How to Upgrade Tools in Stardew Valley
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Stardew Valley
How to Upgrade Tools in Stardew Valley
Tips
Tool upgrades are one of the most impactful investments in Stardew Valley because they directly save energy every single day. A Gold Watering Can covering 9 tiles per swing versus 1 tile on a basic can means you spend roughly one-ninth of the energy on watering — freeing up the rest of your morning for mining, fishing, or socializing. Players who prioritize tool upgrades early consistently outpace those who don’t in terms of farm development speed and overall daily efficiency.
⚡ Quick Answer
Step by Step
Take your tool to Clint’s Blacksmith shop in town and select «Upgrade Tools.» Each upgrade requires metal bars and gold — Copper (2,000g + 5 Copper Bars), Steel (5,000g + 5 Iron Bars), Gold (10,000g + 5 Gold Bars), Iridium (25,000g + 5 Iridium Bars). Clint keeps the tool for 2 days while upgrading — plan ahead so you’re not without your Watering Can during that time.
1
Smelt the required metal bars. Each upgrade tier needs 5 bars of the appropriate metal. Use a Furnace (crafted from 25 Stone + 20 Copper Ore) — place ore in the top slot and Coal in the fuel slot. Copper smelts in 30 minutes, Iron in 2 hours, Gold in 5 hours, Iridium in 8 hours of in-game time.
2
Visit Clint’s Blacksmith — open Tuesday to Sunday, 9am to 5pm (closed Mondays). His shop is in the south part of Pelican Town near the river. Select «Upgrade Tools» and choose which tool to upgrade and which tier. Pay the gold cost and hand over the bars.
3
Wait 2 days for the upgrade to complete. Clint keeps your tool while working on it — you cannot use it during this time. Return to his shop after 2 days to collect it. If you submit the tool on a Sunday, remember he’s closed Monday — pick it up Tuesday.
4
Upgrade priority order: Start with the Pickaxe (breaks rocks faster, essential for mining efficiency), then the Watering Can (waters multiple tiles per swing, saves massive energy), then the Axe (chops hardwood stumps and logs), and finally the Hoe (tills multiple tiles at once).
5
Plan the Watering Can upgrade carefully. Upgrading the Watering Can means you can’t water crops for 2 days. Do it at the start of a rainy day — rain waters your crops automatically, so you won’t lose any progress. Check the TV weather forecast the night before to time it perfectly.
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Gold Watering Can is the biggest quality of life upgrade in the game — it waters a 3×3 area with a charged swing, covering 9 tiles at once. Combined with Iridium Sprinklers it makes large-scale farming almost entirely hands-free.
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Iridium Pickaxe breaks boulders in one hit and smashes rocks in the mines instantly — it transforms mining sessions dramatically. Getting it requires Iridium Bars from Skull Cavern, making it a mid-to-late Year 2 achievement for most players.
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You can only upgrade one tool at a time — Clint works on a single tool per 2-day cycle. Plan your upgrade order so you’re never without two essential tools simultaneously. Never upgrade Pickaxe and Watering Can at the same time.
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The Trash Can can also be upgraded at Clint’s — higher tier Trash Cans return a percentage of item value when you discard things, which adds up significantly over a full playthrough of selling excess items.