Updated November 5, 2026. Applies to Valheim 1.0, patch 1.0.21. Upgrade costs and max levels come from the community Valheim Wiki; patch changes are checked against Iron Gate's patch 1.0.21 announcement.
Every crafting station in Valheim has a level, and the level decides two things: which recipes you can see and how far you can upgrade the gear made there. Most "why can't I craft this?" questions come down to a missing station upgrade, not a missing material.
This guide lists every Valheim workbench upgrade and every upgrade for the Forge, Black Forge, Galdr Table, Cauldron and Artisan Table. You get exact materials, the biome each upgrade comes from, and the two Deep North stations that finish the chain.
Quick answer: The Workbench goes to level 5 with 4 upgrades: Chopping Block, Tanning Rack, Adze and Tool Shelf. The Forge goes to level 7 with 6 upgrades, the Black Forge to level 6 with 5, the Galdr Table to level 5 with 4, the Cauldron to level 7 with 6 and the Artisan Table to level 2 with 1. Each upgrade adds one level and they work in any order. Build each one close to the station with its own clear line to it. Deep North Nord gear needs a level-4 Black Forge (staves and Caller armor need a level-3 Galdr Table), then a Frost Foundry.
How do crafting station upgrades work in Valheim?
An upgrade is a separate build piece placed near its station. Each different piece adds +1 level, in any order. Two copies of the same piece do nothing, but one piece can upgrade more than one station of the same type if they are both in range.
The station level is the number in the star at the top right of the crafting menu. Older interface capture from the Valheim Wiki; the star works the same way on 1.0.21.
Four rules cover most failed upgrades:
- Range and connection. The wiki says Workbench upgrades must be within 5 meters. Each one needs its own non-overlapping connection to the station, shown as a dotted line of light while you place it. Two upgrades placed in a straight line block each other. Walls and floors do not: an upgrade can sit on the other side of either.
- Roof and cover. Crafting and repairing need a roof and 70% cover. Building inside the radius does not, so an open-air Workbench still lets you place walls.
- Build radius grows. A Workbench starts at 20 m and gains 4 m per level, up to 36 m at level 5. The Forge gains 3 m per level, up to 38 m.
- Gear quality follows station level. An item made at station level N needs level N+1 for quality 2, N+2 for quality 3 and so on. The wiki's example: a Troll Leather Tunic needs a level-2 Workbench, so quality 4 needs level 5.
That last rule explains most of the late-game confusion. Gear first crafted at a high level runs out of station levels before it reaches quality 4. More on that in the Black Forge section.
What are all the Valheim workbench upgrades?
The Workbench costs 10 Wood and is the first thing you build. These four pieces take it from level 1 to level 5:
| Level | Upgrade | Materials | Earliest point |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Chopping Block | 10 Wood, 10 Flint | Meadows |
| 3 | Tanning Rack | 10 Wood, 15 Flint, 20 Leather Scraps, 5 Deer Hide | Meadows |
| 4 | Adze | 10 Finewood, 3 Bronze | Black Forest, after Eikthyr |
| 5 | Tool Shelf | 10 Finewood, 4 Iron, 4 Obsidian | Swamp iron plus Mountain obsidian |
The full Workbench, all upgrades included, costs 30 Wood, 25 Flint, 20 Leather Scraps, 5 Deer Hide, 20 Finewood, 3 Bronze, 4 Iron and 4 Obsidian.
Two bottlenecks catch new players. Finewood comes from Birch and Oak, which need a Bronze Axe, so the Adze waits until you have smelted bronze. The Tool Shelf needs Iron and Obsidian, so most worlds hit level 5 after The Elder and Bonemass, once they have started into the Mountain.
Level 5 is also where Workbench armor stops. Troll Leather, Root and Fenris armor and the Lox Cape all upgrade here, so a level-5 Workbench in your main base is worth building early. Our Valheim armor tier list shows which of those sets are worth the materials.
What are all the Forge upgrades in Valheim?
