TF2 Crafting and Metal Guide for Beginners

Last updated: October 2026 · Reading time: about 6 minutes

After a few weeks of playing Team Fortress 2, most players notice that their backpack is filling up with copies of the same weapons. Those duplicates are not junk. Through the crafting system you can melt them down into metal, and metal is the basic currency that players use to trade, buy weapons from each other and even craft hats. This guide explains how crafting works, how the different types of metal relate to each other and how to use them sensibly.

Where to find crafting

Crafting is done from the main menu. Open Items, then choose Crafting. You will see a list of "blueprints", which are recipes that tell the game what to combine and what you get back. Pick a blueprint, place the required items in the slots, and confirm. The ingredients are consumed and the result appears in your backpack.

Smelting weapons into scrap metal

The most important blueprint for new players is Smelt Class Weapons: combine two weapons that belong to the same class and you receive one Scrap Metal. For example, two Scout weapons or two Medic weapons can be smelted together. Weapons that are shared by several classes can usually be combined with any of the classes that can use them.

Because the drop system hands out weapons regularly, smelting duplicates is the fastest way for a new player to build up a stock of metal without spending anything.

The three types of metal

Metal comes in three tiers. Each higher tier is worth exactly three of the tier below, and you can convert in either direction using the matching blueprints.

You can also go backwards: one Refined Metal can be smelted into three Reclaimed Metal, and one Reclaimed Metal into three Scrap Metal. This is handy when you need to pay an exact amount in a trade.

Quick metal conversion reference

Traders usually write prices in "ref" (refined metal) with decimals. Since one refined is nine scrap, each scrap is worth about 0.11 ref. Here are the values you will see most often:

• 1 scrap = 0.11 ref
• 2 scrap = 0.22 ref
• 1 reclaimed (3 scrap) = 0.33 ref
• 2 reclaimed (6 scrap) = 0.66 ref
• 1 refined (9 scrap) = 1.00 ref

What is metal used for?

Trading

Metal is the everyday currency of TF2 trading. Small items such as standard weapons are commonly priced in scrap, while cosmetics are priced in refined metal. More expensive items are often priced in Mann Co. Supply Crate Keys, whose value in metal changes over time with the market.

Crafting hats

Combining three Refined Metal with the hat-crafting blueprint produces a random cosmetic hat. Because the result is random, many players prefer to trade metal for the exact hat they want instead.

Other blueprints

There are many more recipes, including ones that use class and slot tokens, and special ones for event or set items. Experimenting is fine, but always read what a blueprint consumes before you confirm it.

Common beginner mistakes

1. Smelting weapons you might want later. Try a weapon in a few matches before you melt it. Some unlocks only shine in certain situations.
2. Melting rare qualities. Strange, Vintage, Genuine and other special qualities are usually worth more than a scrap. Check our item qualities guide first.
3. Crafting hats blindly. Random hat crafting is fun but rarely gives the best value. Trading is usually more efficient.
4. Leaving the backpack full. A full backpack means new drops cannot be stored. Smelting regularly keeps space free for your weekly drops.

Summary

Crafting turns surplus weapons into something useful. Two same-class weapons make a scrap, three scrap make a reclaimed and three reclaimed make a refined. With that metal you can trade for the weapons and cosmetics you actually want, or try your luck with a random hat. Combined with your weekly drops, crafting lets any player slowly build a collection without spending real money.