Fletching training

This article gives tips about training the Fletching skill.

Before the Grand Exchange, the best place to train Fletching was Seers' Village bank, as this was where most people sold their maple, yew and magic logs and bowstrings. Because of this, there were often people buying longbows in bulk, to alchemise for magic experience. The most common logs and longbows traded were yews. Not many people bought willow or lower level longbows, so it was often better to sell these in noted form to a general store for profit. With the Grand Exchange, many players train Fletching right at the Grand Exchange itself in order to quickly buy and sell their required materials.

Helpful quests

Some quests give Fletching experience as a one-time quest reward:

• Big Chompy Bird Hunting: 260 experience
• Animal Magnetism: 1,000 experience
• Zogre Flesh Eaters: 2,000 experience
• Fremennik Trials: 2,813 experience
• Devious Minds: 5,000 experience
• Temple of Ikov: 8,000 experience

Some other quests not listed give a generic experience lamp that could be used on Fletching if the player intended to do so, however, Fletching is known to be a "fast skill" to train up, so generic experience lamps are typically better used on other skills.

Level 1-99

This section will show the time and number of either logs or unstrung bows and bowstrings needed to reach level 99 if switching to each newly unlocked bow type you can fletch as soon as possible, along with the amounts of the materials involved; logs, bowstrings, unstrung bows and finished bows.

Level 1 - 25 Alternate - Iron Arrows

Fletch 2,505 Arrowshafts (167 regular Logs) , attach 2,505 feathers (which will get you past level 15, so that you can proceed), and then attach 2,505 Iron arrowtips. This method will roughly break even.

• Experience needed: 7,842
• Logs needed: 167
• Feather needed: 2,505
• Iron arrowtips needed: 2,505
• Logs cost = 23,046
• Feather cost = 7,515
• Iron arrowtips cost = 22,545
• Iron arrows = 12,525
  • Total Profit/Loss = −40,581
  • Total experience = 9,602.5

This method actually achieves level 26 for a total of 9,602.5 xp (assuming player is starting at level 1 with 0 xp). 5xp per 15 arrow shafts, 15 xp per 15 feathers attached, and 37.5 xp per 15 arrowtips attached.

Level 1- 5/10 – Arrow shafts

The best way to get from level 1 to level 5 is by fletching arrow shafts, which give 5 experience per log. This method also tends to be slightly profitable.

• Experience needed: 388
• Logs needed: 78
• Time: 150 seconds
• Logs cost = 10,764
• Arrow shafts = 1,170
  • Total Profit/Loss= −9,594

Level 5-10 – Shortbows

You can now make basic shortbows which give 5 experience for fletching or stringing them.

• Experience needed: 767
• Logs/Shortbows (u) needed: 153
• Time: 6 minutes (fletch) or 4 minutes (string)
• Logs cost = 21,114
• Shortbow (u) cost = 1,224
• Bowstrings cost = 15,606
  • Shortbow (u) and bow strings total = 16,830
• Shortbows = 4,437
  • Total Profit/Loss(stringing) = −12,393
  • Total Profit/Loss(fletching) = −19,890

Level 10- 20 – Longbows

You can now make basic longbows which give 10 experience for fletching or stringing them.

• Experience needed: 3,316
• Logs/longbows (u) needed: 332
• Time: 12 minutes (fletch) or 8 minutes (string)
• Logs cost = 45,816
• Longbow (u) cost = 6,640
• Bow strings cost = 33,864
  • Longbow (u) and bow strings total = 40,504
• Longbows = 18,260
  • Total Profit/Loss(stringing) = −22,244
  • Total Profit/Loss(fletching) = −39,176

Level 20 - 25 – Oak shortbows

You can now create oak shortbows which give 16.5 experience for fletching or stringing them.

