OSRS: The 10 Best Mining Locations (Ranked)

What are the best mining locations in OSRS?

Mining is a fundamental skill in Old School Runescape, and if you want to max it out, you’ll need to head to the right places.

There are a number of great locations to choose from, but only a few are considered the best mining spots in OSRS.

To make finding them easier, we’ve created this handy list so you can easily discover the best mining spot for your character!

The 10 Best Mining Locations In OSRS

If you’re looking for the best locations for mining in Old School Runescape, you’ve come to the right place.

In this list, we will be covering all of the locations in the game that offer the best mining and XP gains.

Get ready to grab your pickaxe! Here’s our list of the 10 best mining locations in OSRS:

10. Grand Tree Mine

This mine is located in the Grand Tree Tunnels, and it can only be accessed once the Grand Tree Quest is complete.

Grand Tree Mine has many important minerals you can mine, including adamantite, mithril, silver, and clay.

The mining areas are split into the east and west sides of the tunnels, though the east side is where you’ll find the adamantite.

Adamantite will require a level 70 mining skill to mine, but it can be crucial for leveling your skill.

However, because this mine also hosts iron and clay, it is perfect for all levels of mining, making it a great location all around.

Plus, the worst enemies you’ll have to contend with are level 27 giant bats, which are very easy to deal with.

9. Mining Guild

If you have reached level 60 in mining, you can head to the Mining Guild, located in Falador.

Keep in mind that if you’re close to level 60, you can temporarily boost it to gain entry to this guild a bit early.

The mine at this guild is located either in the main complex or through the gate at the southern side of the Dwarven Mine.

If you’re a free-to-play player, you can find adamantite, mithril, coal, and iron here, along with two mining shops.

However, the member’s area features runite ore and amethyst, as well, which can be incredibly valuable!

8. Fossil Island Mine 

The Fossil Island Mine is located east of the museum camp on Fossil Island, and it has a decent number of high-level ore veins.

In order to reach this mine, you will need to complete the Bone Voyage quest, which you can get from Curator Halen at the Varrock Museum.

What makes this mine particularly useful is that it has a low requirement for access and sits close to a bank.

This means you can easily store your gains for profit without having to waste time traveling back and forth.

Along with being one of the best places to mine coal in OSRS, this mine also boasts adamantite, mithril, and runite ores.

7. Desert Quarry

This mine is located just south of the Bandit Camp in the Kharidian Desert, and you will need a 45 mining level to mine these stones.

If you want to get here quickly, you can use one of the best amulets in OSRS, the Camulet, to teleport to the quarry.

The Camulet can be gained after completing Enakhra’s Lament, a quest that features this location heavily.

While granite is the best resource you will find at this quarry, it also boasts clay, coal, and sandstone.

However, this quarry can be dangerous because of the desert heat, so you will need plenty of waterskins while mining here.

Alternatively, you could also use the desert amulet or a circlet of water to help prevent damage.

6. Trahaearn Mine

The Trahaearn Mine is located directly underneath Prifddinas, and it is one of the few places you can mine clay without a bracelet of clay.

This mine also has a small chance of giving places crystal shards while mining rocks at a rate of 1/127.

Better still is that players can mine iron here without moving, making it the perfect spot for power mining.

While iron is abundant, mithril, adamantite, and runite ore can also be found here, along with silver and gold ore.

There is also a mine cart on the southeast wall that acts as a deposit box where you can store your gains.

This is perfect for those looking to sell what they mine on the Grand Exchange without having to worry about running to a bank.

The only real downside of this mine is that you need to complete the quest Roving Elves in order to access it.

However, that quest line is fairly short, and we’d definitely recommend finishing it just to gain access to this great mining location.

5. Al-Kharid Mine

Also known as Scorpion Mine, this location can be found north of Al Kharid, a city in the Kharidian Desert.

This mine comes with many benefits, one of which is its close proximity to a bank, which makes it easy to store your gains.

