[Top 5] Stardew Valley Most Valuable Ores (And How To Get Them)

Updated:

10 Mar 2023

Top 5 Stardew Valley Most Valuable Ores

Ores are among the most significant of the many materials found in Stardew Valley. This article provides useful information on the game's most important ores as well as instructions on how to obtain them. A late-game spoiler is provided because some information might not be known to players who haven't advanced that far in the game.

5-Copper Ore

The first ore that players find is copper, which is commonly found by mining. Using a pickaxe or bombs, copper ore can be obtained from copper nodes or randomly by smashing rocks. A copper node is a rock with orangish-looking shards sticking out of it. One copper node yields 1–3 copper ores at a time, with the Miner Profession increasing the amount giving +1 ore per vein. It can be smelted in a Furnace to create Copper Bars, which are used to craft a variety of recipes and the first tool upgrades. For one bar, the smelting process requires five copper ores and one coal.

Why Copper Ore is Valuable:

The ore is used in a few recipes, the most important of which isa furnace, for which players get the recipe after collecting their first copper ore. One tip is to buy a single piece of copper ore from Clint on the first day to get the recipe faster.
It sells for 5 gold, which may not be a lot, but it adds up when selling a large number of ores.
Create cherry bombs that form a small explosion with 4 copper ores and 1 coal. This is the first bomb recipe acquired and helps reduce mining time.
The copper bar's smelt time is the shortest of any bar, taking only 30 in-game minutes to complete. This is helpful as there are a lot of recipes that use copper bars, such as the basic sprinkler and the egg and cheese machines.
Copper bars can be sold for 60 gold or 90 gold with the Blacksmith Profession.
The bar is used in the Blacksmith’s Bundle for the Community Center.
The copper bar is liked by Clint and Maru, so it's good to add up their friendship points.

How To Get Copper Ore:

The ore can be found at all levels in the Mines but floors 31-39 in particular have a high concentration of copper nodes.
Nodes can spawn in the Quarry, the Quarry Mine, dropped by Copper Slimes, or spawn in the quarry on the Hill-top and Four-Corners Farm Maps
Find them in breakable crates and barrels as well as by tilling soil in The Mines
They are randomly found when smashing geodes
Can be bought at the Blacksmith for 75g each in year 1 and for 150g each starting from year 2.
It can be found on all levels of the Skull Cavern
Can be found by digging up an Artifact Spot (at Pelican Town, Railroad, Bus Stop, Backwoods, Cindersap Forest, or the Mountains).
Can be found by panning with the copper pan tool acquired after finishing the Fish Tank Bundle and in Fishing Treasure Chests.
The Traveling Cart occasionally sells it for 100-1,000 gold
A Stonefish Fish Pond may produce 5 Copper Ore when the population reaches 3.

4-Iron Ore

The next commonly found ore by mining is iron ore. Starting from level 40 in the Mines, it is obtained from iron nodes using a pickaxe, bombs, or randomly by smashing rocks. An iron node is a rock with silver-looking shards sticking out of it. One iron node yields 1–3 iron ores at a time, with the Miner Profession increasing the amount giving +1 ore per vein. It can be smelted in a Furnace to create Iron Bars, which are used to craft a variety of recipes and the next tool upgrade, steel tools. For one bar, the smelting process requires five iron ores and one coal.

Why Iron Ore is Valuable:

The ore is used to create bombs that generate a larger explosion than cherry bombs.
Per ore, it sells for 10 gold which may not be a lot but it is good for making a quick amount of change.
The iron bar takes only 2 in-game hours to complete smelting, which is good because Iron Bars are used in more recipes, creating items such as basic and quality sprinklers.
Iron bars can be sold for 120 gold or 180 gold with the Blacksmith Profession.
The bar is used in the Blacksmith’s Bundle for the Community Center.
Iron bars are liked items by Liked by Clint and Maru

How To Get Iron Ore:

Floors 41 to 79 have a high concentration of Iron nodes with potential abundance at Floors 70 - 79.
After reaching those levels, nodes can spawn in the Quarry, the Quarry Mine, dropped by Metal Heads, Dust Sprites, Stone Golems, and Iron Slimes, or spawn in the quarry on the Hill-top and Four-Corners Farm Maps.
Find them in breakable crates and barrels as well as by tilling soil in the Mines.
Can be bought at the Blacksmith for 150g in year 1 and for 250 gold each starting from year 2. It is randomly found when smashing frozen or rarer geodes at the Blacksmith.
It can be found on all levels of the Skull Cavern.
Can be found in Fishing Treasure Chests and garbage cans.
Can be found by panning with the copper pan tool acquired after finishing the Fish Tank Bundle.
The Traveling Cart occasionally sells it for 100-1,000 gold
An Ice Pip Fish Pond can produce 5 Iron Ore when the population of the pond reaches 3.

3-Gold Ore

The last commonly found ore is Gold Ore. Available from level 80 in the Mines, it becomes easier to mine after level 100, and just like the other ores, it is obtained from gold nodes using a pickaxe, bombs, or by smashing rocks. A gold node is a rock with goldish-looking shards sticking out of it. One gold node yields 1–3 gold ores at a time, with the Miner Profession increasing the amount and giving +1 ore per vein. It can be smelted in a Furnace to create Gold Bars, which are used to craft a variety of recipes and the third tool upgrade, gold tools. For one bar, the smelting process requires five gold ores and one coal.

Why Gold Ore is Valuable:

It is used to create Mega Bombs, a more powerful bomb and the recipe is unlocked at Mining level 8.
The selling price is 25 gold per gold ore.
Gold ore is a Neutral Like for Clint.
The gold bar takes 5 in-game hours to complete smelting, a little longer than the previous ores. Gold Bars are used in a variety of recipes, creating items such as quality and iridium sprinklers and Crystalariums.
Gold bars can be sold for 250 gold or 375 gold with the Blacksmith Profession.
The bar is used in the Blacksmith’s Bundle for the Community Center.
Gold bar is a Loved item for Clint and Maru and a Liked item for Krobus and Willy.

How To Get Gold Ore:

Gold nodes are found in the Mines starting from level 80.
After reaching the levels nodes can spawn in the Quarry or in the quarry on the Hill-top and Four-Corners Farm Maps
They are found in Skull Cavern rarely at levels 60+ and more commonly at levels 80+
Find them in breakable crates and barrels in the Mines.
The Blacksmith sells gold ores for 400 gold each in year 1, and 750 gold each starting from year 2. It is also randomly found when smashing Frozen Geodes, Magma Geodes, or Omni Geodes at the Blacksmith.
Ghosts have a 20% chance of dropping 1-3 gold ore.
Find ores at Beachfront Artifact Spots, panning with a copper pan, and from fishing treasure chests.
The Traveling Cart occasionally sells it for 100-1,000 gold
A Lava Eel Fish Pond can produce 5 Gold Ore when the population of the pond reaches 3-5.

2-Iridium Ore

Iridium is one of the rarest and most exotic metals, with many curious properties. Obtained from the Skull Cavern from iridium nodes, it is also rarely found by smashing or bombing rocks below the Mine's level 110 or from rocks with shiny purple veins, which are found in levels 110–119 in the mine. An Iridium node is a purple rock with blue shards sticking out of it. One Iridium node yields 1–3 Iridium ores at a time. It can be smelted in a Furnace to create Iridium Bars, which are used to craft a variety of recipes and the final upgrade of tools, Iridium tools. For one bar, the smelting process requires five iridium ores and one coal.

