gold for extra Smithing XP.
- Skill prestige can save materials on supported Smithing actions. Gridmaster skilling relics have separate seasonal bonuses.
Your account's XP rate and active bonuses affect training. Choose a route you can keep supplied rather than planning around a fixed XP-per-hour figure.
Common problems
- The anvil asks for a hammer: bring a normal hammer in your inventory.
- The wrong metal menu opens: use the bar you want on the anvil instead of simply clicking it.
- You can smelt the bar but cannot make the item: check that item's Smithing level and bar cost.
- Smelting stops early: check your remaining ore and coal, and stay near the furnace.
- The furnace opens a jewellery menu: bank your jewellery moulds and try Smelt again.
For custom equipment combinations, use the Item Creation Bench guide. Those recipes are a separate system from ordinary anvil Smithing.