This calculator shows profit/losses from training the herblore skill efficiently. This calculator assumes that you are making potions from grimy herbs, using a portable well, have the scroll of cleansing, and are decanting into flasks. These numbers are estimates based on the likelihood of the effects of the Scroll of cleansing and Portable well.
Reasoning:
Grimy herbs: Grimy herbs are frequently cheaper than their clean alternatives and the experience from cleaning them is not negligible, as opposed to making unfinished potions. If profit/expenditure is your main concern, cleaning your own herbs and making your own unfinished potions is worth the time.
Portable well: The portable well boosts Herblore experience by 10% and give a 5% chance of making an extra potion. This 5% is applied when making unfinished potions and again when finishing potions with secondary ingredients. Portable wells are frequently hosted at the Combat academy, which you can use at no cost to you, though it is nice to help out the community by deploying some portable wells that you have purchased.
Scroll of cleansing: The scroll of cleansing can be purchased from Marmaros Thokson in Daemonheim for 20,000 Dungeoneering tokens. The scroll gives a 12.5% chance that a potion will be created twice as fast as usual. The scroll also gives a 10% chance of salvaging an herb added to a vial of water and salvaging a secondary ingredient when added to an unfinished potion.
Decanting to flasks: Decanting to flasks does not always increase profit. To see if decanting is profitable, check the Calculator:Herblore/Flask decanting page. However, decanting to flasks can be done for free, in bulk (noted items), and almost instantly with the help of Teplin Macagan after completion of As a First Resort. Because this can be done so quickly, can be immensely profitable, and if profit is your motive, I highly suggest only making potions which are profitable to decant.
Process:
The following is the process to replicate (as close as possible) the optimal calculations shown in the below table. Buying 1,000 herbs was used as a way to calculate more accurate averages for the sake of representation. With smaller sample sizes, results will vary more widely, but over time will average out to the calculations shown in the below table.
1. Buy 1,000 grimy variants of the herb for your selected potion. Herbs can be slower to purchase at GE market prices, but the more profitable potions can still turn a significant profit even while buying herbs at higher than market price.
2. Clean your grimy herbs. This is done fastest by setting a Bank preset for quick withdrawing.
3. Find a world where a Portable well is being hosted. This information can be found by searching for 'portable locations' in the Runescape forums.
4. Add your herbs to vials of water using the portable well. By adding 1,000 herbs to vials of water, you will yield (on average) 1050 unfinished potions due to the effect of the portable well. Due to the effect of the scroll of cleansing, you will have saved (on average) 100 herbs. By adding those 100 herbs to vials of water, you will yield (on average) 105 unfinished potions and saved (on average) 10 herbs. By adding those 10 herbs to vials of water, you will yield (on average) 10 unfinished potions and saved (on average) 1 herb. This herb (on average) will make 1 unfinished potion and will not be saved. This process will yield in total, and of course on average, 1,166 unfinished potions and use 1,111 vials of water.
5. Due to the 10% chance to save secondary ingredients, your 1,166 unfinished potions will require (on average) 1,060 secondary ingredients. (1,060 * 1.1 = 1,166) Buy a little more than this amount (to avoid having to go back to the Grand exchange) and add them to your unfinished potions at the portable well. The 5% chance to make an extra potion will be applied again over this process at the portable well. This will yield (on average) 1,224 finished 3-dose potions.
6. Buy 612 Potion flasks at the Grand exchange. Bring your noted potion flasks and noted 3-dose potions to Teplin Macagan and have him decant your potions into your flasks. Sell these flasks at the grand exchange. It may take some ime for your flasks to sell at market prices, but again the more profitable potions may still turn a significant profit even selling at a little lower than market price.
