kingy.wiki
⌘K
Your games

Search kingy.wiki

VValheimValheim1.0.20
Valheim official cover art

In this guide

Build a smelting yard and make your first bronze

Quick answer

Burn wood into coal in a charcoal kiln, smelt copper ore and tin ore separately, and set six copper bars aside for the forge. At the forge, 2 copper + 1 tin = 1 bronze. Pick a target item first so you know when to stop mining.

Burn wood into coal in a charcoal kiln, smelt copper ore and tin ore separately, and set six copper bars aside for the forge.

2 copper + 1 tin = 1 bronze

At a roofed forge. Pick a target item first so you know when to stop mining.

By

How this guide was checked

✓
Recipes and numbers

Community references, checked 7 Sep 2026, before 1.0. Not retested in the current build.

✓
Patch notes

Official notes read up to 1.0.16. The changes they list are applied.

Patch context for this guide 1.0

Selected published changes and their limits. Source checks do not verify every mechanic or your installed version.

Building and serving menus · 1.0

Hammer and Serving Tray menus were overhauled.

What to do: Find the named piece in the current menu. Check materials and the required station instead of relying on an old tab position.

Still unresolved: Platform-specific menu paths and new construction recipes are not yet documented here.

Published · Source checked · SteamDB: Valheim 1.0 patch notes (build 25185596)

Page history and reviewed changes

See the 14 sourcesSuggest a correction
14 sources
Clips from 3 creatorsChecked on screen · 12 Oct 20266 steps4 moments · 1:00
  1. 5:34–5:48Placing a Smelter and a Charcoal kiln side by sideChoose one of two core budgets · MrCoreRPG
  2. 0:56–1:10Place the smelter on open groundChoose one of two core budgets · PazarGamingGuides
  3. 15:08–15:20Feed ordinary wood into the charcoal kilnMake coal before the ore queue fills up · Chaos Bear Gaming
  4. 7:12–7:32From the smelter yard to the Forge’s Bronze recipeCombine bars at the forge · MrCoreRPG

Checked against 1.0.16 patch notes on · Latest recorded build: 1.0.20

See it first · Craft bronze, then your target item ↓

Checked on screen · Oct 12, 2026 · Valheim 1.0

7:12–7:32 · 20 sFrom the smelter yard to the Forge’s Bronze recipe
MrCoreRPGFull video ↗
Credits

“Ultimate Black Forest Preparation & Progression Guide! Valheim 1.0” by MrCoreRPG · Oct 7, 2026 · Valheim 1.0 (uploaded Oct 7, 2026)

Independent creator · no partnership implied

Creator? Ask us to remove this

Bronze2 copper + 1 tinper bar, at the forge
Forge6 copper · 4 coal+ 4 stone, 10 wood · needs a roof
Kiln or smelter5 cores · 20 stoneeach
Smelter2 coal per oreabout 30 s a bar · holds 10 ore

Plan your haul

Subtract anything you already own.
Copper ore22
Tin ore8
Coal64

Includes 6 copper and 4 coal for the forge. The forge also needs 4 stone and 10 wood.

Open the full planner →

Before you start

  • Surtling cores, stone and ore from the Black Forest gathering trip.
  • A hammer, workbench and a clear patch of ground for the processing buildings.
  • Ordinary wood for fuel, plus wood reserved for the forge and shelter.
  • A destination for your first bronze, such as the axe in the equipment guide.
1

Set up a kiln and a smelter

Prove or fix this

Each one costs 20 stone and 5 surtling cores. With 10 cores, build both. With only 5, build the kiln, turn your wood into coal, then take the kiln apart with the hammer (you get everything back) and build the smelter.

Build on open ground beside your sheltered workbench, and leave room for the smelter’s two inputs and its output chute. A low roof over the yard causes smoke problems.

Charcoal kiln20 Stone + 5 Surtling coreHammer · near a workbench
Smelter20 Stone + 5 Surtling coreHammer · near a workbench

Checked on screen · Oct 12, 2026 · Valheim 1.0

5:34–5:48 · 14 sPlacing a Smelter and a Charcoal kiln side by side

From the hammer build menu, place a Smelter (“Fuel and ore go in, beautiful metal ingots come out”) on open grass, then a Charcoal kiln beside it.

MrCoreRPGFull video ↗
Credits

“Ultimate Black Forest Preparation & Progression Guide! Valheim 1.0” by MrCoreRPG · Oct 7, 2026 · Valheim 1.0 (uploaded Oct 7, 2026)

Independent creator · no partnership implied

Creator? Ask us to remove this

Checked on screen · Oct 12, 2026 · Valheim 1.0

0:56–1:10 · 14 sPlace the smelter on open ground

Select the Smelter’s hammer card (stone and surtling-core cost) and place it on open grass; the game’s tip then says coal fuels it and a kiln loaded with wood makes coal.