It is also a low-risk area with many high-value stones such as gold, mithril, adamantite, and silver.

The Al-Kharid Mine is also one of the few locations where you can mine three iron rocks simultaneously without moving.

This makes it one of the most popular locations for players looking to gain mining experience as quickly as possible.

That being said, this location is home to a number of scorpions that will be aggressive if you are under combat level 28.

If you are a lower-level character, make sure to keep this in mind and bring some of the best foods for healing in OSRS when you go.

4. Shilo Village Mine

Shilo Village Mine gives you the ability to mine gem rocks, which are incredibly valuable in both profit and XP levels.

Mining in Shilo Village can easily grant you up to 40k XP per hour when you’re at level 70 and over 60k XP per hour at level 80!

There are no monsters to worry about at this mine, and if you’re lucky, you can earn upwards of 600k per hour while mining here.

However, it is recommended that you finish the Hard Karamja Diary first, as it will get you the Karamja Gloves.

This unique set of gloves allows you access to the underground portion of the mine where 48 additional gem rocks are located.

Similarly, if you’re wearing an amulet of glory, you will have an increased chance to obtain more gems per rock!

3. Volcanic Mine

This mine is located in a large volcanic chamber under the Fossil Island volcano, and it can be entered from the northeast side.

However, in order to get in, you will need a 50 mining level and at least 150 kudos, and 5 unidentified small fossils.

Additionally, you will also need to pay Petrified Pete 30 numulites every time you want to enter.

Despite these hurdles, the Volcanic Mine is one of the most popular for players looking to hit level 99 in mining.

This is because, with the crystal pickaxe, you can receive around 85k XP per hour once you hit level 90.

While it won’t earn you a ton of money like mining gem rocks will, you can quickly raise your mining level at this location!

2. Blast Mine

Located in the northern section of Lovakengj, the Blast Mine is a minigame that provides mining and firemaking experience.

If you’re following our OSRS 1-99 firemaking guide, this is a great location to break up your grinding.

However, it is also fantastic for leveling up your mining skill, though you will need 43 mining and 100% Lovakenhji favor to begin.

To play this minigame, you will need dynamite for each piece of ore, a chisel, and a tinderbox.

We would also recommend having the graceful outfit and the prospector kit in order to maximize your gains.

During the game, you must first excavate hard rock with the chisel, then light the dynamite with your tinderbox to expose a cavity.

Once the dynamite explodes, you can collect the blasted ore and place it in the ore sack near the operator.

You do have to be quick, though, because blasted ore disintegrates if not gathered fast enough!

1. Motherlode Mine

As the name suggests, this mine is the motherlode, and it stands out as the most popular mining location in OSRS.

This member’s only location is located in the Dwarven Mine, and it is popular for low-intensity mining training.

At level 30 mining, you can start using the lower level of the Motherlode Mine, and at level 72, you can unlock the upper area.

In the Motherlode Mine, you can find golden nuggets, gold ore, coal, mithril, adamantite, and runite ore.

While the XP rates are slower than the Shilo Village Mine, you can still make about 60k XP per hour at level 90 mining.

However, you can easily make upwards of 100k here if you’re looking for profit, especially if you’re using the prospector kit.

We would also recommend coming with a dragon or crystal pickaxe if you want to increase your XP gains!

Summary

We hope you’ve enjoyed our list of the best mining locations in OSRS and learned more about which area is right for you!

However, if you’re looking to level up your mining skill, you really can’t go wrong with any of these mining spots!

Just keep in mind the requirements some of them require for entry, so you can take care of that first! 

Here’s a quick recap of the 10 best mining locations in OSRS:

1. Motherlode Mine
2. Blast Mine
3. Volcanic Mine
4. Shilo Village Mine
5. Al-Kharid Mine
6. Trahaearn Mine
7. Desert Quarry
8. Fossil Island Mine 
9. Mining Guild
10. Grand Tree Mine

Which mining location are you planning to go to first? Leave a comment below.