Smithing ( Skyrim ) Smithing is a skill in . Smithing is referred to as the art of refining raw materials and combining them to create or improve pieces of armor or weapons . It is one of the three crafting skills in Skyrim , falling under the Warrior playstyle , with parallels to alchemy for thieves and enchanting for mages . Mechanics . Smithing is a multistage process with the number of stages depending on what items are being crafted and how raw the materials are . The process can be started at any intermediate stage if the right items are obtained , but every stage requires input materials , knowledge of the build , and its own tool . Input materials can be found in the world or purchased from vendors . Knowledge of new recipes can be acquired only through perks but some are available automatically . The tools listed below roughly outlines the end - to - end process . Smithing stations . These stations , required for various stages in the smithing process , can be found in any main city and most villages . They are also frequently found in forts and dungeons or outside mines . See the individual station pages for more specific locations . Racial bonuses . Nord , Redguard , and Orc characters gain an initial five point boost to Smithing . Leveling . The following actions raise the Smithing skill : Books . The following is a list of books that raise the Smithing skill , locations can be found on the relevant book ' s page : Quests . The following quests increase or help to increase the Smithing skill : Growth curve . The Smithing skill levels according to an . This means each level costs proportionately more than the previous one . Beneficial equipment . There are multiple objects and potions within " Skyrim " . First are potions , which temporarily increases the smithing ability . There is also armor Enchanting which , depending on one ' s enchanting ability , can grant a much higher smithing ability as long as the user is wearing it . Perks . The following chart lists the perks that become available to the Dragonborn as the skill is leveled up . In spite of the shape of the perk constellation implying otherwise , perks explicitly list their prerequisites ( Daedric Smithing requires Ebony Smithing be taken first , and so forth ) . < nowiki > * < / nowiki > Dragonbone weapons can only be created if is installed . < nowiki > * * < / nowiki > Bonemold armor can be created with Steel Smithing , Chitin armor can be created with Elven Smithing , Nordic armor and weapons can be created with Advanced Armors , and Stalhrim armor and weapons can be created with Ebony Smithing if is installed . Improvement . The table shows what quality improvement an item will achieve based on Smithing level and if the Smithing perk for the item is taken or not . Items can still be improved once they reach Legendary , but the description will not change . Each additional quality level beyond Legendary improves Armor by 3 . 6 and other items ( weapons , helms , boots , etc . ) by 1 . 8 . The skill related to the item will also effect how much it does . So the bonus is significantly larger on the armor on someone with the corresponding skill . Alchemy and Enchanting can improve results significantly via the Fortify Smithing effect allowing for greater improvements at a given level than the table shows . Combining both alchemy and enchanting to improve one another and then combining both to improve Smithing as much as possible can be very powerful . The improvement of armor and weapons requires one smithing material per item improved . These items can be obtained by tanning , smelting , or other means of obtaining items . < nowiki > * < / nowiki > The only known piece of jewelry that can be improved is the Aetherial Crown , with a Dwarven Metal Ingot . However , since it has no armor rating , only its value will be increased .