PazarGamingGuidesFull video ↗
Credits

“How to Make and Use a Smelter in Valheim” by PazarGamingGuides · Sep 10, 2026 · Valheim 1.0 (uploaded Sep 10, 2026); patch number not shown

Independent creator · no partnership implied

Creator? Ask us to remove this

5:34–5:48Placing a Smelter and a Charcoal kiln side by side0:56–1:10Place the smelter on open ground

Mechanics sources: Valheim Wiki: Charcoal kilnValheim Wiki: Smelter

Illustrative layout: smelt in the open, craft under cover.
2

Make coal before you load ore

Prove or fix this

Feed ordinary wood into the kiln: one wood makes one coal. Keep fine wood and core wood in a chest so they don’t get burned. A full smelter load of 10 ore needs 20 coal, so stock up first.

Coal1 WoodCharcoal kiln

Checked on screen · Oct 12, 2026 · Valheim 1.0

15:08–15:20 · 12 sFeed ordinary wood into the charcoal kiln

At the charcoal kiln, use the Add wood prompt to feed in ordinary wood; “Added Wood” appears over the kiln with its fill counter.

Chaos Bear GamingFull video ↗
Credits

“The Ultimate Valheim 1.0 Resource Guide (Early Game)” by Chaos Bear Gaming · Sep 9, 2026 · Valheim 1.0 (uploaded Sep 9, 2026, launch day); patch number not shown

Independent creator · no partnership implied

Creator? Ask us to remove this

15:08–15:20Feed ordinary wood into the charcoal kiln

Mechanics sources: Valheim Wiki: Charcoal kilnValheim Wiki: SmelterEIP Gaming: Smelter and Blast Furnace

3

Smelt copper first, then tin

Prove or fix this

Smelt the two ores separately. Do copper first and put six bars aside: the forge needs them before you can make any bronze.

Copper1 Copper ore + 2 CoalSmelter
Tin1 Tin ore + 2 CoalSmelter

Mechanics sources: Valheim Wiki: ForgeValheim Wiki: Smelter

4

Build the forge under a roof

Prove or fix this

Place it with the hammer within workbench range, then give it a roof; it won’t open without one. The four coal are part of the build cost. The forge doesn’t burn fuel to craft.

Forge6 Copper + 4 Coal + 4 Stone + 10 WoodHammer · near a workbench

Mechanics sources: Valheim Wiki: Forge

5

Craft bronze, then your target item

Prove or fix this

Carry the copper and tin bars to the forge and choose Bronze. Make only what your target needs, because some builds use copper or tin directly. Refill your coal before the next big ore run.

Bronze2 Copper + 1 TinForge level 1

Checked on screen · Oct 12, 2026 · Valheim 1.0

7:12–7:32 · 20 sFrom the smelter yard to the Forge’s Bronze recipe

Once bars come out of the smelter beside the kiln and a chest, open the Forge inside a sheltered workshop; its craft list shows the Bronze x5 recipe ready to craft.

MrCoreRPGFull video ↗
Credits

“Ultimate Black Forest Preparation & Progression Guide! Valheim 1.0” by MrCoreRPG · Oct 7, 2026 · Valheim 1.0 (uploaded Oct 7, 2026)

Independent creator · no partnership implied

Creator? Ask us to remove this

7:12–7:32From the smelter yard to the Forge’s Bronze recipe

Mechanics sources: Valheim Wiki: BronzeValheim Wiki: Forge

Ore, bars and bronze: check which step is missing

Prove or fix this

A full chest of ore does not mean the forge has usable metal. Follow the chain once with a small batch, then budget the target equipment. The starting list below includes an axe and the workshop; remove existing stations, then enter spare ore, bars and fuel as stock.

The calculator expands listed recipes only. Extra upgrade-resource entries in the newer extracted equipment data remain unresolved, so an initial-quality estimate must not be presented as a verified current upgrade budget. Check the in-game item recipe before committing the haul.

First-bronze troubleshooting by what you have
What is in your inventory?Next actionBudget check
Copper ore or tin oreSmelt the ore using coal.Owned ore still needs smelting fuel.
Copper and tin bars, but no forgeReserve copper for forge construction before using it for bronze.Include the forge as a project if it is not built.
Usable forge and both bar typesCraft bronze from the displayed recipe.Choose one equipment target before processing the rest.
Finished bronze, but the target is absentCheck ingredient discovery, station and item requirements.Do not gather more ore until the missing requirement is identified.

