OSRS Crafting Guide

Build a high-confidence Crafting training plan

Updated July 2026

Crafting is all about tradeoffs between speed, cost, and utility breakpoints. Choose your lane first, lock your target level, and execute with one method until the next milestone.

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16 sections

What Is Your Best Crafting Method Right Now?

Pick your route by speed, GP budget, and milestone needs. Then commit until your next target level.

Choose Your Planning Track

Fastest XPD'hide Body RoutesMaximum Crafting XP with high GP spend and tight banking loops.High
Budget MainGem + Green D'hide PathStrong value path with lower cost and consistent progression.Low to Medium
Profit PriorityProfitable D'hide/JewelleryLower XP rates but can offset costs or generate profit while training.Low
Quest UtilityTarget 70/75 CraftingHit key quest and utility breakpoints before deciding on 99 pace.Varies

Build My Crafting Plan Start with prebuilt routes

Method Comparison Arena

Compare route speed, cost, and effort so you can choose a method you can sustain.

High-Confidence Training Routes

Route 1Fast 99 RouteEarly unlocks -> gem ramp -> black d'hide body pushTarget: 99

Route 2Budget 99 RouteQuest start -> gems -> green d'hide progressionOutcome: 99 at controlled spend

Route 3Utility RouteHit 70 for MM2, then 75 with boost planning for slayer utilityTarget: 70 then 75

Route 4Profit-Leaning RouteMix profitable alternatives where margins support your goalsOutcome: Sustained GP efficiency

Milestones That Matter

20: Early setup complete.
54: Midgame method flexibility improves.
70: Major quest breakpoint.
75: Useful utility crafting threshold.
99: Completionist and cape utility goal.

Execution Checklist

Choose route based on GP budget first.
Set your next milestone before buying supplies.
Use banking layout optimizations to sustain XP rates.
Re-plan at 70 and 75 before a full 99 push.

🗺️ Level-by-Level Training Path

One clean route from 1 to 99 with exact XP rates, quantities, and costs at each bracket. Commit to a bracket, buy supplies, and execute.

Levels	Method	Items Needed	XP/hr	Cost/Profit	Time
1-20	Quest XP	Death on the Isle	-	Free	30 min
20-27	Sapphire Gems	106	139k	-4k	2 min
27-34	Emerald Gems	156	188k	-11k	3 min
34-43	Ruby Gems	355	236k	-85k	7 min
43-54	Diamond Gems	1,934	299k	-1.5M	44 min
54-63	Water Battlestaves	2,178	245k	-94k	53 min
63-71	Green D’hide Bodies	2,398	317k	+122k	1.4 hrs
71-77	Blue D’hide Bodies	3,149	358k	-1.5M	1.8 hrs
77-84	Red D’hide Bodies	6,307	399k	-5.6M	3.7 hrs
84-99	Black D’hide Bodies	39,082	440k	-49M	23 hrs

Totals: ~53M GP cost | ~32 hours to 99 | Green d’hide (63-71) is the only profitable bracket, earning +122k GP while delivering 317k XP/hr.

📋 Essential Crafting Milestones

Every level that changes your training options, unlocks a diary step, or gates an important quest.

Level	Unlock	Why It Matters
40	Elemental Workshop	Mind and Mystic staves for magic training; required for several clue steps
46	Vial Crafting	Make your own vials from molten glass; essential for Ironmen and Herblore prep
54	Water Battlestaves	First battlestaff tier unlocks fast, low-cost training with near break-even margins
63	Green D’hide Bodies	Profitable XP at 317k/hr; the best value method in the entire skill
66	Air Orbs	Unlocks Air Battlestaves (337k XP/hr) - the fastest battlestaff method
70	Monkey Madness II	Major quest requirement; gates demonic gorillas and heavy ballista
71	Blue D’hide Bodies	358k XP/hr; faster than green but costs ~1.5M for the bracket
77	Red D’hide Bodies	399k XP/hr; strong mid-level push to 84
84	Black D’hide Bodies	440k XP/hr - the fastest Crafting XP in the game; carry to 99
85	Karamja Elite Diary	Elite diary requirement; unlimited teleports to Duradel with Karamja gloves 4
93	Amethyst Dart Tips	Profitable AFK method; combine with Mining for self-sufficient training
98	Zenyte Jewellery	Craft a Tormented Bracelet or Necklace of Anguish from a Zenyte shard; high-value PvM gear upgrade

🎒 Crafting Basics & Setup

Why Train Crafting?

