The Steel Warhammer is the early-game answer to armoured enemies: a two-handed slab of steel that deals 20 base damage. That makes it the hardest-hitting steel weapon, but it is also the heaviest at 25 weight and the slowest to swing.
It fits naturally into a Steel Armor build and is crafted from 
steel ingots, an 
iron ingot and some leather strips, so even a fledgling smith can produce one once the Steel Smithing perk is unlocked. Expect fewer swings, but every one of them counts.
Stats
| Type | Warhammer |
|---|---|
| Skill | Two-handed |
| Material | Steel |
| Damage | 20 |
| Weight | 25 |
| Value | 110 gold |
| Speed | 0.6 |
| Reach | 1.3 |
| Stagger | 1.25 |
| Critical damage | 10 |
| Add-on | Base game |
| Item ID | 0001398A |
Where to find
- Unenchanted ones begin to appear at level 2, with enchanted versions from level 3.
- Sold by blacksmiths and general goods merchants.
- Wielded by assorted characters and enemies.
- Random loot in chests or found as a world item throughout Skyrim, so early dungeon crawls will usually turn one up.
Crafting and upgrading
Crafting at a forge: 1 × Iron Ingot, 3 × 
Leather Strips, 4 × Steel Ingot. Requires the Steel Smithing Smithing perk.
Improving at a grindstone: 1 × Steel Ingot. The Arcane Blacksmith perk doubles the improvement.
Compared with other warhammers
Base stats of all regular (unenchanted) warhammers in Skyrim, weakest first:
| Weapon | Damage | Weight | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iron Warhammer | 18 | 24 | 60 |
| Steel Warhammer | 20 | 25 | 110 |
| Orcish Warhammer | 21 | 26 | 180 |
| Dawnguard Warhammer | 22 | 26 | 110 |
| Dwarven Warhammer | 22 | 27 | 325 |
| Elven Warhammer | 23 | 28 | 565 |
| Nordic Warhammer | 23 | 27 | 700 |
| Glass Warhammer | 24 | 29 | 985 |
| Ebony Warhammer | 25 | 30 | 1725 |
| Stalhrim Warhammer | 26 | 29 | 2850 |
| Daedric Warhammer | 27 | 31 | 4000 |
| Dragonbone Warhammer | 28 | 33 | 4275 |
Tips and notes
- Improve it at a grindstone with a steel ingot; Steel Smithing doubles the improvement.
- The unique hammer Trollsbane is a variant of this weapon.
- Once you have the perks, the Orcish Warhammer is the next step up.
- Crafting one is a perk-light way to practise Smithing while making something you will actually use.
Stats from the Skyrim LE 1.9 master files (Skyrim.esm, record SteelWarhammer). Values are base values before perks, smithing improvements and enchantments.