Smithing is one of the core skills in Old School RuneScape (OSRS), allowing players to create weapons, armor, and various other items from metal ores. It is a skill that combines utility and profitability, offering players the ability to craft their own equipment while potentially getting OSRS gold. However, Smithing is widely regarded as a time-consuming skill to train, especially when aiming for level 99. With the right strategies, methods, and tools, players can maximize experience per hour and minimize wasted resources. This guide explores the most efficient ways to level up Smithing, from beginner levels to endgame methods, focusing on speed, efficiency, and practical tips.

 

Understanding the Smithing Skill

Before diving into training methods, it's essential to understand how the Smithing skill works. Smithing experience is primarily gained through two actions: smelting ores into bars and smithing bars into items. Each type of bar or item yields a different amount of experience, making some methods faster but more expensive than others. For example, smelting iron ores into bars grants moderate experience but is relatively inexpensive, while crafting high-level items such as rune platebodies offers massive experience but requires more resources.

 

To smith effectively, players need several tools and resources. A hammer is required for virtually all smithing activities, and access to furnaces and anvils is essential. Furnaces are used to smelt ores into bars, and anvils are used to turn bars into finished items. Some methods also require coal, which is combined with certain ores to smelt higher-tier bars such as steel, mithril, adamant, and rune. Membership unlocks access to higher-level ores, while certain quests and items, like the Blast Furnace and goldsmith gauntlets, can dramatically improve training speed.

 

Early Levels (1-30): Bronze and Iron

The early stages of Smithing training are usually the quickest. Levels 1 to 30 can be achieved efficiently using low-level ores and basic smelting methods.

 

Bronze Bars (Levels 1-10)

For the very beginning of your Smithing journey, smelting bronze bars is the fastest option. Bronze bars are made from copper and tin ores, which are inexpensive and easy to obtain. Players can smelt these ores at furnaces in locations like Al Kharid or Varrock. Each bronze bar provides a small amount of experience, but bulk smelting allows for steady progress with minimal cost. During this stage, players often focus solely on gathering the required ores and building the foundation for more advanced training.

 

Iron Bars (Levels 10-30)

Once bronze is complete, iron becomes the next target. Smelting iron ore into iron bars grants more experience per bar than bronze and slightly improves your Smithing skill. Iron ore is readily available, and furnaces at Al Kharid or Varrock provide convenient access. Iron is slightly more expensive than bronze, but the increased experience gain makes it worthwhile. Additionally, using a Ring of Forging at this stage can sometimes create an extra bar without consuming additional ore, making your training more efficient and cost-effective.

 

Mid Levels (30-70): Steel, Mithril, and Adamant

After reaching level 30, players transition into mid-level Smithing methods, which involve ores that require coal to smelt. The goal during this stage is to maximize experience while balancing cost, as these ores are more expensive than early-game options.

 

Steel Bars (Levels 30-50)

Steel bars are created by combining iron ore with two pieces of coal. Smelting steel bars grants higher experience than iron and lays the groundwork for more advanced smithing. Players can either smelt steel bars in bulk or craft them into items such as steel platebodies for additional experience. The Blast Furnace becomes an efficient option at this stage, especially for players seeking faster XP. It allows steel bars to be smelted more quickly and with less manual effort, particularly when used in groups.

 

Mithril Bars (Levels 50-70)

Once you reach level 50, training with mithril bars becomes viable. Mithril bars are smelted from mithril ore and four pieces of coal and provide significantly more experience than steel. This stage is more expensive due to the cost of mithril ore, but crafting mithril items instead of simply smelting bars can provide a balance between experience and potential profit. High-demand items like mithril platelegs or mithril knives offer practical ways to train Smithing while keeping some costs recoverable.

 

Adamant Bars (Levels 70-85)

Adamant bars mark the high-tier stage of Smithing for non-rune items. Created from adamantite ore and six pieces of coal, they grant excellent experience per bar. Adamantite ore is relatively rare, making smelting more expensive. Players often combine smelting with crafting items or using the Blast Furnace for optimal efficiency. High-level items crafted from adamant bars are often profitable, so savvy players can offset costs while leveling.

 

High Levels (85-99): Rune Bars and Blast Furnace Optimization

The final stretch of Smithing, from level 85 to 99, is where training speed becomes paramount. At these levels, players can choose between maximizing experience per hour or profit-focused methods.

 

Rune Bars (Levels 85-99)

Smelting runite ore with eight pieces of coal produces rune bars, which provide significant experience but are extremely expensive. For players focused purely on XP, crafting rune bars into items such as rune platelegs or rune knives offers additional gains. Rune items are often costly to make, so this method is usually reserved for players who prioritize leveling speed over profit.

 

The Blast Furnace

The Blast Furnace in Keldagrim is one of the fastest ways to train Smithing at high levels. It is a member-only activity that allows for mass smelting of steel, mithril, adamant, and rune bars. The Blast Furnace requires minimal physical interaction, making it efficient for long training sessions. Players can further optimize by using a coal bag, wearing weight-reducing gear, and working in a team to maximize experience per hour. With proper setup, the Blast Furnace can provide up to 200,000 experience per hour, making it the most effective method for high-level Smithing.

 

Alternative Fast XP Methods

In addition to smelting, crafting bars into items provides a fast XP alternative. Players who wish to maximize XP while minimizing grinding time can focus on bar-spending methods, which turn high-level bars into finished items for substantial experience.

 

For instance, crafting mithril or adamant items yields more experience per bar than smelting alone. Goldsmithing is another method, particularly for members, where gold bars are crafted into amulets at anvils for extremely fast experience. Equipping goldsmith gauntlets, unlocked by completing the Family Crest quest, increases XP rates further. High-alchemy strategies can also be combined, allowing players to recover some costs while leveling efficiently.

 

Quests and Bonuses to Accelerate Smithing

Several OSRS quests provide Smithing experience rewards that can skip levels and save hours of grinding. Early quests like Doric's Quest provide a small boost by rewarding experience for delivering ores, while The Knight's Sword grants 1,300 XP, providing a significant early-game boost. Later quests, such as Family Crest, unlock equipment like goldsmith gauntlets that improve XP gains for certain items. Completing The Giant Dwarf quest is essential to access the Blast Furnace, unlocking the fastest high-level training method. Strategically completing quests at the appropriate levels is a crucial tactic for maximizing overall Smithing efficiency.

 

Tips and Tricks for Efficient Smithing

Use the Ring of Forging: This ring provides a chance to smelt an extra bar without consuming additional ore, boosting efficiency.

 

High-Alchemy Items: Crafting items that can be alched allows players to offset costs while still gaining experience.

 

Buy vs Mine: Depending on market prices, purchasing ores or bars from the Grand Exchange may save time and reduce effort. You can also buy OSRS gold to get them quickly.

 

Blast Furnace Group Work: Collaborating with other players in the Blast Furnace reduces downtime and increases XP per hour.

 

Superheat Item Spell: For magic users, the Superheat Item spell can smelt ores without visiting a furnace, saving movement time.

 

Conclusion

Leveling Smithing in Old School RuneScape requires careful planning, strategic resource management, and knowledge of the most efficient training methods. From smelting basic bronze and iron bars to utilizing the high-level Blast Furnace for rune and adamant bars, players have multiple options to tailor their training to their goals. By completing key quests, using specialized equipment like goldsmith gauntlets and rings of forging, and combining smelting with item crafting, players can maximize experience per hour and achieve 99 Smithing with minimal wasted effort. Whether your focus is on fast leveling, cost efficiency, or profit generation, this guide provides a comprehensive roadmap for mastering the Smithing skill in OSRS.