The Forge costs 4 Stone, 4 Coal, 10 Wood and 6 Copper. It has the most upgrades of any metal station: six, for a maximum of level 7.
| Upgrade | Materials | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Forge Cooler | 25 Finewood, 10 Copper | Black Forest |
| Anvils | 5 Wood, 2 Bronze | Black Forest |
| Smith's Anvil | 5 Wood, 20 Iron | Swamp |
| Forge Toolrack | 10 Wood, 15 Iron | Swamp |
| Forge Bellows | 5 Wood, 5 Deer Hide, 4 Chain | Must touch the Forge |
| Grinding Wheel | 25 Wood, 1 Sharpening Stone | Sharpening Stone = 5 Stone at a Stonecutter |
The full Forge costs 60 Wood, 25 Finewood, 16 Copper, 2 Bronze, 35 Iron, 5 Deer Hide, 4 Stone, 4 Coal, 4 Chain and 1 Sharpening Stone. Iron is the real price: the two iron upgrades alone take 35 bars.
Chain cannot be crafted. It drops from Wraiths and turns up in Sunken Crypt and Swamp chests. The Stonecutter itself needs 2 Iron, so the Grinding Wheel is also a post-Swamp upgrade. In practice the Forge sits at level 3 through the Black Forest (Cooler and Anvils) and reaches level 7 after your first big iron run in the Swamp.
Portal tip. The wiki notes that the Forge Bellows and Grinding Wheel are the only two Forge upgrades with no metal bars. Their materials go through a wooden portal, while copper, bronze and iron do not. If you are setting up a forward base, carry those two over by portal and ship the metal by boat, or use a Stone Portal. Our Valheim portals guide covers which items can travel.
How do you upgrade the Black Forge to level 6?
The Black Forge is the Mistlands metal station: 10 Black Marble, 10 Yggdrasil Wood and 5 Black Core. Five upgrades take it to level 6, and each comes from a different stage of the game:
| Level | Upgrade | Materials | Biome |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Black Forge Cooler | 5 Iron, 5 Copper, 4 Black Marble | Mistlands |
| 3 | Vice | 5 Iron, 8 Copper, 2 Mechanical Spring | Mistlands |
| 4 | Metal Cutter | 5 Black Marble, 5 Flametal, 5 Ashwood, 4 Charred Bone | Ashlands |
| 5 | Gem Cutter | 5 Flametal, 8 Ashwood, 2 Morgen Sinew, 1 Bloodstone | Ashlands |
| 6 | Smith's Aprons | 5 Bloodgold, 8 Timberwood, 2 Moose Hide | Deep North |
The levels in the table assume the usual order. Any three upgrades give level 4, but only two of the five are buildable with Mistlands materials. You cannot reach a level-4 Black Forge with Mistlands upgrades alone. The third upgrade has to be an Ashlands piece (Metal Cutter or Gem Cutter) or the Deep North Smith's Aprons, and the Aprons' Bloodgold already needs Fader dead. This trips up many players arriving in the Deep North, because every Nord weapon, shield, Protector and Vanguard cast needs Black Forge level 4. The wiki's Frost Foundry table lists all of them at that level.
Mechanical Springs for the Vice are made at an Artisan Table: 1 Refined Eitr and 3 Iron each. Bloodstone is the slowest piece. The wiki lists it only from Charred chests inside Charred Fortresses, so plan a fortress run before you need the Gem Cutter.
Smith's Aprons was added in the 1.0 Deep North update. Its in-game description reads: "When dealing with extreme temperatures, workplace safety is of the highest import." The Bloodgold it needs comes from a chain that runs through Fader, explained in our Bloodgold farming guide.
What does Black Forge level 6 unlock?
Mostly quality levels, not new recipes. Gear first crafted at Black Forge 3 can now reach quality 4. Per the wiki's Flametal Armor page, this makes quality 4 possible: 132 armor across three pieces, up from 126.
The Deep North sets do not get that far. Protector and Vanguard casts are made at level 4, so the Protector set stops at quality 3 (144 armor) on a level-6 forge. The wiki marks quality 4 as needing level 7, "not yet available" on 1.0.21. Nord weapons follow the same pattern. Our Valheim weapon tier list uses quality-3 numbers for that reason.
What are the Galdr Table upgrades?
