OSRS Blast Furnace Strategy Guide for Maximum Efficiency

The Blast Furnace in Old School RuneScape (OSRS) is a powerhouse for players looking to level up their Smithing skill or make a tidy profit. Located in Keldagrim, this members-only minigame allows you to smelt bars using half the coal required by regular furnaces, making it ideal for high-tier ores like mithril, adamantite, and runite. This guide dives into the best strategies to maximize experience (XP) and gold per hour (GP/HR), covering requirements, gear, and efficient smelting methods. Whether you’re chasing 99 Smithing or aiming to stack coins, this Blast Furnace strategy will set you up for success.

The Blast Furnace is a cooperative minigame, but on official worlds (352, 355, 358, 386, 387), dwarves (Dumpy, Stumpy, Pumpy, Numpty, and Thumpy) handle most tasks for a fee, letting you focus on smelting. The key advantage is the reduced coal requirement, which boosts efficiency for bars that typically demand heavy coal input. However, it’s resource-intensive, requiring gold for fees and specific items to optimize your runs.

Requirements to Access the Blast Furnace

• Quest: Start The Giant Dwarf quest by speaking to the Dwarven Boatman east of Rellekka to unlock Keldagrim.
• Smithing Level: Level 60 Smithing (non-boostable) to avoid a 2,500-coin fee every 10 minutes. Below 60, equip the Ring of Charos (a) to reduce the fee to 1,250 coins.
• Fees: On official Blast Furnace worlds, deposit 72,000 GP per hour into the coffer near the bank chest (12 coins per tick).
• Recommended Skills: 30 Agility (for non-official world strategies), higher Agility for run energy restoration.

Getting to the Blast Furnace

Keldagrim is accessible via several routes, with the fastest being:

1. Minigame Teleport: Use the Grouping Teleport menu (requires prior Keldagrim visit).
2. Minecart: From the Grand Exchange or Dwarven Mines under Ice Mountain.
3. Fairy Ring: Code DKR, then use the underwall tunnel (21 Agility) and minecart, or DKS and walk to the Keldagrim entrance.

Once in Keldagrim, head to the building with the furnace icon in East Keldagrim and go downstairs.

Essential Gear and Inventory Setup

To maximize efficiency, your gear and inventory need to minimize run energy loss and streamline smelting. Weight-reducing clothing and specific items are critical, especially for high-intensity methods like gold bar smelting.

Recommended Gear

• Graceful Outfit or Weight-Reducing Gear: Reduces weight to preserve run energy. Alternatives include Boots of Lightness and Spottier Cape if Graceful isn’t available.
• Ice Gloves: Obtained from the Ice Queen under White Wolf Mountain (50 Mining required). These instantly cool bars at the dispenser, saving time over using a bucket of water.
• Goldsmith Gauntlets: Essential for smelting gold bars, boosting XP from 22.5 to 56.2 per bar. Unlocked via the Family Crest quest.
• Ring of Charos (a): Reduces the entrance fee for players under 60 Smithing (requires Creature of Fenkenstrain and Garden of Tranquility).
• Ring of Endurance: Marginally improves run energy restoration (optional).

Inventory Setup

Your inventory depends on the bar type and Smithing level. Here’s a general setup:

• Coal Bag: Holds 28 coal, doubling efficiency for coal-dependent bars (obtained from Motherlode Mine for 100 golden nuggets).
• Stamina Potions: Maintain run energy (2,500 GP per dose, ~80,000 GP/HR). Decant to 1-dose potions for faster consumption.
• Ores: 26 slots for gold ore (with Goldsmith Gauntlets/Ice Gloves switch) or a mix of coal and primary ore for other bars.
• Coins: For players below 60 Smithing to pay the foreman.

Smelting Strategies for Different Bars

The Blast Furnace supports smelting various bars, each with unique strategies to optimize XP or profit. Below are the most effective methods, focusing on gold bars for XP and hybrid methods for profit.

