Skyrim Smelting Guide: Master the Art of Crafting Ingots from Ore

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How to Use a Smelter

In The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim, players have the opportunity to engage in every aspect of the crafting system. As the Dragonborn, players can hunt down animals, obtain their hides, and transform those hides into leather. In addition, they can convert this leather into armor and enhance it with enchantments. The same crafting process can be applied to metal weapons and equipment.

However, it is crucial for players to locate the correct stations and tools in order to fully utilize this process. Furthermore, they must familiarize themselves with the necessary materials required to craft each type of ingot. This comprehensive guide provides detailed explanations on where to acquire ores, the locations of smelters in Skyrim, and the specific recipes that can be used at the smelter.

How to Get Ores

Similar to how players can obtain leather directly from animals, they can also obtain metal ores directly from their natural sources in Skyrim. Ore veins can be found throughout the land, protruding from rocks. While they may appear as ordinary rocks, they possess streaks of distinct colors that differentiate them from the usual brown and gray. These different colors indicate the presence of various ores, such as iron (green and red) and gold (yellow).

To collect ore from a vein, players need to have a pickaxe in their inventory. It is not necessary to equip the pickaxe, as long as it is present. Upon interacting with the vein, the player character, known as the Dragonborn, will automatically retrieve the pickaxe, strike the vein repeatedly for a few moments, and acquire three pieces of ore. Although notifications are only displayed for the first and third ores, players always receive three in total. Furthermore, there is a chance of obtaining a gemstone alongside each piece of ore when mining. Once the third ore is obtained, the vein will become depleted, causing the colored streaks to darken. Nonetheless, similar to the replenishing of plants, ore veins will eventually refill after a few in-game days.

How to Use a Smelter

Ore veins, though distributed throughout Skyrim, are most commonly found in mines. These mines are represented by a crossed hammer and pickaxe symbol on the map and there are approximately two dozen of them scattered across the region. While iron mines are the most prevalent, players can also stumble upon mines for each ore type available in the game. Alternatively, players have the option to purchase ores from general merchants, jewelers, and smiths, although such opportunities are generally rare.

In order to transform ore into ingots, players must locate a smelter. These smelters are constructed with stone, forming a distinctive dome shape, and are usually accompanied by a stack of black charcoal. Although smelters are not easily found within towns, there are often smelters situated close to mine entrances. Fortunately, in the city of Whiterun, there is a smelter located behind Warmaiden's shop, while Windhelm boasts a smelter outside the Blacksmith Quarters.

In general, players can make an ingot by combining two ores of the same type. There are some exceptions, however:

Please note that the numbers in parentheses next to Dwarven Metal Ingots indicate the amount of ingots each item produces, rather than the number of items required to produce one ingot. A single Solid Dwemer Metal yields 5 ingots. Furthermore, Daedric equipment shares the same ingredients as Ebony equipment, with the exception of requiring a single Daedric Heart for each item during the forging process.

The only alternative use for ores is to sell them off, making the smelting of ores into ingots and crafting items with them the preferred method for turning ores into cash and creating high-quality custom equipment for adventuring. However, it is important to remember to store them safely between adventures, as both ores and ingots can quickly become burdensome for players.

The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim is available now on PC, PS3, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.