Refined Malachite is the green crystal-metal that makes Glass equipment shine, quite literally. Worth 100 gold, it is used in 14 forge recipes, all under the Glass Smithing perk, from Glass arrows to the four-bar Glass Shield and Glass Armor. It is one of the rarest metals in the game, so expect to hunt for it.
How to get it
Smelt two 
Malachite Ore into one bar. There are only 35 malachite veins in total. The best spots are outdoors near the Forgotten Vale (Dawnguard) and Dimhollow Cavern with 8 each, Steamscorch Mine with 7, and Ruunvald Excavation with 4. A couple more sit on the Throat of the World.
Buying is often easier: blacksmiths such as Ahkari, Asbjorn Fire-Tamer or Bersi Honey-Hand can have it, though stock varies. Bandits sometimes carry a bar.
Loose bars are scarce: Kynesgrove has 3, Swindler’s Den 2, and Understone Keep and the Saarthal Excavation one each.
Because Glass gear needs so many bars, it is worth checking every blacksmith you pass and grabbing whatever they have. Pair that with an ore run through Steamscorch Mine and you will have a full set before long.
Smelting and tanning
- 2 Malachite Ore → 1 Refined Malachite at the smelter
Used to craft
Refined Malachite appears in 15 recipes in the game files.
Armor
- Glass Armor – Glass Shield (4), Glass Helmet (2), Glass Gauntlets (1), Glass Armor (4), Glass Boots (2)
- Aetherial Shield – Aetherial Shield (2)
Weapons and other items
- Glass Smithing: Glass Bow (2), Glass Warhammer (3), Glass War Axe (1), Glass Sword (1), Glass Mace (2), Glass Greatsword (2), Glass Dagger (1), Glass Battleaxe (2), Glass Arrow (1)
The number in brackets is how many Refined Malachite each recipe needs. Bold labels are the Smithing perk the recipe requires.
Improving gear
At a grindstone or workbench, Refined Malachite is the material used to improve (temper) 21 items, including Glass Armor, Otar.
Good to know
- At 100 gold per pound, Refined Malachite is a good item to carry for selling.
- Refined Malachite tempers Chillrend and the Aetherial Shield also needs two bars.
Data from the Skyrim game files (Skyrim.esm and the official add-ons): value, weight, ore veins, recipes and merchant lists. ID 0005ADA1 is the item’s form ID for the console.
