Conan Exiles Iron Reinforcement Guide: Shape the Iron To Make it Stronger

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Emily has thousands of hours clocked in survival games, from ARK: Survival Evolved to 7 Days to Die; she loves the diversity of the genre. Initially skeptical about the theme of Conan Exiles, she quickly became addicted to the game and now recommends it to every survival fanatic she meets. Right now, she's probably in the Tundra on a seemingly endless quest to find a Baby Sabertooth.

Conan Exiles Iron Reinforcement Overview

Iron Reinforcements are needed for the Map Room
You can make around 100 items with Iron Reinforcements, not including DLC items
You can get a T3 or T4 Blacksmith to turn one Iron Reinforcement and one Steelfire into one Steel Reinforcements
You cannot skip the step of making the reinforcement and just use Iron Bars instead
Iron Reinforcements can make the new golem in the Golem Workbench

How to Make Iron Reinforcements

Conan Exiles Iron Reinforcement Guide — Screenshot by Emily Medlock

Iron Reinforcements are easy to make, but the in-game tutorial and guide for Conan Exiles is practically non-existent. You have to figure everything out for yourself unless you use a guide like this.

Learn the Recipe

The recipe for Iron Reinforcements is learned on the Knowledge page, so you don’t have to find the recipe on a stele. Instead, you only need to be level 10 and have the Stone Tools recipe. Then, you can unlock the Blacksmith recipe under Survival.

This not only unlocks the Iron Reinforcements but also unlocks the Furnace, Blacksmith Bench, and Casting Table. So whether you are ready to make the reinforcements or not, you need this for other things.

Gather Iron

My favorite place to look for resource locations is Map Vault. But if you want a couple of quick areas, then head either south of the Black Galleon or south of the Tower of Bats to gather all the iron you need.

Get Iron Bars

To get Iron Bars, fuel up the Furnace with Coal, Bark, Wood etc. then add Ironstone. Each two Ironstone makes one Iron Bar. But you also need two Iron Bars for each Iron Reinforcement, so you need four Ironstones per one Iron Reinforcement.

Make Iron Reinforcement

After you have Iron Bars, take them to the Blacksmith’s Bench and make Iron Reinforcements. This time, you don’t need fuel to operate the bench. But remember, you do need two bars for each item. It also takes a while at 30 seconds for each reinforcement.

What To Use Iron Reinforcements For

Iron Reinforcements have a hand in nearly every category in Conan Exiles. Because they take a while to make, I suggest having a stack on hand for whenever you do want to make something.

Steel Reinforcement

An important thing you can make with Iron Reinforcements is Steel Reinforcements. But to do that, you need at least a T3 Blacksmith. I have a guide on Blacksmiths if you need to find one.

Once you get one, put him on the Blacksmith’s Bench. Then put Steelfire and Iron Reinforcements in there to make Steel Reinforcements. Alternatively, you can make them without a Blacksmith, but it takes five iron bars instead of one.

Workshop

Conan Exiles without workshops is nothing. Whether you have a private base with mobile workshops or a grand base with every bench under the sun available at all times, an exile needs to craft.

Improved Alchemist’s Bench

Recipe – Potionmaker
Level – 30
Ingredients – 50 Brick, 50 Shaped Wood, 50 Iron Reinforcements

This bench improves the crafting speed and slightly reduces the cost of making things. Alchemist Benches are used to make potions primarily, which I consistently do, especially when I live near Aloe.

Improved Blacksmith’s Bench

Recipe – Master Blacksmith
Level – 30
Ingredients – 100 Bricks, 100 Iron Reinforcements

This bench is like the standard Blackmsith’s Bench, but it increases crafting speed and reduces cost reduction. It also has twice as many slots, so you can store stuff here or make a ton of it at the same time.

Improved Carpenter’s Bench

Recipe – Master Carpenter
Level – 30
Ingredients – 100 Brick, 25 Iron Reinforcements, 50 Shaped Wood

The Improved Carpetner’s Bench increases crafting speed, doubles slots, and reduces cost reduction just like the other improved benches. Learning it also teaches Shaved Bark which allows you to convert wood into bark.

