OSRS Superheat Gold vs Mithril Blast Furnace: XP & Profit Guide

Game screenshots and facts are cited from the Old School RuneScape Wiki (strategy, equipment, drops, and related pages). Writing is original editorial, not a copy of the wiki article.

Blast Furnace is the premier Smithing training method for mains who want high XP per hour without wasting coal. But if you also need Magic levels, superheating gold ore delivers both skills in a single click. This guide compares superheat gold versus mithril bars at Blast Furnace, covering requirements, XP rates, profit, click intensity, and when buying gold or a boost makes honest sense.

Requirements and Setup

Both methods sit behind modest quest and skill gates, but the Blast Furnace has ongoing fees that catch unprepared players. Superheat Item is a standard spellbook utility spell unlocked at level 43 Magic. It consumes one nature rune and four fire runes per cast unless you wield a staff of fire, which removes the fire rune cost. The spell smelts one ore in your inventory into a bar, granting the same Smithing XP as a normal furnace smelt, plus 53 Magic XP per cast.

On official Blast Furnace worlds (usually 352, 358, 386, and 387), dwarven workers operate the furnace for you at a cost of 72,000 coins per hour, deposited into the coffer near the bank chest. Coins are only spent while logged in at the Blast Furnace basement on a Blast Furnace world, and unused coins can be withdrawn at any time.

Equipment and Inventory Setup

Your inventory and equipped items change your effective rates more than almost anything else. For superheat gold, equip goldsmith gauntlets and a staff of fire. The gloves boost Smithing XP from 22.5 to 56.2 per gold bar, and the staff removes fire rune costs. Use a rune pouch to store nature runes if you have one, freeing an extra inventory slot for ore. At high Magic levels, you can also equip weight-reducing gear like graceful to shorten bank runs.

For mithril Blast Furnace, wear ice gloves or smiths gloves (i) to cool bars instantly, and bring a coal bag filled with coal. Graceful outfit reduces run energy drain across the basement. A coal bag is not optional if you want the 3,150+ bars per hour rates — without it, every trip carries half the coal and halves your throughput. If you plan to use the pump for Strength training, you don't need any of this; just wear full graceful and keep the furnace stocked with coke.

• Superheat gold: Goldsmith gauntlets, staff of fire, rune pouch with nature runes, graceful or weight-reducing gear.
• Mithril Blast Furnace: Ice gloves or smiths gloves (i), coal bag, graceful outfit, stamina or energy potions.
• Optional: Ring of charos (a) can reduce the Blast Furnace entrance fee if you're below 60 Smithing, but it's usually not worth the inventory slot once you have the level.

Superheating Gold Ore: Mechanics and Rates

Superheat gold is the classic combined Magic and Smithing training for mains who dislike the Blast Furnace's running pattern or want both skills at once. The method is simple: fill your inventory with gold ore, nature runes, and a staff of fire (or fire runes), then cast Superheat Item on each gold ore. Every cast grants 53 Magic XP and either 22.5 Smithing XP without gloves or 56.2 Smithing XP with goldsmith gauntlets equipped. Because goldsmith gauntlets occupy the glove slot, you can wear them alongside a staff of fire — no conflict.

The total XP per cast with gauntlets is 56.2 Smithing + 53 Magic = 109.2 total XP. Actual XP per hour depends on your banking speed and click accuracy. Superheat Item has a 3-tick cast time, but the time lost to banking, running, and misclicks drops the realistic casts per hour to roughly 1,000–1,400 for focused players. Always verify current meta rates on the wiki because inventory setup and bank location change the numbers. At 1,200 casts per hour, you would gain about 67,400 Smithing XP and 63,600 Magic XP per hour.

Profit per cast is the value of a gold bar minus the cost of gold ore, nature rune, and fire runes if you aren't using a staff of fire. Gold bars and ores often have a slim margin, so this method usually breaks even or loses a small amount per hour depending on the Grand Exchange. The real value is training two skills at once with minimal attention beyond clicking the cast and banking.

Mithril Bars at the Blast Furnace: Mechanics and Rates

Mithril bars at the Blast Furnace are a pure Smithing method with excellent profit and far lower attention than superheating. The Blast Furnace uses half the coal of a normal furnace, so mithril bars require only 1 mithril ore and 2 coal instead of 4 coal. With a coal bag in your inventory, you can carry up to 27 mithril ore plus 54 coal per trip, drastically cutting bank runs. On official Blast Furnace worlds, the dwarves handle all furnace operations; you simply deposit ore and coal, then collect the bars after a short delay.