• 70 Crafting for Monkey Madness II quest
• 75 Crafting for Slayer Rings (can boost from 70 with +5)
• 99 Crafting cape = unlimited Crafting Guild teleports (close to bank!)
• Important for Ironmen (make your own gear)

Banking Tips (Essential!)

Tip #1: Lock Your Inventory

Bank Settings → Deposit Lock Settings → Lock first slot (for chisel or needle/thread)

Prevents accidentally banking your tool!

Tip #2: Optimize Bank Layout

Create new bank tab for Crafting supplies
Go to Bank Settings → Fill tab with bank fillers
Move supplies closer to inventory
Hold ALT (Runelite) to move inventory closer to bank tab

Costume Needle (Highly Recommended!)

What it does: No longer need thread when crafting leather items = saves 1 inventory slot!

How to get: Complete "Death on the Isle" quest → speak with Costumer on Aldarin

Why essential: Makes leather/dragonhide crafting much more efficient

🌱 Early Levels (1-20)

Option 1: Death on the Isle Quest (Recommended)

Reward: 5,000 Crafting XP (brings you to level 20!)

Bonus: Unlocks Costume Needle (no thread needed)

Time: ~30 minutes

Option 2: Craft Leather Items

If you don't have quest requirements, craft leather items (very quick - few minutes!):

Levels	Item	Quantity	Cost
1-7	Leather Gloves	48	18k
7-9	Leather Boots	20	6k
9-11	Leather Cowl	21	8k
11-14	Leather Vambraces	34	13k
14-20	Leather Body	94	35k

Total: 217 leather, ~80k GP, takes ~5 minutes

⚡ Fast Training Methods

1. Gem Cutting (20-77)

Fastest XP from 20-77! Use chisel on uncut gems, resell cut gems on GE for a loss.

Levels	Gem	Quantity	XP/hr	Cost	Time
20-27	Sapphire	106	139k	-4k	2 min
27-34	Emerald	156	188k	-11k	3 min
34-43	Ruby	355	236k	-85k	7 min
43-77	Diamond	13,259	299k	-10.7M	5 hrs

💡 Budget Tip: Stick to Sapphire/Emerald if you want to save money!

2. Battlestaves (54-99)

Great for fast XP on a budget! Combine battlestaves with orbs (water/earth/fire/air).

Levels	Type	Quantity	XP/hr	Cost	Time
54-58	Water	736	245k	-32k	0.3 hrs
58-62	Earth	972	276k	-89k	0.4 hrs
62-66	Fire	1,300	306k	-274k	1 hr
66-99	Air	91,187	337k	-27M	37 hrs

Downside: Need large cash stack (8.2k per battlestaff)

Budget Tip: Stick to Water battlestaves to save money!

3. D'hide Bodies (63-99) 🏆

BEST XP rates! Use costume needle + 3 dragon leather per body.

Levels	Type	Quantity	XP/hr	Profit/Cost	Time
63-71	Green	2,398	317k	+122k	1.4 hrs
71-77	Blue	3,149	358k	-1.5M	1.8 hrs
77-84	Red	6,307	399k	-5.6M	3.7 hrs
84-99	Black	39,082	440k	-49M	23 hrs

Budget Tip: Green D'hide is actually PROFITABLE! Stick to it to save money.

🚀 Fastest Path to 99

Get 99 Crafting in just 32 hours! Costs ~260M GP at current prices.

Levels	Method	Quantity	XP/hr	Cost	Time
20-27	Sapphire	106	139k	-4k	3 min
27-34	Emerald	156	188k	-11k	4 min
34-43	Ruby	355	236k	-85k	7 min
43-77	Diamond	13,259	299k	-10.7M	5 hrs
77-84	Red D'hide	6,307	399k	-5.6M	4 hrs
84-99	Black D'hide	39,082	440k	-49M	23 hrs

Total: ~260M GP | ~32 hours to 99

💰 Budget Path (Save Money!)