Why Iridium Ore is Valuable:

It is used to create a Deluxe Scarecrow which has a large radius of about 16 tiles. The recipe is acquired after collecting all 8 Rarecrows.
It is used to create Desert Warp Totem. The recipe is tradable from the Desert Trader for 10 Iridium Bars which might take some time to collect but is worth it.
The selling price is 100 gold per ore.
Iridium ore is a Neutral Like for Clint.
The Iridium bar takes 8 in-game hours to complete smelting longer than the previous ores. Iridium Bars are used in a variety of recipes, creating later game items such as iridium sprinklers, Crystalariums, and Obelisks.
Iridium bars can be sold for 1,000 gold or 1,500 gold with the Blacksmith Profession.
It is a Loved item by Krobus, Willy, Clint, and Maru.

How To Get Iridium Ore:

The ore can be obtained by mining all rocks on Mine levels 115-119.
A fallen meteorite on The Farm will drop 6 Iridium Ore.
It is more commonly found in Skull Cavern, with the chance to find Iridium Ore increasing steadily the further one descends into the Skull Cavern. There is even a 4% chance to get 1 Prismatic Shard.
Iridium Nodes and Mystic Stones can be found in the Quarry after unlocking the Skull Cavern.
Purple slimes in the Skull Cavern or a Slime Hutch have a chance to drop both iridium ore and bars.
Iridium Bats in the Skull Cavern may drop an Iridium Bar and up to 4 Iridium Ore when slain.
Iridium Crabs in the Skull Cavern may drop up to 3 Iridium Ore when slain.
A Super Cucumber Fish Pond may produce 1-3 Iridium Ore when the population of the pond reaches 9.
The Traveling Cart will occasionally sell it for 300–1,000 gold.
It is also randomly found when smashing Magma and Omni Geodes at the Blacksmith.
The Statue Of Perfection, which can be obtained after getting four candles during Grandpa's Evaluation, gives the player 2-8 Iridium Ore per day.

1-Radioactive Ore

Known by the Zuzu City Safety Commission to cause irreversible bodily harm, Radioactive Ore is an extremely rare resource found in Radioactive Nodes. Radioactive Nodes are late-game materials found only after unlocking Qi’s Walnut Room on Ginger Island and completing a quest.

A Radioactive Node is a grey rock with neon green round shards sticking out of it. One Radioactive node yields 1–3 Radioactive ores at a time. Radioactive Ore can be smelted in a Furnace to create a Radioactive Bar, with the smelting requiring 5 Radioactive ores and 1 coal for one bar.

Why Radioactive Ore is Valuable:

It is used to make Hyper Speed-Gro, which significantly accelerates the growth of leaves and provides a minimum 33% rise in the growth rate.
Additionally, it is used to make Magic Bait, which enables you to catch fish from any sort of water and in any season, time, or weather.
Each ore is being sold for 300 gold.
Radioactive ore is a Liked item by Maru.
The smelting procedure for a Radioactive Bar takes the longest in-game time of 10 hours.
A Radioactive Bar can be sold for 3,000 gold or 4,500 gold with the Blacksmith Profession.
It is used to make machines like Hopper, which automatically load things into machines, and Heavy Tappers, which operate twice as quickly as a typical tapper.
10 Radioactive Bars can be sold to the Island Trader in exchange for a Galaxy Soul on the last day of the month.
Radioactive Bar is also a Loved item by Maru.

How To Get Radioactive Ore:

When The Mines are in a "Dangerous" state during the quest Danger In The Deep, it can be located on any level.
To raise the level of difficulty, open the Shrine of Challenge on floor 120 of the Mines by going to Qi's Walnut Room on Ginger Island and finishing the "Danger In The Deep" quest.
They are found in Skull Cavern during the Skull Cavern Invasion quest.

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Layla Ahmad

You can bet that no matter how I play, I will get blown up by a creeper eventually somehow, somewhere. I get scared the same way every. Single. Time.

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2004

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Call of Duty, Minecraft: Story Mode - Episode 3: The Last Place You Look, Stardew Valley Bachelor Ratings (All Stardew Bachelors Ranked Worst To Best)

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