Metals

Metals and ore are a big part of Gielinor, whether it be cutlery, armor, jewelry or anything else, it plays a large part in creating most things.

Scale of Metals
The scale of metals from worst to best is as follows:

Bronze

Iron

Steel

Mithril

Adamant

Runite

HOWEVER the scaling isn't linear, both strength and price vary independently as bronze and iron is usually affordable by the average man, steel a little less such, but still very much affordable, but where things get sketchy is when it comes to Mithril, Adamant and Runite.

Bronze


Bronze is an alloy, primarily consisting of copper with added tin, it is hard and tough, and especially if cold-drawn or cold-rolled. In Runescape, bronze is used for armor, weapons, arrowheads, bolt tips, wires and plenty other things.

Bronze cannot be used for furnaces as their melting point typically resides around 950°C (1,742°F), and most other metals are above this melting point

Iron
Iron is the most common of the metals for armor and weaponry, due to it's easy accesability.

Despite bronze being harder than iron (Vickers hardness of 60-258 vs 30-80HV5), iron gives higher defense stats in Runescape.

The melting point of iron lies at 1538°C (2800°F) and is therefore higher than that of bronze.

Iron has always, in the real world, been tied to the body and the earth heavily. You can smell iron within your blood. The magnetic fields Iron creates make "Ley Lines" from where the name "Taverley" comes from. Iron is especially rooted deeply into Druidism, Wicca, and other pagan faiths as being one of the strongest naturally occuring metals. This may not be true as much for Runescape, but it is expected iron plays a heavy role.

Iron gates are used on graveyards, in the belief iron repels the dead, and will keep any walking dead trapped within the bars.

Steel
Steel is an alloy much like bronze, however consisting of iron and typically carbon. Other ores and metals may be added to give the metal different properties. For instance, if a white hue is desired, antimony, tin, lead, cadmium, bismuth or zinc might be added, and can be mixed to achieve a desired goal or need.

The melting point of steel is very similar to iron as iron is the main-component in steel.

Steel is significantly harder and stronger than iron and bronze, but is manageable and crafty when heated, and is therefore a very popular metal used for armor and weaponry in Gielinor and among most roleplayers.

Adamantite
As mentioned in the novel Betrayal at Falador, the Protagonist has an adamantite sword that cuts through the variants of steel with ease, making this metal vastly superior to steel, iron and bronze alike.

The rarity of expense of adamant is high, and adamant is likely only used for weapons for generals, powerful aristocrats and perhaps a few adventurers.

Gathering adamantite proves to be harder than most other metals, as one must swing the pickaxe correctly to avoid crushing the useful ore, and furthermore, melting the adamantite requires attention and the right temperature, presumeably as the coal dissolves fast at certain temperatures, and that the amount of coal should not exceed a certain percentage per weight to ruin the metal (as seen with steel, whereas if the percentage of coal per weight exceeds 2.1% the steel becomes weak).

Dragonite
Dragonite (More commonly Dragon) is a metal that was brought to Gielinor by the Dragonkin in the fourth age. Not much is known of the metal, the beings that brought it or where it's naturally found, however it is an extremely strong and heavy metal which is generally not accepted in roleplay due to its rarity.