Each mithril bar grants 30 Smithing XP. According to the Blast Furnace strategies page, players using a coal bag can smelt 3,150–3,700 mithril bars per hour, giving 94,500–111,000 Smithing XP per hour. The method is significantly less click-intensive than superheating because you make fewer trips and can queue deposits while the furnace processes. However, you earn zero Magic XP. Profit from mithril Blast Furnace is strong — the wiki money making guide lists it around 1,788,498 coins per hour, but that assumes current GE prices, so always verify before buying supplies.

If you're willing to micromanage inventory, the hybrid method smelts both gold ore and mithril ore in the same trip. This averages 43.1 Smithing XP per mithril bar plus the gold glove XP, potentially pushing total XP over 190,000 per hour. It's more complex and requires both goldsmith gauntlets and a coal bag, but for players who want maximum combined XP, it's a legitimate option. For pure profit, straight mithril remains simpler and more consistent.

Direct Comparison: XP, Profit, and Click Intensity

Choosing between superheat gold and mithril Blast Furnace comes down to whether you need Magic XP, how much profit you want, and how much clicking you can tolerate. The table below summarizes the key differences using current wiki rates where available.

Other Blast Furnace Money Makers

If you're at Blast Furnace anyway, it's worth knowing the hourly profit for other bars. The wiki's money making guide lists these snapshots, but they assume current GE prices and no major supply disruption. Higher-level bars often require more attention but deliver better margins.

Common Mistakes and Efficiency Tips

• Forgetting goldsmith gauntlets: Superheating gold without gauntlets drops Smithing XP from 56.2 to 22.5 per cast, a 60% loss. Equip them before starting.
• Using superheat on mithril at full coal cost: Superheat Item does not benefit from the Blast Furnace's half-coal bonus. Mithril superheat still needs 4 coal per bar, making it far more expensive than Blast Furnace mithril. If you must superheat mithril, compare the extra coal cost against the Magic XP gained.
• Not using a coal bag at Blast Furnace: Without a coal bag, mithril bar trips require twice as many bank visits, halving your bars per hour.
• Skipping the coffer fee: On an official Blast Furnace world, if the coffer is empty, the dwarves stop working and your furnace stalls. Deposit the full 72,000 coins per hour upfront.
• Cooling bars slowly: If you don't wear ice gloves or smiths gloves (i) and don't have a bucket of water, you must wait for bars to cool before banking, killing your rates.
• Ignoring stamina potions: The Blast Furnace basement has long run distances. Using stamina or energy potions keeps your character moving and can increase trips per hour by 5–10%.

Step-by-Step: How to Execute Each Method

Superheating Gold Ore

1. Equip goldsmith gauntlets and a staff of fire.
2. Fill your inventory with gold ore and nature runes. Use rune pouches if you have them to save space.
3. Stand at a bank close to a furnace-free area (Edgeville, Castle Wars, or any bank with low delay).
4. Cast Superheat Item on each gold ore. The bar will appear in your inventory.
5. Bank the gold bars and withdraw more gold ore. Repeat.

Mithril Bars at Blast Furnace

1. Equip ice gloves or smiths gloves (i), graceful outfit, and bring a coal bag filled with coal.
2. Deposit 72,000 coins into the coffer on an official Blast Furnace world.
3. Withdraw 27 mithril ore and fill your coal bag with coal.
4. Run to the conveyor belt and deposit the ores and coal.
5. Wait for the furnace to process, then collect your mithril bars from the bar dispenser.
6. Cool the bars instantly with ice gloves, bank them, and repeat.

Alternative Training: Strength XP at the Pump

While you're at the Blast Furnace, the pump on the east side offers a completely different use: AFK Strength training without any Hitpoints XP. Operating the pump grants 2 Strength XP per tick, up to about 12,000 XP per hour if the furnace stays stocked with coke. This makes it a niche method for players who want Strength levels without combat, such as skillers or those avoiding HP experience.

On official Blast Furnace worlds, the pump is automated by the dwarves and you can't train Strength on it; you must use an unofficial world like 302 or 303 where players manually keep the furnace running. The pump automatically stops after 100 minutes, and you'll be logged out after 5 minutes by default unless you adjust your client settings. The furnace must have coke in it or you gain zero XP, so check the stock before settling in.

When Buying Gold or a Boost Makes Sense

Both methods are viable but demand hours of repetitive input. Superheat gold is especially click-heavy, and Blast Furnace mithril still requires constant trips. If you have more real-world money than time, buying OSRS gold can instantly fund the expensive coffer fee, coal bag, and bulk ore supplies, removing the startup grind. Alternatively, a boosting service can handle the hours while you earn money elsewhere. This is not a rule-breaking shortcut — it's an honest trade-off many mains make. Visit our marketplace for live gold rates and decide if the time saved is worth the cost.

Sources

• Blast Furnace wiki
• Blast Furnace/Strategies wiki
• Pump (Blast Furnace) wiki
• Magic wiki