OSRS Mining Guide 1-99 (2026): Fastest, AFK, F2P and Ironman

Quick summary

• Fastest route (members): quests to 37, iron to 45, then 3-tick granite to 99 (OSRS Wiki). At the wiki's granite table, 45 to 99 takes about 115 hours by our arithmetic.
• No tick manipulation: iron to 70 (Mining Guild from 60), then the Volcanic Mine with a team. That's 79,000–94,000 XP per hour at 99 depending on pickaxe.
• Low attention: Motherlode Mine from 30, crashed stars from 10, rubium rocks from 48 with 60 Sailing, amethyst from 92.
• Free-to-play: Doric's Quest, copper and tin to 15, then iron to 99 (about 50,000 XP per hour at 41, OSRS Wiki F2P guide).
• Gear that matters: the best pickaxe, Varrock armour (10% chance of two ores where it works), the prospector kit (+2.5%) and a celestial ring (+4 invisible levels).

This OSRS Mining guide compares every serious route to 99 for members, free-to-play players and Ironmen, including the Sailing-era rocks added in 2026. XP rates are the OSRS Wiki's, from its Mining training page and free-to-play Mining training page; hour totals are our arithmetic from those rates. It covers Old School RuneScape only.

Mining gear and boosts to get first

Item	Mining level	Effect (OSRS Wiki)
Bronze / iron pickaxe	1	8 / 7 ticks between rolls
Steel pickaxe	6	6 ticks
Black / mithril pickaxe	11 / 21	5 ticks
Adamant pickaxe	31	4 ticks
Rune pickaxe	41	3 ticks
Dragon pickaxe	61	2.83 ticks on average (3 ticks, 1/6 chance of 2)
Infernal pickaxe	61 + 85 Smithing	Like dragon; a 1/3 chance to smelt the ore, so fewer drops and some Smithing XP
Crystal pickaxe	71 + 50 Agility	2.75 ticks on average; best for non-tick methods
Prospector kit	Any	+2.5% XP for the full set: 180 golden nuggets or 120,000 Volcanic Mine points
Varrock armour 1/2/4	Any	10% chance to mine two ores: iron (1), granite (2), amethyst (4). Doesn't work at Motherlode, Blast Mine, Volcanic Mine or on gem rocks
Celestial ring	Any	Invisible +4 Mining. OSRS Toolkit says it costs 2,000 stardust from Shooting Stars
Mining gloves (regular / superior / expert)	20 / 60 / 70	The rock survives extra mines before it depletes: one extra gather on copper through gold for regular, more for higher tiers, and expert also works on runite, sandstone and amethyst. Bought with unidentified minerals in the Mining Guild

You can mine with a pickaxe you can't wield. The Attack requirement is only for equipping it. With 60 Attack, the dragon pickaxe's special attack adds 3 Mining levels for a short time and costs all your special energy (OSRS Wiki).

The Mining Guild. The members' area needs 60 Mining, which can be boosted. Inside, rocks respawn twice as fast and you get an invisible +7 Mining boost that improves your success rate but doesn't unlock higher rocks (OSRS Wiki). That's why iron there beats iron anywhere else from 60.

Fastest way to 99 Mining in OSRS

Levels	Method	XP/h (OSRS Wiki)	Our estimate
1–37	Quests: Doric's Quest, The Dig Site, Plague City, The Giant Dwarf, The Lost Tribe, Another Slice of H.A.M.	27,525 XP total	Skips the early grind and lets you use an adamant pickaxe
37–45	Iron, three-rock triangle spots	45,000–55,000	Under an hour
45–99	3-tick granite at the Desert Quarry or Cape Conch	87,000 at 45 → 126,000 at 99	~115 hours

How 3-tick granite works

1. Get a 3-tick item set, such as swamp tar and a clean herb.
2. Stand among four granite rocks at the quarry, or at Cape Conch (partial Troubled Tortugans).
3. Start the herb action, then click the next rock. Timed right, you skip the movement delay and get a roll every three ticks.
4. Drop granite as you go. An infernal pickaxe destroys a third of it for you and gives Smithing XP (7,700–9,700 per hour from 65), a small head start on the OSRS Smithing guide.
5. In the desert, bring protection from the heat. The wiki's 99 benchmark also assumes Varrock armour 4, the prospector kit, a celestial ring and the Mining cape.

The wiki says granite isn't worth doing without tick manipulation, and suggests learning on iron first.

Example: you've done the quests and you're level 37 with an adamant pickaxe. Mine iron at a triangle spot such as Al Kharid until 45. If you've practised 3-tick, switch to granite at 87,000 XP per hour. If not, keep going on iron to 60, move into the members' area of the Mining Guild (rocks respawn twice as fast there) for 70,000–80,000 XP per hour, and join a Volcanic Mine team at 70.

Best Mining training without tick manipulation

Level	Method	XP/h (OSRS Wiki)	Requirement	Attention
15–60	Iron, triangle spots	45,000–55,000	None	High
60–70	Iron, Mining Guild members' area	70,000–80,000	60 Mining	High
60–99	Lead rocks, Deepfin Mine	up to 90,000–100,000 with enhancers	67 Sailing	High
70–99	Volcanic Mine (3–5 player team)	68,000 at 70 → 84,000 at 99 (dragon); 94,000 at 99 (crystal)	Bone Voyage; 30 numulite per entry or 3,000 once	Moderate
75–99	Blast Mine	65,000–76,000 at 75 → 87,000–101,000 at 99	Dynamite, chisel, tinderbox	High
70–99	Zalcano	Varies by team and reward mode	Song of the Elves	High

At the wiki's dragon-pickaxe rates, the Volcanic Mine from 70 to 99 takes about 159 hours by our arithmetic. World 323 is the official Volcanic Mine world, and the Grouping interface has a chat for finding a team.

