OSRS Blast Furnace Training Cost Guide

The Blast Furnace in Old School RuneScape (OSRS) is a go-to method for training Smithing, offering high experience rates and potential profits. Located in Keldagrim, this members-only minigame allows players to smelt bars using half the coal of regular furnaces, making it efficient for high-tier ores. However, the costs can add up, especially for players aiming for level 99 Smithing. This guide breaks down the expenses involved, from fees to gear, and offers tips to optimize your training while keeping costs low. Whether you’re smelting gold bars for XP or other bars for profit, understanding the financial side of Blast Furnace training is key.

Before diving into costs, let’s cover the prerequisites for accessing and using the Blast Furnace effectively. These requirements influence both your setup and expenses.

Quest and Skill Requirements

To access Keldagrim, you must start The Giant Dwarf quest by speaking to the Dwarven Boatman east of Rellekka. This has no skill requirements, making it accessible for most players. However, a Smithing level of 60 allows you to use the furnace without an entry fee, significantly reducing costs. Below level 60, you’ll need to pay 2,500 coins every 10 minutes, which can be halved to 1,250 coins with the Ring of Charos (a) by following the Foreman’s dialogue (1•3•2•3).

Official Blast Furnace Worlds

The Blast Furnace operates most efficiently on designated worlds (352, 355, 358, 386, 387), where dwarves (Dumpy, Stumpy, Pumpy, Numpty, Thumpy) handle the furnace mechanics. This convenience comes with a fee of 72,000 coins per hour (12 coins per tick), deposited in the coffer near the bank chest. Using these worlds is recommended for solo players due to their speed and ease.

Core Costs of Blast Furnace Training

Training at the Blast Furnace involves several expenses, including fees, ores, and consumables. The costs vary depending on the bars you smelt and your setup.

Hourly Furnace Fee

On official Blast Furnace worlds, the 72,000 coins per hour fee is unavoidable unless you manually operate the furnace on non-themed worlds, which requires teamwork and skills like 30 Agility, Crafting, Firemaking, and Strength. For most players, paying the fee is worth the convenience, equating to 1,200 coins per minute. If you’re below 60 Smithing, add the 2,500 coins per 10 minutes (or 1,250 with the Ring of Charos (a)), which totals 15,000 coins per hour without the ring or 7,500 with it.

Ore Costs for Smelting

The primary expense is the cost of ores, which depends on the type of bar you’re smelting. Gold bars are the fastest for XP, while steel, mithril, or adamantite bars can be profitable. Here’s a breakdown of ore costs based on typical Grand Exchange prices (prices fluctuate, so check current rates):

Bar Type	Primary Ore (Cost)	Coal Needed (Cost)	Approx. Bars/Hour	Approx. Ore Cost/Hour
Gold	Gold ore (~250 gp)	None	6,000	1,500,000 gp
Steel	Iron ore (~100 gp)	1 coal (~150 gp)	1,800	450,000 gp
Mithril	Mithril ore (~600 gp)	2 coal (~300 gp)	1,200	1,080,000 gp
Adamantite	Adamantite ore (~1,200 gp)	3 coal (~450 gp)	900	1,755,000 gp

Note: These costs assume buying ores from the Grand Exchange or Ordan’s Ore Seller, who stocks up to mithril ore. High-level ores like adamantite and runite must come from your bank, as Ordan doesn’t sell them.

Stamina Potions

Running between the bank, conveyor belt, and bar dispenser drains run energy quickly. Stamina potions are essential for continuous training, with approximately 36–40 doses used per hour. A 4-dose stamina potion costs around 8,000 gp, so expect to spend 72,000–80,000 gp per hour on potions (assuming 9–10 potions).

Essential Gear and Items

Your gear setup impacts both efficiency and costs. Some items are one-time investments, while others are optional but recommended.