• Experience needed: 4,082
• Oak logs/oak shortbows (u) needed: 205
• Time: 6 minutes (fletch) or 4 minutes 20 seconds (string)
• Oak logs cost = 29,315
• Oak shortbow (u) cost = 2,665
• Bow strings cost = 20,910
  • Oak shortbow (u) and bow strings total = 23,575
• Oak shortbows = 7,380
  • Total Profit/Loss(stringing) = −16,705
  • Total Profit/Loss(fletching) = −26,650

Level 25 - 35 – Oak longbows

You can now make oak longbows which give 25 experience for fletching or stringing them.

• Experience needed: 14,564
• Oak logs/oak longbows (u) needed: 583
• Time: 21 minutes (fletch) or 14 minutes (string)
• Oak logs cost = 83,369
• Oak longbow (u) cost = 15,741
• Bow strings cost = 59,466
  • Oak longbow (u) and bow strings total = 75,207
• Oak longbows = 34,397
  • Total Profit/Loss(stringing) = −40,810
  • Total Profit/Loss(fletching) = −67,628

Level 35-40 – Willow shortbows

You can now make willow shortbows which give 33.5 experience for fletching or stringing them.

• Experience needed: 14,818
• Willow logs/willow shortbows (u) needed: 445
• Time: 16 minutes (fletch) or 11 minutes (string)
• Willow logs cost = 8,455
• Willow shortbow (u) cost = 14,685
• Bow strings cost = 45,390
  • Willow shortbow (u) and bow strings total = 60,075
• Willow shortbows = 35,600
  • Total Profit/Loss(stringing) = −24,475
  • Total Profit/Loss(fletching) = 6,230

Level 40-50 – Willow longbows

You can now make willow longbows which give 41.5 experience for fletching or stringing them.

• Experience needed: 64,109
• Willow logs/willow longbows (u) needed: 1,545
• Time: 55 minutes (fletch) or 37 minutes (string)
• Willow logs cost = 29,355
• Willow longbow (u) cost = 71,070
• Bow strings cost = 157,590
  • Willow longbow (u) and bow strings total = 228,660
• Willow longbows = 207,030
  • Total Profit/Loss(stringing) = −21,630
  • Total Profit/Loss(fletching) = 41,715

Level 50-55 – Maple shortbows

You can now make maple shortbows which give 50 experience each for fletching or stringing them.

• Experience needed: 65,303
• Maple logs/maple shortbows (u) needed: 1,307
• Time: 47 minutes (fletch) or 32 minutes (string)
• Maple logs cost = 11,763
• Maple shortbow (u) cost = 90,183
• Bow strings cost = 133,314
  • Maple shortbow (u) and bow strings total = 223,497
• Maple shortbows = 207,813
  • Total Profit/Loss(stringing) = −15,684
  • Total Profit/Loss(fletching) = 78,420

Level 55-65 – Maple longbows

You can now make maple longbows which give 58.25 Fletching experience for fletching or stringing them.

• Experience needed: 282,792
• Maple logs/maple longbows (u) needed: 4,861
• Time: 2 hours 53 minutes (fletch) or approximately 2 hours 15 minutes (string)
• Maple logs cost = 43,659
• Maple longbow (u) cost = 247,401
• Bow strings cost = 494,802
  • Maple longbow (u) and bow strings total = 742,203
• Maple longbows = 1,159,389
  • Total Profit/Loss(stringing) = 417,186
  • Total Profit/Loss(fletching) = 203,742

Level 65-70 – Yew shortbows

You can now make yew shortbows, which give 67.5 experience for fletching or stringing them.

• Experience needed: 288,199
• Yew logs/yew shortbows (u) needed: 4,270
• Time: 2 hours 33 minutes (fletch) or 1 hour 42 minutes (string)
• Yew logs cost = 1,063,230
• Yew shortbow (u) cost = 918,050
• Bow strings cost = 435,540
  • Yew shortbow (u) and bow strings total = 1,353,590
• Yew shortbows = 1,584,170
  • Total Profit/Loss(stringing) = 230,580
  • Total Profit/Loss(fletching) = −145,180

Level 70-80 – Yew longbows

You can now make yew longbows which give 75 experience for fletching or stringing them.