AFK and profitable Mining methods

Level	Method	XP/h (OSRS Wiki)	Output	Requirement
10–99	Crashed stars	24,000–31,500 (fully available at 60)	Stardust, gems; charges the celestial ring	A star at your level
30–99	Motherlode Mine	Varies with upgrades	Ores, golden nuggets, the prospector kit	30 Mining
40–99	Gem rocks, Shilo Village underground	46,000–75,000 (93,000–110,000 with 3-tick)	Gems; high rock golem chance	Medium Karamja Diary
41–99	Calcified rocks	23,500–49,000 (up to 94,000 with 3-tick and water)	Blessed bone shards for Prayer	Started Perilous Moons
48–99	Rubium rocks, Charred Dungeon	~39,000 at 48 → ~64,000 at 99	Stackable rubium splinters	60 Sailing, dragonfire protection
78–99	Infernal shale	67,000–80,000 with tick manipulation only	Crushed infernal shale	A Kingdom Divided
92–99	Amethyst	20,000–25,000	80–100 amethyst per hour	92 Mining

The wiki notes that getting 180 nuggets for the prospector kit takes about 10 hours on average at Motherlode. The OSRS money making guide puts Mining's profit in context.

Two of these methods feed other skills directly. Calcified rocks drop blessed bone shards, one of the cheaper routes in the OSRS Prayer guide, and gem rocks and amethyst supply the gems and bolt tips covered in the OSRS Crafting guide. Guardians of the Rift also adds a little passive Mining XP while you train the skill in the OSRS Runecrafting guide.

OSRS Mining guide for free-to-play players

Levels	Method	Notes (OSRS Wiki F2P guide)
1–10	Doric's Quest	Quick quest
10–15	Copper or tin	Lumbridge Swamp is quiet and has both
15–99	Iron, powermining	About 50,000 XP per hour at 41. From 61, success is 100% and you're limited by the 9-tick respawn
70–85	Adamantite, Mining Guild	Money, not speed. Hop worlds instead of waiting
85–99	Runite	Money, not speed
10–99	Crashed stars	Very AFK, about 8,000–13,000 XP per hour at 70

The best F2P pickaxe is rune (41 Mining, 40 Attack to wield).

Choose your Mining route by playstyle

You want	Route
Fastest 99	Quests → iron → 3-tick granite
Fast, no tick manipulation	Quests → iron to 70 → Volcanic Mine (or lead rocks with 67 Sailing)
Profit while training	Motherlode → gem rocks → rubium
Prayer XP on the side	Calcified rocks from 41
Lowest attention	Stars → Motherlode → amethyst at 92
Ironman ores	Mining Guild members' triangle near the bank chest, or the Monastery Mine below 60 (OSRS Wiki)

Tick off these unlocks

1. The six quests for 27,525 XP (level 37).
2. Varrock Diary tiers for Varrock armour 1, 2 and 4.
3. Bone Voyage for the Volcanic Mine.
4. Medium Karamja Diary for the underground gem rocks.
5. Song of the Elves for the crystal pickaxe and Zalcano.
6. Sailing 60/67/73 for rubium, Deepfin lead and Ynysdail iron. Our Sailing guide covers the levels.
7. Mining level 60 for the Mining Guild members' area.

If you're returning, boosted, or on an alt

• Returning players: the Sailing spots (Charred Island rubium, Deepfin lead, Ynysdail iron) appear in the current OSRS Wiki training guide, so check older videos against it.
• Boosted levels: the celestial ring's +4 is invisible and helps your success rate. The wiki says the uncharged ring is worth it for a 99 push.
• Alts: the six quests make an alt level 37 without mining a rock, and an adamant pickaxe usable from the start.
• Ironmen: use a dragon or crystal pickaxe rather than the infernal one when you want to keep the ore, because the infernal smelts a third of it.

Training Woodcutting too? The OSRS Woodcutting guide uses the same tick-manipulation ideas on teak trees. For the other skills and bosses, start from the Old School RuneScape hub.

Want a hand with this?

If you would rather not grind this part yourself, OSRS skill-leveling services are listed on FullBoosts. Read Jagex's Rules of Old School RuneScape before you buy any service from anyone, FullBoosts included — a marketplace listing isn't publisher permission.

FAQ

What is the fastest way to get 99 Mining in OSRS? 3-tick granite from 45, after the quest skip and a little iron. The OSRS Wiki benchmarks 87,000 XP per hour at 45, rising to 126,000 at 99, which is about 115 hours from 45 by our arithmetic.

What is the best Mining method without tick manipulation? Iron in the Mining Guild from 60, where the +7 invisible boost and faster respawns help, then the Volcanic Mine from 70. Lead rocks at the Deepfin Mine are an option with 67 Sailing.

What quests give Mining XP in OSRS? Doric's Quest, The Dig Site, Plague City, The Giant Dwarf, The Lost Tribe and Another Slice of H.A.M. give 27,525 XP in total, enough for level 37.

What is the most AFK Mining method? Crashed stars and amethyst need very few clicks but give low XP. Motherlode Mine and rubium rocks are a middle ground with better rates and useful rewards.

Is Motherlode Mine worth it? Yes, for the prospector kit (+2.5% XP) and low-attention ore. It's slower than iron or granite, and the 180 nuggets for the full kit take about 10 hours on average (OSRS Wiki).

What should free-to-play players mine? Doric's Quest, copper or tin to 15, then iron to 99. Adamantite and runite are for money rather than speed.

Related guides

• OSRS Smithing guide 1-99
• OSRS Woodcutting guide 1-99
• OSRS Prayer guide 1-99
• OSRS money making guide
• OSRS Sailing guide 1–99
• OSRS Crafting guide 1-99