Building

Conan Exiles stonebrick — Screenshot by Emily Medlock

There are a ton of items you can make with Iron Reinforcements in Conan Exiles. In fact, there are so many that I won’t list them all and instead divide them into the type of material of the pieces.

Hatch Door

Recipe – Journeyman Hatchmaker
Level – 29

This is a unique recipe that only teaches four items, one includes the Hatch Door which uses Iron Reinforcements. For some reason, hatches are their own category in Conan Exiles.

Insulated Wood Items

There are over 30 Insulated Wood items you can build with, each offering some cold insulation. To make most of the insulated wood set you need the Journeyman set, such as Journeyman Mason and Journeyman Fence-maker.

These pieces take Insulated Wood and Iron Reinforcements, rarely anything else. To make Insulated Wood, place Dry Wood and Resin in the Carpenter’s Bench. You can get Resin from trees and Dry Wood by drying wood in the Dryer (which also grants some Resin).

Reinforced Wood Items

There are only a few Reinforced Wood items that require Iron Reinforcements. The awnings and the wooden door. To learn the awnings, you need the Awning Knowledge and for the door, you need Journeyman Mason. This set offers cold insulation.

Stonebrick Items

To make these, you need Brick, Shaped Wood, and Iron Reinforcements. You also need the Journeyman recipes, depending on the piece you want to make. It takes a while to make the ingredients for these, but it’s still one of the easiest to make as building in Conan Exiles can be a pain.

Wood Items

Regular wood items aren’t considered Reinforced or Insulated. They take Shaped Wood and Iron Reinforcements, offering a bit of heat insulation. To learn them, check select Journeyman Knowledges.

Siege Foundation

Recipe – Engineer
Level – 25

The Siege Foundation is made to build siege engines on top of. Sieges are common in PvP bases and are all-around fun to play around with just like the Trebuchet, which you can learn the base for in this recipe.

Other Base Items

There are plenty of other random base items that aren’t structure items you can make with the Iron Reinforcements. These are some of my favorite items in the game, primarily for practical reasons.

Map Room

Recipe – Cartographer (at the Archives)
Level – 0
Ingredients – 200 Corrupted Stone, 35 Iron Reinforcements, 75 Alchemical Base, and 50 Crystal

The Map Room allows you to teleport to obelisks around the map. It is quite large, so it requires a lot of space. I suggest building a foundation for it or finding a field to place it in, cleared of trees and hills.

Large Chest

Recipe – Large Chest
Level – 20
Ingredients – 15 Shaped Wood, 5 Iron Reinforcements

If you have a ton of resources, you can level by making this chest because it takes 0 seconds to craft and grants 760 base experience. But even if you don’t need to level, the Large Chest is sturdy and perfect for storing your goods.

Planter

Recipe – Farmer
Level – 38
Ingredients – 50 Brick, 10 Shaped Wood, 10 Iron Reinforcements

The Planter is one of the ways you can grow plants in Conan Exiles. You can plant Aloe, Berries, Lotus Flowers, and more in this thing. It is better than the Crude Planter but not as good as the Improved Planter.

Stove

Recipe – Stove
Level – 29
Ingredients – 150 Stone, 50 Iron Reinforcements

The Stove is a crucial part of cooking in Conan Exiles. You need it to make most things, especially soups, feasts, and similar platters. You can make a good amount of food in the campfire, but that isn’t ideal.

Altars

Recipe – Related to Religion
Level – 20
Ingredients – 350 Brick, 20 Manifestation of Zeal, 60 Shaped Wood, 250 Iron Reinforcements

Iron Reinforcements are necessary to build the second tier of altars in Conan Exiles. The first tier is super easy to make but you need to farm a bit to get the second. But it’s better than the third, which takes Hardened Brick and Steel Reinforcements.

Reinforced Animal Pen

Recipe – Tamer
Level – 27
Ingredients – 50 Brick, 60 Shaped Wood, 50 Iron Reinforcement

The Reinforced Animal pen adds decay reduction, slots for storage and taming, and crafting speed. It also has seven times more health than the previous tiers. But my favorite feature is the added slots.

