OSRS Mining Money Making Guide: Ores, Amethyst and Paydirt

Overview

Mining money making is straightforward on paper — rocks become ores become GP — and annoying in practice because ore prices and tick methods swing. Your job is to pick a rock that matches your attention and still clears costs.

Training structure lives in the Mining 1–99 guide. Zalcano and other hybrid content can pay, but they are not "just Mining" — see the Zalcano guide when that is your real activity.

Motherlode Mine remains the classic mid-game compromise between AFK and output. High-level ores and amethyst need a price check every time you come back from a break.

Requirements

The hard requirement is the rock's level. The soft requirement is a pickaxe and bank route that keep you from walking for half the hour.

Setup

Setup is pickaxe, weight, and deciding whether this session is AFK paydirt or focused tick mining.

1. Check live ore or amethyst prices before you commit.
2. Bring the inventory tools that extend trips (bags, teleports).
3. Clear a bank tab for ores so you can deposit without thinking.
4. Choose a world density that matches your method (competitive rocks vs AFK).
5. For Motherlode: confirm you remember hopper and sack rhythm before blasting music for an hour.

Route and Process

Mine → inventory full → deposit/process → repeat. Amethyst and specialised rocks add crafting or world-hop decisions — keep them rule-based.

1. Mine until the inventory rule triggers.
2. Deposit or note ores according to your preset.
3. Repair or recharge tools on a schedule, not when they strand you.
4. Sell ores in batches; undercutting yourself five times an hour is not a strategy.
5. Stop when the timed rate is bad — rocks will still be there tomorrow.

Costs to Subtract

Mining costs are mostly time and tool charges, unless you are buying sand or other process inputs.

• Pickaxe purchase or charge costs where relevant
• Teleport costs
• Prospector or other outfit acquisition time (sunk cost — do not re-count forever)
• GE tax on ore sales
• Food only if you insist on dangerous mining spots

How to Calculate Realistic Profit

Count ores (or paydirt → nuggets → bars/ores path) over a timed AFK-realistic hour.

1. Decide attention level for the test (true AFK vs focused).
2. Mine for that hour without swapping methods mid-test.
3. Value outputs at conservative GE prices.
4. Subtract teleports and charges.
5. Compare to Wiki money-making Mining entries for the same rock.

Ironman Relevance

Mining is infrastructure: coal, ores for bars, amethyst for darts. Sell value matters less than the smithing pipeline.

Motherlode nuggets toward the prospector outfit are often the real early prize.

Common Mistakes

Tick manipulating on three hours of sleep is how you get neither XP nor GP.

• Mining a crashed ore because "it used to be good"
• Forcing Wilderness resource mining without PK rules
• Calling Zalcano a Mining method while ignoring team loot splits
• Buying a fancy pickaxe before you will mine enough for it to matter
• Skipping the Mining 1–99 guide unlocks

When to Move On

Exit conditions matter as much as the method itself. Switch when one of these is true:

• Ore prices make your AFK hour worse than another AFK skill you prefer.
• You unlock a higher rock and verify it after costs.
• You need burst GP — consider PvM or flipping instead of rocks.

FAQ

Is Motherlode Mine good money?

It is often acceptable AFK GP plus outfit progress. Check live paydirt outcomes and your attention level against Wiki figures.

Is amethyst always best?

No. It needs level and favourable dart/ore-adjacent prices. Re-check whenever you return to it.

Should I blast mine for GP?

Blast Mining can pay when you execute it well and prices cooperate. It is not an AFK method — time a real session.

Mining vs Smithing for money?

Mining sells raw; Smithing needs bars and often buyables. Calculate the full chain before combining them in your head.

Related Guides

• OSRS Mining 1–99 Guide
• OSRS Zalcano Guide
• OSRS Skilling Money Making
• Best AFK OSRS Activities

Bottom Line

Mining money is ore price times your real ores per hour, minus tiny costs. Match the rock to your attention.

Re-price after updates; AFK comfort is a valid reason to take a "worse" rock.