Must-Have Items

• Goldsmith Gauntlets: Obtained from the Family Crest quest, these boost gold bar XP from 22.5 to 56.2 per bar, making them critical for fast training. No recurring cost, but the quest requires 40 Smithing, 40 Mining, and 59 Magic (or lower with boosts).
• Ice Gloves: Acquired by defeating the Ice Queen (50 Mining required), these eliminate the need for a bucket of water to cool bars, saving inventory space and time. One-time acquisition with no cost after obtaining.
• Coal Bag: Purchased for 100 golden nuggets from Prospector Percy’s Nugget Shop (Motherlode Mine), this holds 27 coal, doubling coal-carrying capacity for bars like mithril or adamantite. Essential for profit-oriented smelting but not needed for gold bars.

Optional but Helpful Gear

• Full Graceful Outfit: Bought for 260 marks of grace from Grace in the Rogues’ Den, this reduces weight by 25 kg, lowering run energy drain. Costs around 2–3 hours of Rooftop Agility to acquire.
• Ring of Endurance: Obtained from the Chambers of Xeric, it reduces run energy drain when charged with stamina potions. Expensive and not essential for most players.
• Weight-Reducing Clothing: Items like Boots of Lightness or Spottier Cape are cheaper alternatives to Graceful, reducing weight by 4–10 kg.

Experience Rates and Cost Efficiency

The Blast Furnace offers some of the fastest Smithing XP in OSRS, but the costs vary by method. Here’s how different bars stack up in terms of XP and expenses.

Gold Bars (Fastest XP)

Smelting gold bars at level 40 Smithing with goldsmith gauntlets yields up to 370,000–400,000 XP per hour, making it the fastest method to 99. However, it’s costly:

• Ore Cost: ~1,500,000 gp/hour (6,000 gold ores at 250 gp each).
• Furnace Fee: 72,000 gp/hour.
• Stamina Potions: 72,000–80,000 gp/hour.
• Total Cost: ~1,644,000–1,652,000 gp/hour.
• Profit/Loss: Selling gold bars (~400 gp each) yields 2,400,000 gp/hour, netting a loss of ~250,000 gp/hour after costs.

Using runners (players trading gold ore for bars) can push XP to 500,000–600,000 per hour but costs 7,000,000 gp/hour per runner, making it impractical for most.

Profit-Oriented Bars

Smelting steel, mithril, or adamantite bars can be profitable while offering decent XP:

• Steel Bars: ~90,000 XP/hour, ~400,000 gp/hour profit (level 30 Smithing).
• Mithril Bars: ~120,000 XP/hour, ~500,000 gp/hour profit (level 50 Smithing).
• Adamantite Bars: ~150,000 XP/hour, ~600,000 gp/hour profit (level 70 Smithing).

These methods are slower but offset costs with profits, ideal for players prioritizing gold over XP.

Tips to Minimize Costs

Maximizing efficiency and cutting expenses can make Blast Furnace training more affordable.

Optimize Your Setup

• Use Ice Gloves and Goldsmith Gauntlets: Swap between them to maximize XP and save time. Clear bank placeholders to avoid depositing these items accidentally.
• 0-Tick Banking: Deposit bars, withdraw ores, and run back to the conveyor belt in one tick using a resizable client with transparent chatbox settings. This boosts XP rates by minimizing downtime.
• Buy Ores in Bulk: Purchase ores when prices dip on the Grand Exchange to reduce costs over time.

Alternative Strategies

• Hybrid Smelting: Combine gold with mithril or adamantite using a coal bag to balance XP and profit. This requires precise inventory management but reduces gold ore costs.
• Mine Your Own Ores: For Ironmen or budget players, mining gold or other ores reduces reliance on the Grand Exchange, though it’s time-intensive.
• Avoid Smithing Catalysts: These double XP for coal-based bars but are hard to obtain and take inventory space, making them inefficient for most players.

By understanding the costs and optimizing your approach, Blast Furnace training can be tailored to your goals, whether it’s fast XP with gold bars or steady profits with other bars. Check Grand Exchange prices regularly, invest in key items like goldsmith gauntlets, and use official worlds for the best experience. Happy smelting!