The Steel Mace is one of the first real upgrades for players who prefer crushing over cutting. It sits in the steel tier, just above iron, and deals 10 base damage at a weight of 14 and a value of 65 gold.
Maces are slower than swords but hit harder, and the steel version is cheap, common and easy to keep sharp… or rather, blunt. It is a sensible early-game choice alongside Steel Armor.
Stats
| Type | Mace |
|---|---|
| Skill | One-handed |
| Material | Steel |
| Damage | 10 |
| Weight | 14 |
| Value | 65 gold |
| Speed | 0.8 |
| Reach | 1 |
| Stagger | 1 |
| Critical damage | 5 |
| Add-on | Base game |
| Item ID | 00013988 |
Where to find
- Unenchanted steel maces appear from level 2 and enchanted ones from level 3.
- Sold by blacksmiths and general goods merchants.
- Carried by many characters and enemies, and found in chests or as world items all over Skyrim.
Crafting and upgrading
Crafting at a forge: 3 × 
Steel Ingot, 1 × 
Leather Strips, 1 × 
Iron Ingot. Requires the Steel Smithing Smithing perk.
Improving at a grindstone: 1 × Steel Ingot. The Arcane Blacksmith perk doubles the improvement.
Compared with other maces
Base stats of all regular (unenchanted) maces in Skyrim, weakest first:
| Weapon | Damage | Weight | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iron Mace | 9 | 13 | 35 |
| Steel Mace | 10 | 14 | 65 |
| Orcish Mace | 11 | 15 | 105 |
| Dwarven Mace | 12 | 16 | 190 |
| Elven Mace | 13 | 17 | 330 |
| Nordic Mace | 13 | 16 | 410 |
| Glass Mace | 14 | 18 | 575 |
| Daedric Mace | 16 | 20 | 1750 |
| Ebony Mace | 16 | 19 | 1000 |
| Stalhrim Mace | 16 | 18 | 1375 |
| Dragonbone Mace | 17 | 22 | 2000 |
Tips and notes
- Crafting needs the Steel Smithing perk, which also doubles the improvement when you temper it with a Steel Ingot.
- Notable variants: Lunar Steel Mace and Horksbane.
- Looking for more reach? The Steel Warhammer is its two-handed sibling.
Stats from the Skyrim LE 1.9 master files (Skyrim.esm, record SteelMace). Values are base values before perks, smithing improvements and enchantments.