The Iron Battleaxe is about as basic as two-handed weapons get in Skyrim. It deals 16 base damage, weighs 20 and is worth 55 gold – humble numbers, but plenty to split a bandit’s shield in the first hours of a playthrough.
Iron is the bottom rung of the material ladder, so no Smithing perk is needed to make one. That also means no perk will make it better at the grindstone. Its shape is often compared to a real-world French boarding axe. Match it with Iron Armor for the full fresh-out-of-Helgen look.
Stats
| Type | Battleaxe |
|---|---|
| Skill | Two-handed |
| Material | Iron |
| Damage | 16 |
| Weight | 20 |
| Value | 55 gold |
| Speed | 0.7 |
| Reach | 1.3 |
| Stagger | 1.15 |
| Critical damage | 7 |
| Add-on | Base game |
| Item ID | 00013980 |
Where to find
- Available everywhere from level 1, both plain and enchanted.
- Sold by blacksmiths and general goods merchants.
- Wielded by many enemies and NPCs, and found as random loot or world items.
Crafting and upgrading
Crafting at a forge: 4 × 
Iron Ingot, 2 × 
Leather Strips.
Improving at a grindstone: 1 × Iron Ingot. The Arcane Blacksmith perk doubles the improvement.
Compared with other battleaxes
Base stats of all regular (unenchanted) battleaxes in Skyrim, weakest first:
| Weapon | Damage | Weight | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iron Battleaxe | 16 | 20 | 55 |
| Ancient Nord Battle Axe | 18 | 22 | 28 |
| Steel Battleaxe | 18 | 21 | 100 |
| Orcish Battleaxe | 19 | 25 | 165 |
| Dwarven Battleaxe | 20 | 23 | 300 |
| Elven Battleaxe | 21 | 24 | 520 |
| Honed Ancient Nord Battle Axe | 21 | 25 | 50 |
| Nord Hero Battle Axe | 21 | 20 | 300 |
| Nordic Battleaxe | 21 | 23 | 650 |
| Skyforge Steel Battleaxe | 21 | 21 | 150 |
| Glass Battleaxe | 22 | 25 | 900 |
| Ebony Battleaxe | 23 | 26 | 1585 |
| Stalhrim Battleaxe | 24 | 25 | 2150 |
| Daedric Battleaxe | 25 | 27 | 2750 |
| Dragonbone Battleaxe | 26 | 30 | 3000 |
Tips and notes
- Recipe: 4 Iron Ingots and 2 Leather Strips – no perk needed.
- Temper with an Iron Ingot; no Smithing perk boosts the improvement.
- Unique variant: The Woodsman’s Friend.
- Swap it out once you can afford steel or orcish – the Steel Battleaxe is the obvious next step.
Stats from the Skyrim LE 1.9 master files (Skyrim.esm, record IronBattleaxe). Values are base values before perks, smithing improvements and enchantments.