Mechanics sources: Valheim Wiki: BronzeValheim Wiki: ForgeEIP Gaming: Smelter and Blast Furnace

Open the first-bronze workshop list

A complete example: a forge and a first bronze axe

Prove or fix this

The axe needs 8 bronze. That means 16 copper and 8 tin for the alloy. Add 6 copper for a new forge: mine and smelt 22 copper ore and 8 tin ore. Including the forge’s construction cost, the reference coal budget is 64.

This is an arithmetic example from the listed recipes, for one base-quality axe and a new forge. It still needs the forge’s stone and wood, the axe’s wood and leather scraps, and the kiln/smelter building materials. Shelter pieces, spare fuel, losses and upgrades are outside that total. If you already have a forge or bars, subtract what you actually own.

Mechanics sources: Valheim Wiki: BronzeValheim Wiki: Bronze axeValheim Wiki: ForgeEIP Gaming: Smelter and Blast Furnace

Calculate this example with your existing inventory

Try it in the calculator ↑

You’re ready when…

0 of 3 · saved on this device

If something goes wrong

The smelter stops with ore still inside.

It has run out of coal. Every ore needs 2 coal, so a full load of 10 ore needs 20. Top up the coal input and it carries on.

I only have five surtling cores.

Build the kiln first and turn your wood into coal. Then take the kiln apart with the hammer, which returns the cores and stone, and build the smelter with them.

Bronze doesn’t show up at the forge.

Check that the forge has a roof and that you are carrying copper bars and tin bars, not ore. If it still doesn’t appear, check the recipe’s station and discovery requirements in game.

I ran out of copper before building the forge.

The forge itself costs 6 copper bars. Smelt copper first and set those six aside before turning any into bronze.

Did this answer your question?

Sources · 14community · official · checked 29 Sep 2026 · Patch notes checked to 1.0.16
Valheim Wiki: Charcoal kiln ↗Kiln construction, wood conversion, reference throughput and recovery of building materials.community ·
Valheim Wiki: Smelter ↗Smelter construction, coal and ore inputs, output chute, capacity, smoke clearance and material recovery.community ·
Valheim Wiki: Forge ↗Forge ingredients, cover requirement, bronze crafting and resource-free repairs.community ·
Valheim Wiki: Bronze ↗Two copper bars and one tin bar produce one bronze at a forge.community ·
Valheim Wiki: Bronze axe ↗Base axe recipe and ability to chop birch and oak.community ·
EIP Gaming: Smelter and Blast Furnace ↗Two coal and one ore per bar, 30-second processing time, and smelter capacity.community ·
Game8: Build and upgrade the forge ↗Forge cost: 6 copper, 4 coal, 4 stone and 10 wood.community ·
Game8: Make bronze ↗Bronze ratio and base bronze axe materials.community ·
SteamDB: Valheim 1.0 patch notes (build 25185596) ↗Announced changes to mist clearing, gear durability, Bear and Ashlands encounters, base-piece tags, rare drops, menus, pockets and trinkets.community ·
Iron Gate: Valheim 1.0 Has Arrived! (Steam announcement, 9 September 2026) ↗The publisher’s list of what the 1.0 update added and changed. Used only to screen a guide for listed changes.official ·
Iron Gate: Hotfix 1.0.10 & 1.0.12 (Steam announcement, 11 September 2026) ↗Listed fixes in 1.0.10 and 1.0.12, including Deep North armour repair and Forge of Potential recipe unlocks.official ·
Iron Gate: Patch 1.0.14 (Steam announcement, 17 September 2026) ↗Listed fixes in 1.0.14, including a stronger PlayerBase effect on some build pieces.official ·
Iron Gate: Patch 1.0.15 (Steam announcement, 18 September 2026) ↗Listed fixes in 1.0.15, including terrain-duplication and Deep North mould-drop changes.official ·
Iron Gate: Patch 1.0.16 (Steam announcement, 25 September 2026) ↗Listed fixes in 1.0.16, the latest patch found on 2026-09-29, including terrain-modification and raid enemy-count fixes.official ·
Spotted something wrong?Suggest a correctionReport a problem

Stuck? Tell us where

Say where you’re stuck in Valheim. You get one hint at a time from a published kingy.wiki guide, and the answer and its clip stay covered until you ask.

If nothing matches, we keep your words (without emails, links or long numbers) to decide which answers to write next. Privacy