Gold Bar Smelting (Max XP)

Smelting gold bars at level 40 Smithing with Goldsmith Gauntlets yields up to 400,000 XP/HR, the fastest Smithing XP in OSRS. Here’s how to do it:

1. Equip Goldsmith Gauntlets and have Ice Gloves in inventory.
2. Deposit 72,000 GP/HR into the coffer on an official Blast Furnace world.
3. Withdraw 26 gold ore, run to the conveyor belt, and deposit.
4. Wait for the XP drop (keep Goldsmith Gauntlets on).
5. Switch to Ice Gloves, collect bars from the dispenser, bank, and repeat.

Pro Tip: Preload the furnace with 26 gold ore and leave bars in the dispenser to minimize waiting time. Expect ~5,600 bars/HR, but this method loses GP due to high ore costs (~352 GP each).

Hybrid Method (Gold + High-Tier Bars)

The hybrid method combines gold smelting with mithril, adamantite, or runite bars to balance XP and profit. It requires a coal bag and is best for mithril and above. Here’s the process:

1. Start with 27 coal in the furnace to avoid making iron bars.
2. Inventory: Coal bag (26 coal), Goldsmith Gauntlets/Ice Gloves, 26 gold ore.
3. Deposit 26 gold ore and 26 coal (via coal bag) on the conveyor belt.
4. After ~250 coal is deposited (10 trips), switch to 26 primary ore (mithril, adamantite, or runite) and 26 coal per trip.
5. Collect bars, bank, and repeat, alternating gold and primary ore.

This method yields ~200 trips/HR, offering 1,299,130 XP and 5,711,333 GP for 1,000 trips of adamantite/gold versus 1,039,925 XP and 4,424,500 GP for separate trips.

Single-Bar Smelting (Profit-Oriented)

For pure profit, focus on steel, mithril, adamantite, or runite bars. Use these patterns:

Note: Always check Grand Exchange prices, as profits fluctuate. Runite bars are the most profitable but require 85 Smithing.

Tips for Maximum Efficiency

Small optimizations can significantly boost your XP or GP/HR. Here are key tips:

• Use Official Worlds: Dwarves automate tasks, increasing XP rates by ~50% compared to manual operation.
• Preload Coal: Deposit 26–27 coal before starting to ensure correct bar production (e.g., steel instead of iron).
• Bank Efficiently: Use hotkeys or mousekeys to exit the bank interface quickly and minimize tick loss.
• Monitor Run Energy: Sip stamina potions proactively to maintain 100% run. Higher Agility reduces downtime.
• Avoid Ordan’s Shop: Buying ore from Ordan is often costlier than the Grand Exchange due to stock depletion.

Advanced Techniques and Cost-Saving Tricks

For seasoned players or those on a budget, these advanced strategies can enhance your Blast Furnace experience:

World Hopping Strategy

To avoid the 72,000 GP/HR fee, use a non-official world:

1. Deposit ore on the conveyor belt in a non-Blast Furnace world.
2. Manually pedal the conveyor to load ore into the furnace (30 Agility).
3. Hop to an official Blast Furnace world to collect bars without paying the coffer fee.

Drawback: This is slower and impractical for most players due to minimal savings compared to ore costs.

Hybrid Pattern Optimization

For hybrid smelting, use the OSRS Wiki’s bar patterns to minimize bank trips. For example, adamantite/gold requires one less inventory slot for gauntlets, yielding higher XP/HR than separate smelting.

Smithing Catalysts

Smithing catalysts from Giants’ Foundry double XP for coal-dependent bars but don’t reduce coal needs. They’re not recommended due to high effort to obtain and inventory slot usage.

By mastering these Blast Furnace strategies, you can achieve up to 400,000 XP/HR with gold bars or earn 1,000,000–1,200,000 GP/HR with runite bars. Stick to official worlds, optimize your gear, and use hybrid methods for a balanced approach. Happy smelting!