• Experience needed: 1,248,441
• Yew logs/yew longbows (u) needed: 16,646
• Time: 9 hours 55 minutes (fletch) or 6 hours 37 minutes (string)
• Yew logs cost = 4,144,854
• Yew longbow (u) cost = 5,709,578
• Bow strings cost = 1,697,892
  • Yew longbow (u) and bow strings total = 7,407,470
• Yew longbows = 9,255,176
  • Total Profit/Loss(stringing) = 1,847,706
  • Total Profit/Loss(fletching) = 1,564,724

Level 80-85 – Magic shortbows

You can now make magic shortbows which give 83.3 experience for fletching or stringing.

• Experience needed: 1,272,526
• Magic logs/magic shortbows (u) needed: 15,277
• Time: 9 hours 6 minutes (fletch) or 6 hours 4 minutes (string)
• Magic logs cost = 16,661,740
• Magic shortbow (u) cost = 12,473,376
• Bow strings cost = 1,559,172
  • Magic shortbow (u) and bow strings total = 14,032,548
• Magic shortbows = 13,023,672
  • Total Profit/Loss(stringing) = −1,008,876
  • Total Profit/Loss(fletching) = −4,188,364

Level 85-99 – Magic longbows

Magic longbows are the last type of bow unlocked. They give 91.5 experience for fletching or stringing them.

• Experience needed: 9,775,837
• Magic logs/magic longbows (u) needed: 106,840
• Time: 56 hours 26 minutes (fletch) or 38 hours 22 minutes (string)
• Magic logs cost = 116,455,600
• Magic longbow (u) cost = 118,058,200
• Bow strings cost = 10,897,680
  • Magic longbow (u) and bow strings total = 128,955,880
• Magic longbows = 140,494,600
  • Total Profit/Loss(stringing) = 11,538,720
  • Total Profit/Loss(fletching) = 1,602,600

Other methods

Level 30-99 - Steel arrows

Fletching steel arrows is a reasonably fast method of training fletching that is occasionally profitable. This is due to it sometimes being possible to sell the arrows above the market price, meaning that players can sell them at the same price which they bought the materials for (allowing them to break even). Each set made yields 75 experience (5 experience per arrow).

• Experience needed: 13,021,068
• Steel arrowtips and headless arrows needed: 2,604,214
• Time: 57 hours 52 minutes (Estimated 155,000 experience per hour)
• Steel arrowtips price = 93,751,704
• Headless arrow price = 18,229,498
  • Cost per arrow = −11
• Total cost = 111,981,202
• Total Profit/Loss= −28,646,354

Level 52-99 – Broad arrows

Fletching broad arrows is a fast but expensive method for training Fletching. When fletching broad arrows, you make 10 sets of 15 arrows at 10 experience per arrow (150 experience per set). As broad arrows are untradeable, no profit can be made from this method of training.

• Experience needed: 12,910,771
• Broad arrowheads and headless arrows needed: 1,291,078
• Time: 28 hours 41 minutes (Estimated 310,000 experience per hour)
• Broad arrowheads price = 69,718,212
• Headless arrow price = 9,037,546
  • Cost per arrow = −61
• Total cost = 78,755,758
• Total Profit/Loss= −78,755,758 (finished product is untradeable)

Level 55-99 – Broad bolts

Starting at level 55, players can now make broad bolts. Broad bolts are fletched 10 at a time and give 3 Fletching experience per bolt, or 30 experience per set of 10 bolts made. The experience is dependant on how fast you click the unfinished bolts and feathers, since there is no "make x" option, one has to click feathers then bolts for every set of 10 made. Broad bolts can give up to 110,000 experience per hour and even more under intense concentration. It costs 58 coins to make a broad bolt if you buy the unfinished broad bolts from a slayer master, and 59 from the Grand Exchange. They can easily sell for 60+ coins per bolt on the Grand Exchange as they are in high demand.