The Galdr Table is the magic station: 10 Black Metal, 20 Yggdrasil Wood, 5 Black Core and 5 Refined Eitr. Its in-game description: "Mysterious galdr forces gather upon this altar. It's up to you to harness them..." Four upgrades take it to level 5:
| Level | Upgrade | Materials | Biome |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Rune Table | 10 Black Marble, 5 Yggdrasil Wood, 10 Refined Eitr | Mistlands |
| 3 | Unfading Candles | 10 Black Marble, 3 Skeleton Trophy, 10 Refined Eitr, 15 Resin | Mistlands |
| 4 | Feathery Wreath | 8 Celestial Feather, 1 Asksvin Trophy, 10 Refined Eitr, 3 Ashwood | Ashlands |
| 5 | Standing Loom | 5 Timberwood, 10 Nornathread | Deep North |
The full table costs 35 Refined Eitr, so start a Refined Eitr stockpile as soon as you build the first Eitr Refinery. Like the Forge Bellows, the Rune Table only places when it touches the Galdr Table itself.
Unlike the Black Forge, the Galdr Table reaches its Deep North cast level with Mistlands materials. The four Nord staves and the Caller armor casts need Galdr Table level 3, which you get from the Rune Table and Unfading Candles. The only odd material is the 3 Skeleton Trophies, a 10% base drop from zero-star Skeletons in Black Forest Burial Chambers. Starred Skeletons drop them more often (20% at one star, 40% at two, per the wiki).
Celestial Feathers drop 2 to 3 at a time from Fallen Valkyries, so the Feathery Wreath takes three or four kills. Nornathread drops from Hexen in the Deep North. The Standing Loom raises Caller gear one more quality level, and Caller armor reaches 78 at quality 3 on a level-5 table. Our Valheim magic guide covers which staves are worth the eitr.
Which stations does the Deep North add?
The Frigid Kiln (left) and Frost Foundry (right). Valheim Wiki renders of Iron Gate game assets.
Valheim 1.0 added two stations that work as a pair. Neither has upgrades, and both need a nearby Workbench to place.
| Station | Build cost | Job |
|---|---|---|
| Frigid Kiln | 20 Stone, 10 Frostcore, 5 Ice | Turns Ice into Liquid Frost |
| Frost Foundry | 15 Iron, 20 Stone, 10 Frostcore | Hardens a cast into the finished item |
The numbers behind the chain, from the wiki's Frigid Kiln and Frost Foundry pages:
- The Frigid Kiln holds 25 Ice and makes 1 Liquid Frost every 30 seconds from 5 Ice. A full load gives 5 Liquid Frost in 150 seconds.
- The Frost Foundry holds 20 Liquid Frost and one cast at a time. Each cast uses 5 Liquid Frost and takes 50 seconds.
- That works out to 25 Ice per finished Nord item. A full kiln load is exactly one item's fuel.
Frostcore comes from Winding Tunnels. Ice comes from Ice Sheets on the Deep North shore, mined with an Iron Pickaxe or better, and from Deep North Greydwarfs. The kiln cannot sit on wood, and like the Smelter it stops when its smoke is blocked. The foundry cannot go in water or on a slope. In multiplayer, mind who owns the foundry. Iron Gate's 1.0.21 notes fixed the recorded crafter when another player's game owns the Frost Foundry, but say crafting-achievement progress "is still tied to network owner" until a network-incompatible update that is "coming soon". Until then, a Nord item you finish at a shared foundry can count toward the network owner's crafting achievement instead of yours. Our Valheim patch notes hub tracks that fix.
What are the Cauldron upgrades?
A Cauldron over a fire. Valheim Wiki gameplay capture of an older build, shown for the station itself.
The Cauldron costs 10 Tin and needs a fire under it. Its six upgrades each unlock one more tier of food, to level 7:
| Level | Upgrade | Materials | Example foods unlocked |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Spice Rack | 3 Dandelion, 2 Carrot, 5 Mushroom, 3 Thistle, 3 Turnip | Sausages, Turnip Stew, Serpent Stew |
| 3 | Butcher's Table | 2 Ancient Bark, 4 Corewood, 4 Finewood, 2 Silver | Wolf Skewer, Eyescream |
| 4 | Pots and Pans | 5 Iron, 5 Copper, 5 Black Metal, 10 Finewood | Fish Wraps, Blood Pudding |
| 5 | Mortar and Pestle | 8 Black Marble, 6 Finewood, 4 Corewood | Salad, Seeker Aspic, Yggdrasil Porridge |
| 6 | Rolling Pins and Cutting Boards | 8 Ashwood, 6 Finewood, 4 Flametal | Oatmeal, Mashed Meat, Marinated Greens |
| 7 | Smoker | 5 Bloodgold, 6 Timberwood | Meat in Bread, Seal Meat Soup, Smoked Moose Meat |
One 1.0.21 change matters here. Iron Gate's notes say: "Made Baked Poteitr, Kale Chips, and Oven Pancake craftable at Food Preparation table instead of Cauldron." The raw versions of those three dishes now come from the prep table. Some wiki station lists still show Unbaked Poteitr under Cauldron level 7, so if it is missing from your Cauldron, look at the prep table. The Valheim food guide ranks the meals worth those upgrades.
