Ironman Smithing Guide OSRS: Blast Furnace & Giants' Foundry
Blast Furnace gold with Goldsmith Gauntlets is fastest (380-420k XP/hr). Giants' Foundry is resource-efficient and lets you recycle PvM drops. Don't mine your ores — buy from Ordan with GP. Get Ice Gloves and Double Ammo Mould early.
Smithing on an ironman isn’t just about XP — it’s about where your bars come from and what you do with them.
At a glance:
- Fastest XP: Blast Furnace gold bars with Goldsmith Gauntlets (380-420k XP/hr)
- Resource-efficient: Giants’ Foundry (90-250k XP/hr, uses PvM drops, often profitable)
- Priority unlocks: Goldsmith Gauntlets, Ice Gloves, Coal Bag, Double Ammo Mould
Priority Unlocks
Get these before serious training:
| Item | Source | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Goldsmith Gauntlets | Family Crest quest | 2.5x XP per gold bar (22.5 → 56.2) — essential for BF gold |
| Ice Gloves | Ice Queen (50 Mining) | Grab hot bars without bucket — huge QoL |
| Coal Bag | MLM (100 nuggets) | Carry 27 extra coal — essential for steel+ bars |
| Double Ammo Mould | Giants’ Foundry (2,000 rep) | Doubles cannonball speed — get this early |
| Smith’s Uniform | Giants’ Foundry (15,000 rep total) | 20% faster anvil/GF actions |
Where Do Bars Come From?
This is the ironman-specific question most guides skip.
| Source | Notes |
|---|---|
| Ordan (Blast Furnace shop) | Buy ores with GP, smelt at BF — fastest bar acquisition |
| PvM drops | Lots of metal items from Slayer — recycle at Giants’ Foundry |
| Zalcano | Gold, mithril, adamant ores/bars — excellent mid-game |
| MLM | ~500 ores/hr — slow, but passive while AFK |
| Mining | Generally not worth it vs buying with GP |
Key insight: Most ironmen don’t mine their smithing supplies anymore. It’s faster to make money (thieving, agility pyramid, etc.) and buy ores from Ordan.
Early Game (1-40)
Quests First
Skip the early grind entirely:
| Quest | XP | Total Level |
|---|---|---|
| The Knight’s Sword | 12,725 | 29 |
| Elemental Workshop I | 5,000 | 33 |
| Elemental Workshop II | 7,500 | 37 |
| The Giant Dwarf | 2,500 | 38 |
| Heroes’ Quest | 2,257 | 39 |
Total: ~30,000 XP → Level 37-39
Giants’ Foundry (15-40)
After Sleeping Giants quest, you can start Giants’ Foundry at 15 Smithing. Buy bronze/iron equipment from shops and start earning reputation toward Double Ammo Mould.
Blast Furnace Gold (40-99)
The fastest Smithing XP in the game. Period.
Requirements
- 40 Smithing (60 recommended for official worlds)
- Goldsmith Gauntlets (Family Crest)
- Ice Gloves (or bucket of water)
- The Giant Dwarf started (access to Keldagrim)
- GP for gold ore (~225 gp each from Ordan)
Method
- Use official BF world (W358) — NPCs run the furnace for 72k GP/hr fee
- Buy gold ore from Ordan (BF shop)
- Equip Goldsmith Gauntlets
- Deposit ore on conveyor belt
- Collect bars with Ice Gloves
- Bank and repeat
XP Rates
- 380-420k XP/hr with optimal setup
- ~231,000 gold ore needed for 40-99
- Cost: ~52M GP in ore (but you keep the gold bars)
Hybrid Method (Gold + Other Ores)
You can mix gold smelting with coal-requiring ores to reduce costs and get useful bars while maintaining high XP rates.
