Smelter

The Smelter is a core processing structure in Valheim used to convert raw ore into usable metal bars. It is one of the most important early progression buildings and enables the transition from stone-age tools to metal gear.

Crafting • Metals • Ores • Building • Biomes

📍 Overview

Unlock Biome	Black Forest
Structure Type	Processing
Requires Fuel?	Yes (Coal)
Processes	Metal Ores → Metal Bars

The Smelter is essential for Bronze, Iron, Silver, and most late-game metals.

🔨 Crafting the Smelter

Material	Amount
Stone	20
Surtling Core	5

Surtling Cores are typically found in Burial Chamber dungeons in the Black Forest.

🔥 How the Smelter Works

The Smelter has:

1 input slot for ore (up to 10 at a time)
1 fuel slot for coal (up to 20 at a time)
1 output queue for metal bars

Processing requires:

1 Ore
1 Coal

Each ore produces 1 metal bar.

⛏ Ores Processed

Ore	Biome	Output
Copper Ore	Black Forest	Copper
Tin Ore	Black Forest	Tin
Iron Scrap	Swamp	Iron
Silver Ore	Mountains	Silver
Flametal Ore	Ashlands	Flametal

Blackmetal Scrap requires a Blast Furnace instead.

🏗 Placement Tips

Place near water for easy ore transport.
Keep near a Charcoal Kiln for efficiency.
Shelter is not required, but organization improves workflow.
Multiple Smelters greatly increase production speed.

Large metal projects benefit from dedicated smelting areas.

⚠ Common Mistakes

Forgetting to keep coal stocked.
Building only one Smelter (production bottleneck).
Smelting far from storage or crafting stations.
Not securing smelting area in hostile biomes.

🛠 Strategy Tips

Build at least two Smelters once Iron tier begins.
Pair with 1–2 Charcoal Kiln structures.
Consider coastal smelting hubs for mountain and swamp metals.
Smelt in batches before large crafting sessions.

Efficient metal processing significantly reduces progression time.