What about the Artisan Table and other stations?
The Artisan Table costs 2 Dragon Tears and 10 Wood, so it waits for Moder. It is needed to build the Blast Furnace, Spinning Wheel, Windmill and Stone Oven. It has one upgrade, the Artisan Press (5 Black Marble, 5 Bronze, 1 Majestic Carapace from The Queen). Level 2 unlocks the Ceramic Plate and Shield Core, and the wiki says the Drakkar needs this upgrade.
The Stonecutter (10 Wood, 2 Iron, 4 Stone), Mead Ketill and Food Preparation Table have no upgrades.
Which crafting station upgrades should you build first?
If materials are tight, build in this order:
- Workbench to level 3 in the Meadows. It costs only Wood, Flint, Leather Scraps and Deer Hide, and unlocks gear upgrades for your first armor.
- Forge Cooler and Anvils as soon as you have bronze. Forge level 3 lets bronze gear reach quality 3 before the Swamp.
- Smith's Anvil, Toolrack, Bellows and Grinding Wheel on your first iron haul. Iron gear is your Swamp-to-Mountain kit, and Forge 7 makes it last.
- Rune Table and Unfading Candles right after the Black Forge Cooler and Vice. Galdr 3 is reachable in the Mistlands; Black Forge 4 is not.
- Metal Cutter before the Gem Cutter in the Ashlands. It uses common Ashlands drops and gets the Black Forge to level 4 for the Deep North.
- Smoker and Standing Loom in the Deep North, then Smith's Aprons once your Bloodgold supply is steady.
For the ores behind each step, see our Valheim ores guide.
Planning your next biome? More Valheim guides on timesaver.gg cover the gear these stations make.
- Valheim weapon tier list: the best weapon for every biome, Nord gear included.
- Valheim Deep North resources guide: where to find Frostcore, Ice, Nornathread and Moose Hide.
- Valheim Forge of Potential guide: how to push tools past their normal quality cap.
FAQ
What is the max Workbench level in Valheim? Level 5. Build the Chopping Block, Tanning Rack, Adze and Tool Shelf within 5 meters of the Workbench. Each one adds a level and 4 meters of build radius, so a level-5 Workbench covers 36 meters.
Why won't my Workbench upgrade connect? It is usually more than 5 meters away, or another upgrade sits in its path. Each upgrade needs its own connection line, shown as a dotted light while you place it. Walls and floors are fine: the wiki says upgrades can sit on the opposite side of them. If crafting is greyed out instead, check the Workbench has a roof.
Do Valheim station upgrades need to be built in order? No. Each different upgrade adds one level in any order. The order in this guide follows when the materials become available.
What Black Forge level do you need for Nord weapons? Level 4. Every Nord weapon, shield and Protector or Vanguard cast is made at a level-4 Black Forge, then hardened in the Frost Foundry with 5 Liquid Frost. Staves and Caller armor need a level-3 Galdr Table instead.
Can you get a level 7 Black Forge in Valheim? Not on patch 1.0.21. The Black Forge has five upgrades, so level 6 is the maximum. The wiki lists quality-4 Protector armor as needing level 7, which is not yet available.
Can you take Forge upgrades through a portal? You cannot portal the metal bars most of them need. The Forge Bellows (Wood, Deer Hide, Chain) and Grinding Wheel (Wood, Sharpening Stone) have no bars, so their materials go through a wooden portal.
Sources checked November 5, 2026: Iron Gate's patch 1.0.21 announcement; the community Valheim Wiki pages for the Workbench, Forge, Black Forge, Galdr Table, Cauldron, Artisan Table, Stonecutter, Frost Foundry, Frigid Kiln, Smith's Aprons, Standing Loom and the crafting-station level data module; and the r/valheim thread on upgrading your base as you progress. Images: Valheim Wiki renders and captures of Iron Gate game assets.
