Time to Craft Armor

To determine the time it takes to make a piece of armor, take the armor's AC. The number that the AC is under 10, multiplied by two weeks, is the time it takes an apprentice (supervised and aided by an Overseer) to craft the item.

Thus, a set of chain mail (AC 5) is calculated this way: 10 – 5 = 5; 5 x two weeks = ten weeks. It takes 10 weeks to make a suit of chain mail.

Standard Costs to Manufacture Armor

Armor
Retail
Materials
Time
Apprentice &
Total
Piece
Value
Cost (gp)
Taken
Overseer
Cost
Banded Mail
200
100
12 wk
48 *
148
Brigandine
120
60
8 wk
32 *
92
Bronze plate
400
200
12 wk
114 **
314
Chain mail
75
38
10 wk
20 ***
58
Field Plate
2000
1000
16 wk
304 +
1304
Full plate
7000
3500
18 wk
342 +
3842
Helm/great
30
15
4 wk
8 ***
23
Helm/basinet
8
4
1 wk
2 ***
6
Hide armor
15
7
8 wk
8 ++
15
Leather armor
5
1 +++
4 wk
4 ++
5
Padded armor
4
0 +++
4 wk
4 ++
4
Plate mail
600
300
14 wk
133 **
433
Ring mail
100
50
6 wk
24 *
74
Scale mail
120
60
8 wk
32 *
92
Shield/body
10
5
2 wk
4 ***
9
Shield/buckler
1
0+++
2 wk
1 ++
1
Shield/medium
7
3
2 wk
4 ***
7
Shield/small
3
1
2 wk
2 ***
3
Splint mail
80
40
12 wk
24 ***
64
Studded lthr
20
10
6 wk
6 ++
16
Barding:






Chain
500
250
10 wk
190 +
440

Full plate
2000
1000
16 wk
304 +
1304

Full scale
1000
500
8 wk
152 +
652

Half brig.
500
250
6 wk
114 +
364

Half padded
100
50
2 wk
38 +
88

Half scale
500
250
8 wk
152 +
402

Lthr/Padded
150
75
4 wk
75 +
150

* Two apprentices, no overseer

** One apprentice, ½ overseer

*** One apprentice, no overseer

+ Two apprentices, one overseer

++ ½ apprentice, no overseer

+++ Cost reduced because of easy availability of materials; cost of "0 gp" means cost is a negligible

For pieces of armor which don't grant specific AC benefits (like helmets), figure the time at 1 week per 7.5 gp value. Thus, a great helm would take four weeks to make (it costs 30 gp); a basinet, one week and a few hours of the eighth day (it costs 8 gp).

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