Ebony Ore is where Skyrim smithing gets serious. Two chunks make one 
Ebony Ingot, the main material for Ebony Armor and weapons (Ebony Smithing perk) and, together with a Daedra Heart, for Daedric Armor. At 60 gold a chunk it is the most valuable regular ore in the base game, and with only 44 veins it is not easy to come by.
How to get it
Two mines dominate. Gloombound Mine, near the Orc stronghold of Narzulbur, has 16 veins and another 10 loose chunks, making it the best ebony spot in Skyrim. On Solstheim, Raven Rock Mine has 13 veins once it is open (Dragonborn). Redbelly Mine near Shor’s Stone has 3 veins, and climbers can chip 2 more off the Throat of the World.
Narzulbur itself has 6 loose chunks, Shor’s Stone has 3, and single pieces lie in Pinewatch, the Deep Market of Raldbthar and on the Brinehammer wreck. Falmer occasionally carry some. There are no regular merchant listings for it in the game data, so bring a pickaxe, and maybe a strong follower to carry the haul home.
Smelting and tanning
- 2 Ebony Ore → 1 Ebony Ingot at the smelter
Used to craft
Ebony Ore appears in 1 recipe in the game files.
Weapons and other items
- smelter: Ebony Ingot (2)
The number in brackets is how many Ebony Ore each recipe needs. Bold labels are the Smithing perk the recipe requires.
Good to know
- Smelting doubles the value: two ores (120 gold) become one Ebony Ingot worth 150.
- Gloombound Mine is part of an Orc stronghold, so being Blood-Kin with the Orcs helps.
Data from the Skyrim game files (Skyrim.esm and the official add-ons): value, weight, ore veins, recipes and merchant lists. ID 0005ACDC is the item’s form ID for the console.