Get 99 Crafting for only ~23M GP! Takes 42 hours.

Levels	Method	Quantity	XP/hr	Profit/Cost	Time
20-27	Sapphire	106	139k	-4k	3 min
27-54	Emerald	2,091	188k	-144k	45 min
54-63	Water Battlestaff	2,178	245k	-94k	53 min
63-99	Green D'hide	68,096	317k	+3.5M	40 hrs

Total Cost: ~23M GP | Total Time: ~42 hours | Green D'hide is PROFITABLE!

🎨 Alternative Training Methods

Jewellery Crafting (Profitable)

Craft jewellery at a furnace (Edgeville or Prifddinas). Can be profitable!

What you need:

• Necklace/ring/bracelet mould
• 13 gold bars
• 13 gems (Sapphire/Emerald/Ruby/Diamond)

Level	Item	Profit/hr	XP/hr	Time to 99
20	Sapphire Ring	149k	56k	0.02 hrs
22	Sapphire Necklace	123k	77k	0.08 hrs
29	Emerald Necklace	186k	84k	0.3 hrs
40	Ruby Necklace	259k	105k	1 hr
56	Diamond Necklace	250k	126k	102 hrs

⚠️ Warning: Check daily volume on Wiki! Many jewellery items have low volume and won't sell quickly.

Drift Nets (Moneymaking)

Make Drift nets on a loom (Museum Camp, Fossil Island). Bank nearby.

Slow XP but great profit!

700k GP/hr

60k XP/hr

Total to 99: 236,831 drift nets | 217 hours | 152M GP profit

Sunstone Golem Crafting (Coming Late July 2026)

New Crafting method from the Wyrmscraig update. Comparable to Glassblowing for XP but without the time-gated seaweed requirement - train on demand.

Key features:

• XP rates comparable to Glassblowing (self-sufficient) or higher with purchased furs
• Momentum mechanic rewards active play
• Closed loop with Goat Hunting - earn furs on the island, craft golems, stay indefinitely
• Ornate Glassblowing Pipe reward: wieldable pipe for full 28-slot Molten Glass inventories

Full Wyrmscraig rewards guide - Golem Crafting, Hallowfell weapon & more

💵 Profitable Crafting Methods

Skip the loss and train Crafting at a profit. These four methods earn GP while you level - ideal for mains who want progress without burning cash.

1. Battlestaff Dailies from Zaff

After Varrock Medium Diary, Zaff sells 30 battlestaves at 7k each (GE price ~8.3k). Buy daily, attach orbs, and alch or sell for 1.4k+ profit each.

Daily profit: ~42-60k for 2 minutes of work. Varrock Elite raises the cap to 120 staves/day.

2. Cut Diamonds & Dragonstones

Diamonds (43+) and Dragonstones (55+) often sell for more uncut than cut - but the margin flips frequently. Buy uncut when the spread favors cutting, sell cut for profit.

Check GE prices before each session. Use Runelite’s GE lookup for live margins.

3. Tan Dragonhide

Buy d’hide on GE, tan it at the Al Kharid or Prifddinas tanner, resell at a profit. No Crafting level required. Black d’hide tanning earns 400-600k GP/hr.

Zero XP but pure profit. Use energy potions and the Al Kharid tanner for best rates.

4. String Amulets

Buy unstrung amulets and ball of wool, string them at a bank. Diamond amulets (70+) earn ~170k XP/hr and typically profit 100-200k GP/hr.

Low-intensity method you can do on mobile. One-click per amulet at any bank.

📊 Crafting Calculator

Plan your Crafting training with real-time GE prices:

Calculate:

✓ Items needed for level goals
✓ Expected XP rates by method
✓ Time to reach 99
✓ Cost/profit estimates (live prices)
✓ Best methods for your budget

Compare Methods:

✓ Gems vs Battlestaves vs D'hide
✓ Speed vs cost trade-offs
✓ Profitable alternatives
✓ Custom level ranges

Open Crafting Calculator →

🧠 Pro Crafting Tips

Eight efficiency tactics that experienced players use to cut costs and speed up training.

