OSRS Ironman Supply Management: Tips for Banking Herbs, Seeds, and More

One of the unique parts (and sometimes headaches) of playing an Ironman in Old School RuneScape is handling the mountain of resources you end up gathering. With no Grand Exchange access, your bank can get messy fast with herbs, seeds, ores, logs, monster drops, quest items – everything! Proper Ironman setup starts early.

Good supply management is vital for efficient skilling, questing, and making overall progress. Here are key tips for keeping your Ironman bank tidy and your supplies easy to find.

(Note: Ultimate Ironmen have way different strategies since they can't use banks normally! This guide is for regular/hardcore Ironmen.)

1. Organize Your Bank ASAP & Keep It Tidy

Don't wait until your bank looks like a disaster zone. Start organizing right away:

  • Use Bank Tabs: Assign specific tabs for different stuff (e.g., Combat Gear, Skilling Gear, Runes/Teleports, Potions/Food, Herbs/Farming, Ores/Smithing, Logs/Fletching, Quest Items, Loot/Misc).
  • Turn On Placeholders: Go to Settings -> Bank -> check "Placeholders". This is essential! It keeps an item's spot in the bank even if you take the whole stack out, so your layout doesn't get messed up.
  • Be Consistent: Arrange items in tabs logically. Put similar things together (all logs, all pickaxes, etc.).
  • Clean Up Regularly: Go through your tabs (especially the loot tab) often. Alch stuff, put quest items in your POH storage, process resources (make potions, smelt bars, etc.).

2. Handling Herbs, Seeds & Secondaries

Herblore is super important but creates tons of items:

  • Grimy vs. Clean Herbs: Decide early if you'll clean herbs right away or store them grimy. Cleaning gives a tiny bit of Herblore XP but uses time/bank space if storing both types. Many Ironmen store grimy herbs until they have a big batch ready for cleaning/potion making.
  • Seed Storage: Use the Seed Vault in the Farming Guild! It holds tons of seeds without using bank space. Only keep seeds you're actively using (like high-level herb seeds) in your main bank if necessary.
  • Secondaries Tab: Make a specific spot for secondary ingredients (Eyes of Newt, Limpwurts, Mort Myre Fungi, Red Spider Eggs, etc.). Keep track of how many you have compared to your herbs.
  • Potions: Store finished potions together (usually 4-dose versions). You can decant later if needed, but 4-dose stacks well.

3. Managing Ores, Bars, and Smithing Gear

Mining and Smithing items are bulky:

  • Ore Box: Helpful while mining, but doesn't save bank space itself.
  • Dedicated Tab: Keep all ores and bars in one tab, maybe sorted by metal type (Iron/Steel, Mith/Addy/Rune).
  • Process When Ready: Smelt ores into bars when you have the Coal (if needed) and Smithing level. This frees up ore space. Only keep raw ores if needed for something specific (like gold for Crafting).

4. Dealing With Loot and Monster Drops

Your "loot tab" can fill up fast:

  • Process Often: Don't let valuable alchables, runes, herbs, seeds, etc., sit there for weeks. Deal with them regularly.
  • Stackables First: Prioritize banking stackable drops. For unstackable gear drops, decide quickly: alch it, drop it (if worthless), or store it if you genuinely need it.
  • Clue Scroll Gear: Keep common items needed for emote clues (check STASH unit requirements) organized, possibly in their own tab or section. Your POH storage helps hugely here!

5. Use Your Player Owned House (POH) Storage!

Your POH is like extra bank space for specific items:

  • Costume Room: Holds tons of holiday outfits, random event clothes, capes (like Skillcapes), clue gear, Graceful pieces, skilling outfits. Build all the storage units!
  • Workshop: Can store tools like hammers, saws, trowels.
  • Study: Stores certain teleport crystals/scrolls.
  • Armour Stand/Magic Wardrobe: Stores specific armour sets.

6. Need Help with Gathering? (Later Game Option)

Sometimes, even with good organization, the sheer amount of resources needed is the real problem. If gathering thousands of specific secondaries or ores is burning you out and stopping you from doing fun stuff, remember that safe OSRS Ironman Collecting Services exist. Tons of XP offers 100% Hand-Trained help (see our safe Ironman services info) to gather resources safely, letting you focus on using them.

Conclusion: Organization is Your Friend

A tidy bank saves time, stress, and makes your Ironman journey way better. Start organizing early, stick with it, and change your system as your account grows. Happy banking!

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