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Iron smelting & wrought-iron tools

Updated October 26, 2026 · Maintained by the site team

Use wrought iron as an intermediate tool tier by enabling the optional smelting chain.

Reviewed build: 0.1.190.146 FULL FIXED R4 · October 26, 2026. Built against RimWorld 1.6.4871. DLC requirements are listed below.

Set up the system

  1. Search smelting in Mod options and enable it; the current default is OFF.
  2. Collect iron ore from the system's eligible mining finds and process it at a stone bloomery.
  3. Research Smithing and build or use a fuelled or electric smithy.
  4. Assign Smithing work and provide a carried hammer when tool requirements are enabled.
  5. Make one of the eight iron tools, then expand toward furnace and electric-smelter processing.

Current rules and limits

  • A stone or bone hammer can forge the first iron hammer. Steel-tool recipes remain at the machining table.
  • At equal quality and maker skill, documented tool-speed steps are 1.0 stone/bone, 1.1 iron and 1.25 steel.
  • Smelt any ore appears first in the later bill menu.
  • Disabling smelting pauses its new crafting but retains saved bills and finished usable tools. Lumber has its own switch.

Start without an iron hammer

The first iron hammer can be forged with a usable stone or bone hammer. This avoids requiring the product before the first recipe can be completed. Smithing work, a usable smithy and the appropriate research still matter.

Compare builds and saved choices

The initial .114 release and later .118 defaults are different. The current OFF default does not erase a player’s saved ON choice. When reporting missing bills, include the switch value, the bill list, research and the exact smithy selected.

Source builds: .114-.118 and .124. These references describe packaged beta behavior; focused tests do not establish complete live-game validation.

Check your build.

These references describe the reviewed beta build. Check the installed package and later release notes for changed recipes, values, dependencies and compatibility. A documented fix is not a substitute for live colony testing.

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