Sell the surplus unless you plan to craft Dragonplate armor or Dragonbone weapons. Dragon Bones are a late-game crafting material, but each has a listed weight of 15, so carrying a large reserve can crowd out more useful loot. Keep the quantity needed for a specific crafting goal; sell or store the rest.
What are Dragon Bones used for?
Dragon Bones are miscellaneous items dropped by dragons. Their main cited vanilla crafting use is making Dragonplate armor and Dragonbone weapons, which require the Dragon Armor perk at Smithing 100. That makes them a long-term resource rather than a material most characters need early on. The Elder Scrolls Wiki’s Dragon Bone entry lists their crafting role and perk requirement.
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A recipe shows how quickly bones can add up
A Dragonbone Sword requires four Dragon Bones, one Ebony Ingot, and three Leather Strips, as well as Smithing 100 and the Dragon Smithing perk, according to the Dragonbone Sword recipe listing. Other items have different recipes, so check the recipe for the particular piece you want before deciding how many to keep.
Keep or sell: choose based on your plan
| Your situation | Practical choice | Why |
|---|---|---|
| You have Smithing 100, the Dragon Armor perk, and a specific dragon-gear item in mind | Keep the bones required for that item | You can use them for the relevant crafting recipes. |
| You are progressing toward Smithing 100 but have not chosen a recipe | Keep a modest reserve; sell or store the rest | You preserve some future flexibility without carrying every drop. |
| You do not plan to make Dragonplate or Dragonbone gear | Sell them, or store them if you may change your mind | The cited vanilla crafting use is the main reason to retain them. |
| You need carrying capacity now | Sell or store surplus bones | Each bone has a listed weight of 15, making a large stockpile costly to carry. |
This is a choice between immediate gold and inventory room on one side, and preserving a material for a late Smithing milestone on the other. If your crafting plan is concrete, count the bones needed for its recipe and keep those; if it is only a vague possibility, there is little reason to carry every bone you find.
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What does a Dragon Bone sell for?
The Skyrim Wiki lists a Dragon Bone with a base value of 500 and weight of 15 in its item entry. Base value is an unmodified reference value, not a promise that a merchant will pay 500 gold. The actual offer can be affected by Speech, relevant perks, and other game conditions, so use the amount shown in the vendor interface rather than treating the listed value as your proceeds.
Where can you sell Dragon Bones?
The Elder Scrolls Wiki reports that general goods merchants, alchemy merchants, and Thieves Guild fences can buy Dragon Bones. Vendor availability can vary with the game edition and circumstances; check the merchant’s trade interface to confirm that the item is accepted and see the offer before selling. Dragon Bones come from dragon drops, so selling surplus is a straightforward way to turn an otherwise unused crafting material into gold.
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Should you keep Dragon Scales too?
Do not assume Dragon Scales have the same weight, value, buyers, or recipes as Dragon Bones. The figures and recipe details here apply to bones; check the scale item and the recipe you intend to craft separately.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to decide in practice
- Check your Smithing progress. The cited Dragon Armor crafting path requires Smithing 100 and the Dragon Armor perk.
- Choose a specific item, if you intend to craft. Look up its recipe and keep the required bones, along with its other materials.
- Weigh the reserve against inventory pressure. At a listed weight of 15 each, a large collection takes up meaningful carrying capacity.
- Sell or store the surplus. Sell it if you want gold now; store it if you might craft dragon gear later but do not want to carry the bones.
The exact figures and recipes cited above come from community-maintained game reference wikis. Bethesda’s Creation Kit documentation recognizes Dragonbone and Dragonplate crafting categories, but does not establish the exact bone weight or value; see its constructible object documentation. Mods and edition-specific additions may alter recipes or add uses, so this guidance concerns the cited vanilla crafting path.
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