Water Well

Recipe – Water Well
Level – 25
Ingredients – 60 Brick, 60 Shaped Wood, 300 Tar, 42 Iron Reinforcement

This isn’t easy to make because you have to make Tar, which takes forever. But, a water well collects water, which is helpful if you spend much time at your base. It holds 25 uses of water too, which is significant.

Wheel of Pain

Recipe – Wheel of Pain
Level – 30
Ingredients – 75 Shaped Wood, 50 Brick, 200 Iron Reinforcement, 50 Twine

The Wheel of Pain can break four thralls at a time, but it’s quite large. It’s right between the Lesser Wheel of Pain and the Greater Wheel of Pain; it’s also the one I use most often as I rarely get the greater version.

Fermentation Barrel

Recipe – Brewing
Level – 37
Ingredients – 50 Insulated Wood, 10 Iron Reinforcements

The Fermentation Barrel can make alcohol. Though a Cook can be placed on it, the Alchemist thrall or the Lone Fisherman will give you extra recipes. You can find the Lone Fisherman at Sepermeru.

Cauldron

Recipe – Ironmonger
Level – 40
Ingredients – 2 Iron Bars, 7 Iron Reinforcements

The Cauldron is not for cooking or making potions. Instead, this specific piece is just a decoration. A really cool, relatively cheap one, so it’s always worth placing over a fire, but still, it does not work.

Cupboard

Recipe – Large Chest
Level – 20
Ingredients – 40 Wood, 7 Iron Reinforcements

The Cupboard is a cute storage shelf that looks like an old ice box. This is one of my favorite things to decorate with because I love rustic furniture and this is one of the most authentic pieces.

Iron Plinth Display

Recipe – Faux Taxidermy (learned at the Archives)
Level – 0
Ingredients – 50 Iron Reinforcements, 150 Stone

The Iron Plinth Display is how you display taxidermied animals in Conan Exiles. It’s a small round disc that you can place the stuffed carcasses on. You need the taxidermy knowledge for the

Questionable Cauldron

Recipe – Forgotten Furnishings (near Palace of the Witch Queen)
Level – 0
Ingredients – 20 Iron Bars, 7 Iron Reinforcements

These furnishings are great, once part of the Grave Matter event. But my favorite piece is the Questionable Cauldron. It’s like a normal Cauldron but half alive yet dead inside, which is relatable.

Stygian Brazier (Variant A)

Recipe – Braziers
Level – 11
Ingredients – 20 Iron Bars, 7 Iron Reinforcements

This is just a simple brazier to light on fire and brighten your base. The origin is from the worshippers of Set, as this is a common brazier that the Stygians decorated Set’s palace with.

The Golem

Recipe – Stone Guardian Shaper
Level – 1

The new Golem recipe allows you to make parts for the golem in the Golem Workbench. You can give the golem commands to guard your base because he’s not just a huge and appealing statue.

FAQs

Question: How Do I Increase Iron Reinforcement Crafting Speed?

Answer: The best way to increase the crafting speed of an Iron Reinforcement is to get a Campaign Blacksmith Bnech which increases the speed by 200%. However, this does compromise cost reduction as the Garrison’s gives that.

Question: How Do I Make Iron Ingot in Conan Exiles?

Answer: Iron Ingots are called Iron Bars in Conan Exiles, so if you can’t find them, that’s why. Try searching Iron Bars in Knowledge to unlock them and learn where to make them.

Question: What Reinforcement is Better Than Steel?

Answer: None. Though other metals are better than steel, you can’t make reinforcements with them. Instead, you use the bars to make items and skip the step of turning them into reinforcement.

Living Without Iron Reinforcements

Iron Reinforcements are important for building Stonebrick and other common items in Conan Exiles. So basically, don’t try to live without it or you’ll never have a Map Room, won’t have a base for a long time, and you can’t upgrade your benches.

However, I don’t recommend turning all of your Ironstone into Iron Reinforcements. I turn 30-50% of my Ironstone into Iron Reinforcements and the rest into Iron Bars. This gives me the best time turnaround for my needs.