1. Daily Battlestaves

Buy from Zaff daily, attach orbs, alch. Consistent 1.4k+ profit per staff with zero market risk.

2. Portable Crafter

Place it at a bank for +10% bonus XP on jewellery and battlestaff crafting. Stack with portable skilling worlds.

3. GE Price Check

Prices swing daily. Check buy/sell margins on d’hide and gems before committing bulk purchases.

4. Quest for Early XP

Death on the Isle gives 5k XP (1→20). Elemental Workshop I + II give another ~12.5k combined.

5. Varrock Diary Tiers

Medium = 30 staves/day. Hard = 60. Elite = 120. Each tier multiplies your daily battlestaff profit.

6. Bank Presets

Set up Runelite bank tags for d’hide bodies (3 leathers), gems (chisel + uncut), battlestaves (orbs + staves).

7. AFK Gem Cutting

Cut gems while doing other activities: waiting for raids teams, fishing, or during AFK work tasks.

8. Mobile Training

D’hide body crafting is tap-friendly on mobile. Grind levels during commutes or while watching TV.

Frequently Asked Questions

01What's the fastest way to 99 Crafting?

Black D'hide Bodies (84-99) at 440k XP/hr. Total ~32 hours, costs ~260M GP. Use Diamonds before that for gems.

02What's the cheapest way to train Crafting?

Sapphire/Emerald gems until 54, Water Battlestaves to 63, then GREEN D'hide Bodies to 99 (actually PROFITABLE!). Total ~23M GP, 42 hours.

03Can I make money training Crafting?

Yes! Green D'hide Bodies are profitable, Jewellery can profit, and Drift Nets make 700k GP/hr (but slow XP). Check prices first!

04Should I get the Costume Needle?

YES! Complete 'Death on the Isle' quest. It saves an inventory slot (no thread needed) AND gives 5k Crafting XP (level 1→20)!

05What Crafting level do I need for quests?

70 Crafting for Monkey Madness II (important quest!). You can boost from 70 to 75 (+5) to make Slayer Rings.

06Is 99 Crafting worth it?

The Crafting cape gives unlimited Crafting Guild teleports (very close to bank). Convenient but not essential for most players.

07How much does 99 Crafting cost?

Fastest: ~260M GP (32 hours). Budget: ~23M GP (42 hours). Profitable: Can profit with Green D'hide, Drift Nets, or Jewellery (but slower).

08What's the best Crafting level for profit?

63 for Green D'hide Bodies-consistent profit at 317k XP/hr with low effort. At 54, Water Battlestaves nearly break even. For AFK profit without XP, tanning dragonhide requires 0 Crafting and earns 400-600k GP/hr.

09Do I need a needle and thread for everything?

No. Jewellery uses a mould at a furnace, gems need only a chisel, battlestaves attach orbs with no tools, and glassblowing uses a pipe. Needle and thread are only required for leather and dragonhide crafting-and the Costume Needle eliminates thread entirely.

10What is Sunstone Golem Crafting?

Coming late July 2026 with the Wyrmscraig update. Sunstone Golem Crafting is a new Crafting method comparable to Glassblowing for XP but without the time-gated seaweed requirement. Higher-tier furs (bought from other players) yield higher XP rates. A momentum mechanic rewards active play. Read the full rewards blog for details on the Ornate Glassblowing Pipe reward.

📚 Related Guides

⛏️

Mining Guide

Mine gems & ores

🔨

Smithing Guide

Related skill

📊

Crafting Calculator

Plan your training

Sources & methodology

XP rates, requirements, and drop data in this guide are cross-checked against the OSRS Wiki and verified against in-game behaviour. Grand Exchange prices move daily, so treat GP/hr figures as estimates and confirm current prices with the OSRS Wiki price tracker before committing to a method.

Darren

Darren started playing the original RuneScape 2 back in the day and came back when Old School RuneScape launched. He's played on and off over the years and built OSRSToolkit to give players a single place to find reliable tools, calculators, and guides — all informed by real in-game experience.