• Experience needed: 12,867,795
• Unfinished broad bolts needed: 4,289,265
• Feathers needed: 4,289,265
• Time: 116 hours and 59 minutes (Estimated 110,000 experience per hour)
• Unfinished broad bolts cost = 240,198,840
• Feathers cost = 12,867,795
  • Unfinished broad bolts and feathers total = 253,066,635
• Broad bolts = 253,066,635
  • Total Profit/Loss= 0

Level 55-99 – Maple longbows

Maple longbows are usually a cheaper, if slightly slower, route to achieving level 99 in Fletching. They give 58.25 experience for fletching or stringing them.

• Experience needed: 12,867,795
• Maple logs/maple longbows (u) needed: 220,717
• Time: 131 hours 23 minutes (fletch) or 87 hours 36 minutes (string)
• Maple logs cost = 1,986,453
• Maple longbow (u) cost = 11,256,567
• Bow strings cost = 22,513,134
  • Maple longbow (u) and bow strings total = 33,769,701
• Maple longbows = 52,751,363
  • Total Profit/Loss(stringing) = 18,981,662
  • Total Profit/Loss(fletching) = 9,270,114

Level 65-99 – Diamond Bolts

Diamond Bolts can be made as an alternative to Broad Bolts, giving significantly more experience and profit per hour. Although a larger cash stack is required to buy the supplies for Adamant Bolts and Diamond Bolt Tips. Diamond bolts are made 10 at a time and give 7 Fletching experience per bolt, resulting in 70 experience per set.

• Experience needed: 12,585,003
• Adamant Bolts needed: 1,797,858
• Diamond Bolt Tips needed: 1,797,858
• Time: 66 hours 35 minutes
• Adamant Bolts cost = 327,210,156
• Diamond Bolt Tips cost = 311,029,434
  • Adamant Bolts and Diamond Bolt Tips total = 638,239,590
• Total Profit/Loss= 8,989,290

Level 70-99 – Yew longbows

Yew longbows are another alternative method to reach 99 if the player is unable to make at least 300k/h. They're a compromise between the speed of magic longbows and the relative cheapness of maple longbows. 75 experience is given for fletching or stringing yew longbows.

• Experience needed: 12,296,804
• Yew logs/yew longbows (u) needed: 163,958
• Time: 97 hours 36 minutes (fletch) or 65 hours 4 minutes (string)
• Yew logs cost = 40,825,542
• Yew longbow (u) cost = 56,237,594
• Bow strings cost = 16,723,716
  • Yew longbow (u) and bow strings total = 72,961,310
• Yew longbows = 91,160,648
  • Total Profit/Loss(stringing) = 18,199,338
  • Total Profit/Loss(fletching) = 15,412,052

Level 92-99 – Dragon javelins

Added with the release of Monkey Madness II, Dragon javelins are an extremely fast way to train fletching, at a moderate loss. They are fletched in 10 sets of 15, at 15 experience per javelin (225 experience per action). It is possible to achieve 670,000 experience per hour with high concentration.

• Experience needed: 6,517,178
• Dragon javelin heads and shafts needed: 434,479
• Time = 9 hours 39 minutes
• Dragon javelin head cost = 414,492,966
• Javelin shafts = 434,479
  • Loss per Javelin = −56

• Total cost = 414,927,445
  • Total Profit/Loss= −24,330,824

Level 95-99 – Dragon darts

Making dragon darts is without a doubt the fastest way to train fletching, however doing so comes at an extremely high loss. Darts are made twice as fast as making bolts and arrows, and can be fletched in 10 sets of 10, at 25 experience per dart (250 experience per action).

• Experience needed: 4,262,873
• Dragon dart tips and feathers needed: 170,515
• Time = 3 hours 6 minutes
• Dragon dart tip cost = 526,720,835
• Feather price = 511,545
  • Loss per dart = −119
• Total cost = 527,232,380
  • Total Profit/Loss= −21,314,375