How it works:
- Fill coal bag with 27 coal
- Deposit 26 gold ore + coal bag contents simultaneously
- Equip Goldsmith Gauntlets before gold bars are made
- Every few trips, swap gold ore for mithril/adamant/rune ore
Ore ratios (gold trips to other):
| Ore | Ratio | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Mithril | 1:1-2 | Most frequent swaps |
| Adamantite | 1:2-3 | Good balance |
| Runite | 1:3-4 | Least frequent |
Keep ~250 coal in the furnace so higher-tier ores smelt properly.
Superheat Alternative
If you want passive Magic XP:
- Buy gold ore from Ordan
- Cast Superheat Item (43 Magic)
- ~80k Smithing + 75k Magic XP/hr
- More chill than full BF runs
Giants’ Foundry
The resource-efficient alternative — and often profitable.
Why Giants’ Foundry?
- Uses bars OR metal equipment (recycle PvM drops!)
- Often profitable with lower-tier alloys
- Gives reputation for useful rewards
- More engaging than BF gold spam
How It Works
- Get commission from Kovac (describes sword type)
- Select moulds matching the commission
- Fill crucible with bars/equipment (always use 2 metals for alloys)
- Pour metal, then work the preform (heat/cool/grind/polish)
- Hand in for XP, GP, and reputation
Alloy Recommendations
Always use two metals — alloys give massively better scores than single metals.
| Level | Alloy | XP/hr | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15-30 | Bronze + Iron | ~50k | Early training, slightly profitable |
| 30-50 | Iron + Steel | ~70k | Good for building reputation |
| 50-70 | Steel + Mithril | ~90-120k | Profitable — great for shop buying |
| 70-85 | Mithril + Adamant | ~150-190k | Best balance of XP and cost |
| 85+ | Adamant + Rune | ~200-250k | Highest XP, expensive |
Priority Purchases
- Double Ammo Mould (2,000 rep) — Get first, doubles cannonball speed
- Smith’s Uniform (15,000 rep total) — 20% faster actions
- Moulds (5,400 rep total) — Better scores = more XP/sword
- Ore Packs (200 rep each) — Useful for supplementing bar supply
Shop Buying for Giants’ Foundry
This is the efficient ironman method — buy equipment from shops, recycle at Giants’ Foundry.
Best Shops by Tier
Warhammers (2 bars each, cheapest per bar):
| Shop | Location | Stock | Requirements |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cam Torum Blacksmith | Cam Torum, Varlamore | Bronze-Adamant warhammers, highest stock | Perilous Moons started |
| Vigr’s Warhammers | Keldagrim | Steel warhammers | The Giant Dwarf started |
| Skulgrimen’s Battle Gear | Rellekka | Mithril+ | Fremennik Easy diary (for Peer deposit) |
Platebodies (4 bars each, higher stock):
| Shop | Location | Stock | Requirements |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aneirin’s Armour | Prifddinas | Mithril-Rune | Song of the Elves |
| Fortis Blacksmith | Civitas illa Fortis | Bronze-Adamant | Children of the Sun |
| Horvik’s Armour | Varrock | Iron-Mithril (low stock) | None |
Recommended Shop Route (Pre-Song of the Elves)
For Steel + Mithril alloy (50-70 Smithing):
- Cam Torum — Buy steel warhammers (highest stock, near bank)
- Mt. Karuulm — Buy mithril claws
- Jatizso — Buy steel warhammers + mithril claws
- Keldagrim (Vigr’s) — Buy steel warhammers
Bank a supply, then do Giants’ Foundry runs. This is profitable — you’ll make ~10k+ per sword.
Post-Song of the Elves (70+)
For Mithril + Adamant alloy:
- Aneirin’s Armour (Prifddinas) — Buy mithril + adamant platebodies
- Use 14 mithril + 14 adamant per sword (or 9 platebodies + 2 platelegs + 1 plateskirt each)
This is the best XP method at Giants’ Foundry but not profitable.
Using PvM Drops
Giants’ Foundry gives purpose to all those alchables from Slayer:
- Rune platebodies, platelegs, med helms → Recycle for rune bars
- Adamant equipment → Mix with mithril or rune
- Mithril equipment → Mix with steel or adamant
Note: Equipment gives 1 fewer bar than it costs to make (platebody = 4 bars, not 5). Still worth it for drops you’d otherwise alch.
