Iron Bar

An Iron Bar is a refined metal bar created by smelting 5 Iron Ore in a Furnace with 1 Coal as fuel. Smelting takes 2 in-game hours. It can also be produced with the Transmute (Fe) recipe, which turns 3 Copper Bars into 1 Iron Bar and is unlocked at Mining Level 4.

Iron Bars can sometimes be found in Garbage Cans after the Furnace blueprints have been received from Clint. They may also drop from Shadow Brutes and Shadow Shamans, each with a 2% chance. Because they are a common mid-game metal product, Iron Bars become a regular material for both crafting and progression once mining and combat begin to open up.

Iron Bars are required for the second upgrade of all standard tools:

• Steel Hoe
• Steel Pickaxe
• Steel Axe
• Steel Watering Can
• Steel Trash Can
• Steel Pan

They are also used in a wide range of crafting recipes, including many important farm, combat, fishing, and utility items. Among the notable recipes are the Bee House, Sprinkler, Quality Sprinkler, Keg, Crab Pot, Recycling Machine, Spinner, Bait Maker, Sonar Bobber, Barbed Hook, Dressed Spinner, Worm Bin, Magnet, Lightning Rod, Warp Totem: Mountains, Iron Fence, Iron Lamp-post, Heavy Furnace, Anvil, Mini-Forge, Mini-Jukebox, Solar Panel, and the Transmute (Au) recipe. Combat-related ring and ammunition recipes also use them, such as the Glowstone Ring, Warrior Ring, Ring of Yoba, and Explosive Ammo.

Iron Bars are also used in tailoring. One Iron Bar in the Sewing Machine spool creates the Steel Breastplate.

Several quests can call for Iron Bars as an item requirement. Clint requests one by mail on Winter 17 in the A Favor for Clint quest. They can also be requested from the Help Wanted board outside Pierre's General Store, and that request does not appear until the Furnace blueprints have been received. In Fish Pond quests, Catfish, Ice Pip, and Spook Fish may each request three or four Iron Bars.

A few practical notes make Iron Bars especially useful:

• Transmute (Fe) is a convenient way to convert excess Copper Bars into Iron Bars once Mining Level 4 is reached.
• Because Iron Bars are needed for tool upgrades and many useful recipes, it is often worth saving them instead of selling them early.
• Crafting Gold Bars from Iron Bars before selling them increases profit, and the Blacksmith profession improves that gain further.