Worked out · Valheim 1.0.17
Best pickaxes
Every Valheim pickaxe at max level: pickaxe damage, tool tier, the ores and deposits it can mine and the hits each one takes.
Strongest pickaxe
Black Metal Pickaxetool tier 364pickaxe damage
Most per stamina
Iron Pickaxe10 stamina a swing4.8per stamina
Needed for Flametal Ore
Black Metal PickaxeFlametal Oretier 3
Needed for Petrified Gammeltroll
No pickaxe: a Gammeltroll's attackPetrified Tissuetier 5
Every pickaxe at max level
- 1Black Metal PickaxeTool tier 3 · 14 stamina · 4.6 per stamina · from Mistlands64pickaxe damage
- 2Iron PickaxeTool tier 2 · 10 stamina · 4.8 per stamina · from Swamp48pickaxe damage
- 3
Bronze PickaxeTool tier 1 · 8 stamina · 4.6 per stamina · from Black Forest37pickaxe damage - 4
Antler PickaxeTool tier 0 · 6 stamina · 3 per stamina · from Meadows18pickaxe damage
Hits per deposit
Hits for one section of each deposit at skill 50; a dot: that pickaxe's tool tier is too low.
| Deposit | Health | Tier | Black Metal | Iron | Bronze | Antler |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Tin OreTin Deposit · Black Forest | 30 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
 Copper OreCopper Deposit · Black Forest | 50 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
 Scrap IronMuddy Scrap Pile · Swamp | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
 ObsidianObsidian Deposit · Mountains | 30 | 2 | 1 | 1 | · | · |
 Silver OreSilver Vein · Mountains | 50 | 2 | 2 | 2 | · | · |
| Scrap IronAncient Armour · Mistlands | 150 | 3 | 4 | · | · | · |
| Scrap IronAncient Sword · Mistlands | 150 | 3 | 4 | · | · | · |
 Flametal OreFlametal Ore · Ashlands | 100 | 3 | 3 | · | · | · |
| Petrified TissuePetrified Gammeltroll · Deep North · breaks only to the attacks of: Gammeltroll | 50 | 5 | · | · | · | · |
What each ore smelts into, in order: metals in order.
Formula
Pickaxe damage at max level = base + per level × (max level − 1). A hit lands only if the pickaxe's tool tier is at least the deposit's.
Hits per section = ceil(section health ÷ (pickaxe damage × 0.7)), the skill roll at Pickaxes 50.
MineRock5.Damage, Destructible.Damage and Skills.GetRandomSkillFactor in the code of Valheim 1.0.17.
Assumptions
- Large deposits (copper, silver veins) are split into sections, each with this health; the number of sections varies with the deposit's size.
- Deposits broken by any hit (piles of rubble, blobs) are left out.