| Potion | Level Req. |
XP | Cost of 1K Grimy Herbs & 1111 Vials |
Cost of 1060 Secondary Ingredients |
Cost of 612 Potion Flasks |
Total Cost | Price of 612 Full Flasks |
Profit/Loss Per Potion
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Attack potion | 1 | 25 | 815,656 | 10,600 | 4,014,720 | 4,840,976 | 4,052,664 | −644.05 |
|
Ranging potion | 3 | 30 | 815,656 | 636,000 | 4,014,720 | 5,466,376 | 7,389,900 | 1,571.51 |
|
Magic potion | 5 | 35 | 211,656 | 1,064,240 | 4,014,720 | 5,290,616 | 6,991,488 | 1,389.6 |
|
Strength potion | 7 | 4 | 211,656 | 5,501,400 | 4,014,720 | 9,727,776 | 4,884,372 | −3,957.03 |
|
Defence potion | 9 | 45 | 2,413,656 | 960,360 | 4,014,720 | 7,388,736 | 6,446,196 | −770.05 |
|
Antipoison | 13 | 50 | 2,413,656 | 1,780,800 | 4,014,720 | 8,209,176 | 5,570,424 | −2,155.84 |
|
Guthix rest | 18 | 59.5 | 847,656 | 2,445,420 | 4,014,720 | 7,307,796 | 13,438,296 | 5,008.58 |
|
Restore potion | 22 | 62.5 | 847,656 | 1,489,300 | 4,014,720 | 6,351,676 | 4,573,476 | −1,452.78 |
|
Energy potion | 26 | 67.5 | 847,656 | 519,400 | 4,014,720 | 5,381,776 | 5,492,088 | 90.12 |
|
Agility potion | 34 | 80 | 11,356,656 | 630,700 | 4,014,720 | 16,002,076 | 6,179,976 | −8,024.59 |
|
Combat potion | 36 | 84 | 847,656 | 3,074,000 | 4,014,720 | 7,936,376 | 6,679,980 | −1,026.47 |
|
Payer potion | 38 | 87.5 | 1,966,656 | 142,040 | 4,014,720 | 6,123,416 | 6,843,384 | 588.21 |
|
Summoning potion | 40 | 92 | 16,681,656 | 7,476,180 | 4,014,720 | 28,172,556 | 26,918,208 | −1,024.79 |
|
Divination potion | 43 | 97.5 | 16,681,656 | 5,927,520 | 4,014,720 | 26,623,896 | 2,965,140 | −19,329.05 |
|
Super attack | 45 | 100 | 5,114,656 | 10,600 | 4,014,720 | 9,139,976 | 9,283,428 | 117.2 |
|
Super antipoison | 48 | 106.3 | 5,114,656 | 1,780,800 | 4,014,720 | 10,910,176 | 13,720,428 | 2,295.96 |
|
Fishing potion | 50 | 112.5 | 1,149,656 | 142,040 | 4,014,720 | 5,306,416 | 4,328,064 | −799.31 |
|
Super energy | 52 | 117.5 | 1,149,656 | 3,638,980 | 4,014,720 | 8,803,356 | 7,983,540 | −669.78 |
|
Hunter potion | 53 | 120 | 1,149,656 | 13,227,740 | 4,014,720 | 18,392,116 | 26,488,584 | 6,614.76 |
|
Runecrafting potion | 54 | 122.5 | 2,807,656 | 129,320 | 4,014,720 | 6,951,696 | 2,069,172 | −3,988.99 |
|
Super strength | 55 | 125 | 11,888,656 | 5,501,400 | 4,014,720 | 21,404,776 | 20,283,516 | −916.06 |
|
Fletching potion | 58 | 132 | 2,807,656 | 699,600 | 4,014,720 | 7,521,976 | 4,138,956 | −2,763.91 |
|
Weapon poison | 60 | 137.5 | 11,888,656 | 662,500 | 4,014,720 | 16,565,876 | 3,652,416 | −10,550.21 |
|
Super restore | 63 | 142.5 | 1,895,656 | 1,489,300 | 4,014,720 | 7,399,676 | 7,101,648 | −243.49 |
|
Super defence | 66 | 150 | 4,428,656 | 4,260,140 | 4,014,720 | 12,703,516 | 12,528,864 | −142.69 |
|
Antipoison+ | 68 | 155 | 11,356,656 | 1,061,060 | 4,014,720 | 16,432,436 | 15,683,112 | −612.19 |
|
Antifire | 69 | 157.5 | 7,657,656 | 662,500 | 4,014,720 | 12,334,876 | 12,980,520 | 527.49 |
|
Super ranging potion | 72 | 162.5 | 8,582,656 | 16,324,000 | 4,014,720 | 28,921,376 | 28,319,076 | −492.08 |
|
Super magic potion | 76 | 172.5 | 7,657,656 | 5,563,940 | 4,014,720 | 17,236,316 | 15,701,472 | −1,253.96 |
|
Invention potion | 77 | 175 | 1,895,656 | 58,300 | 4,014,720 | 5,968,676 | 2,790,720 | −2,596.37 |
|
Zamorak brew | 78 | 175 | 5,495,656 | 917,960 | 4,014,720 | 10,428,336 | 5,683,644 | −3,876.38 |
|
Antipoison++ | 79 | 177.5 | 5,114,656 | 4,242,120 | 4,014,720 | 13,371,496 | 11,164,716 | −1,802.92 |
|
Saradomin brew | 81 | 180 | 11,356,656 | 7,242,980 | 4,014,720 | 22,614,356 | 23,435,316 | 670.72 |
|
Aggression potion | 82 | 185 | 16,689,656 | 58,816,220 | 4,014,720 | 79,520,596 | 82,541,052 | 2,467.69 |
|
Prayer renewal | 94 | 190 | 6,966,656 | 5,345,580 | 4,014,720 | 16,326,956 | 11,044,152 | −4,316.02 |