Cannonballs
If you have steel bars and need cannonballs for Slayer:
- Requires Dwarf Cannon quest
- ~14k XP/hr (very slow)
- Double Ammo Mould from Giants’ Foundry doubles speed
- Only make what you need for specific cannon tasks
Cannonballs are not a training method — the XP is terrible. Make them when you need them for Slayer, not as a way to train.
Method Comparison
| Method | Level | XP/hr | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blast Furnace Gold | 40+ | 380-420k | ~52M ore | Fastest, click-intensive |
| Superheat Gold | 40+ | 80k Smith + 75k Magic | ~52M ore | More chill, passive Magic XP |
| Giants’ Foundry (Addy/Rune) | 85+ | 200-250k | Expensive | Highest GF XP |
| Giants’ Foundry (Mith/Addy) | 70+ | 150-190k | Moderate | Good balance |
| Giants’ Foundry (Steel/Mith) | 50+ | 90-120k | Profitable | Best for shop buying |
| Platebodies at Anvil | Varies | 60-80k | Varies | Traditional, outdated |
| Cannonballs | 35+ | 14k | Profit | Only for Slayer prep |
Recommended Path
| Stage | Do This | Goal |
|---|---|---|
| 1-15 | Quests | Knight’s Sword → 29, unlock Giants’ Foundry |
| 15-40 | Giants’ Foundry (Bronze/Iron) | Get Double Ammo Mould (2,000 rep) |
| 40-50 | Giants’ Foundry or BF Gold | Continue toward Smith’s Uniform |
| 50-70 | Giants’ Foundry (Steel/Mith shops) | Profitable training, finish Smith’s Uniform |
| 70+ | BF Gold OR Giants’ Foundry (Mith/Addy) | Choose speed vs resource efficiency |
| 85+ | Zalcano for bars → Giants’ Foundry | Sustainable, profitable long-term |
Alternative (speed-focused):
- 1-40: Quests + minimal GF for Double Ammo Mould
- 40-99: BF Gold (expensive but fast)
FAQ
Should I do Blast Furnace or Giants’ Foundry?
Blast Furnace gold is faster (380-420k vs 90-250k XP/hr) but costs ~52M GP. Giants’ Foundry is often profitable and lets you recycle PvM drops. Most ironmen do some of both — GF early for the unlocks, then BF gold if they want to rush 99.
Is it worth mining my own ores?
No. It’s much faster to make GP (thieving, agility pyramid, early money methods) and buy ores from Ordan. 1 hour of Ardy Knights buys more ore than 5+ hours of MLM.
What should I buy from Giants’ Foundry first?
Double Ammo Mould (2,000 rep). It doubles your cannonball production speed forever. Then work toward Smith’s Uniform for the 20% action speed boost.
How do I get Iron Bars for The Knight’s Sword?
There’s a spawn west of Graveyard of Shadows in level 18 Wilderness (2 bars spawn). For HCIM, there’s a safer spawn at Sunset Coast in Varlamore after Children of the Sun.
Is Zalcano good for Smithing supplies?
Yes, excellent mid-game. You get gold, mithril, and adamant ores/bars plus GP. Good to do once you have decent combat stats and want a break from other content.
Common Mistakes
- Mining your ores — Buy from Ordan with GP. Mining is way slower than making money and buying.
- Skipping Ice Gloves — These save so much time at BF and GF. Get them early.
- Using single metals at GF — Always use alloys (two metals). Single metal swords give terrible scores.
- Smithing bars into items for GF — You lose 1 bar per item. Only recycle PvM drops, not bars you made.
- Training with cannonballs — 14k XP/hr is awful. Only make what you need for Slayer.
- Ignoring Double Ammo Mould — This is your first GF purchase. Doubles cannonball production forever.
Related Guides
- Mining Guide — If you do want to mine (Zalcano, MLM)
- Early Money Guide — Fund your BF gold ore