The Dwemer vanished thousands of years ago but left a lot of perfectly good metal behind. The Dwarven Metal Ingot, worth 30 gold, is the core material for Dwarven weapons, armor, arrows and bolts under the Dwarven Smithing perk. It is also used for the Aetherial Crown, Staff and Shield at the Aetherium Forge, which makes it one of the more interesting mid-tier metals.
How to get it
There is no Dwarven ore to mine. Instead you smelt Dwemer scrap, and the bigger the scrap the more ingots you get: 
Solid Dwemer Metal gives 5, 
Large Dwemer Strut, 
Bent Dwemer Scrap Metal, 
Small Dwemer Plate Metal and 
Large Dwemer Plate Metal give 3 each, and a 
Large Decorative Dwemer Strut gives 2. Ruins like Mzulft and Alftand are full of the stuff – just mind the heavy struts.
Ready-made ingots lie around too: the Dwarven Storeroom in Mzulft has 20, Kagrumez 15, the Avanchnzel Boilery 10 and Arkngthamz 9.
Many blacksmiths also sell them, for example Adrianne Avenicci, Beirand or Arnskar Ember-Master.
Peddlers on the roads may also carry an ingot or two, though it is easier to clear a ruin and smelt what you find there.
Smelting and tanning
- 1 Small Dwemer Plate Metal → 3 Dwarven Metal Ingot at the smelter
- 1 Large Decorative Dwemer Strut → 2 Dwarven Metal Ingot at the smelter
- 1 Solid Dwemer Metal → 5 Dwarven Metal Ingot at the smelter
- 1 Large Dwemer Strut → 3 Dwarven Metal Ingot at the smelter
- 1 Bent Dwemer Scrap Metal → 3 Dwarven Metal Ingot at the smelter
- 1 Large Dwemer Plate Metal → 3 Dwarven Metal Ingot at the smelter
Used to craft
Dwarven Metal Ingot appears in 19 recipes in the game files.
Armor
- Dwarven Armor – Dwarven Shield (2), Dwarven Helmet (2), Dwarven Gauntlets (1), Dwarven Armor (3), Dwarven Boots (2)
- Aetherial Shield – Aetherial Shield (4)
Weapons and other items
- Dwarven Smithing: Dwarven Bow (2), Dwarven Warhammer (2), Dwarven War Axe (1), Dwarven Sword (1), Dwarven Mace (2), Dwarven Greatsword (2), Dwarven Dagger (1), Dwarven Battleaxe (2), Dwarven Bolt (1), Dwarven Arrow (1), Dwarven Crossbow (5)
- Aetherium Forge: Aetherial Crown (2), Aetherial Staff (2)
The number in brackets is how many Dwarven Metal Ingot each recipe needs. Bold labels are the Smithing perk the recipe requires.
Improving gear
At a grindstone or workbench, Dwarven Metal Ingot is the material used to improve (temper) 20 items, including Aetherial Shield, Dwarven Armor, Visage of Mzund.
Good to know
- Scrap is heavy but worth little as-is; smelting it into ingots is a much better weight-to-value deal.
- Five Dwarven Metal Ingots go into the Dwarven Crossbow at Fort Dawnguard.
Data from the Skyrim game files (Skyrim.esm and the official add-ons): value, weight, ore veins, recipes and merchant lists. ID 000DB8A2 is the item’s form ID for the console.
