Dwarf Fortress Armor Value Comparison (Base Values)
Compare 15 Dwarf Fortress armor base values, from Thong 5 to Robe 33. Bay12 torso and leg item values with linked converter, bars, sources and tables.
Visual comparison
All values
Click any row to load it as Entry A.
| Name | Value | Context | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thong Base 5. Lowest here. | 5 armor value | Legwear, minimal coverage | Dwarf Fortress Wiki Item value page: Pants values table, Thong Base Value 5 |
| Loincloth Base 8. Cloth level. | 8 armor value | Legwear, basic cover | Dwarf Fortress Wiki Item value page: Pants values table, Loincloth Base Value 8 |
| Short Skirt Base 13. | 13 armor value | Legwear, short cover | Dwarf Fortress Wiki Item value page: Pants values table, Short skirt Base Value 13 |
| Breastplate Base 15. Armor level 3 plate. | 15 armor value | Torso plate, rigid metal defense | Dwarf Fortress Wiki Item value page: Armor values table, Breastplate Base Value 15; DF2014 Armor page: Breastplate plate level |
| Mail Shirt Base 20. Covers neck and upper limbs too. | 20 armor value | Torso chain, flexible cut defense | Dwarf Fortress Wiki Item value page: Armor values table, Mail shirt Base Value 20; DF2014 Armor page: chain vs cut |
| Leather Armor Base 21. Full leather level set. | 21 armor value | Torso leather armor set piece | Dwarf Fortress Wiki Item value page: Armor values table, Leather armor Base Value 21 |
| Long Skirt Base 22. | 22 armor value | Legwear, full length skirt | Dwarf Fortress Wiki Item value page: Pants values table, Long skirt Base Value 22 |
| Toga Base 23. Long cloth cover. | 23 armor value | Torso cloth with leg steps | Dwarf Fortress Wiki Item value page: Armor values table, Toga Base Value 23 |
| Trousers Base 23. Ties leggings and greaves. | 23 armor value | Legwear, cloth or leather | Dwarf Fortress Wiki Item value page: Pants values table, Trouser Base Value 23 |
| Leggings Base 23. Chain level in metal. | 23 armor value | Legwear, leather or chain level | Dwarf Fortress Wiki Item value page: Pants values table, Leggings Base Value 23; DF2014 Armor page: leggings chain level |
| Greaves Base 23. Plate level in metal or bone. | 23 armor value | Legwear, rigid plate level | Dwarf Fortress Wiki Item value page: Pants values table, Greaves Base Value 23; DF2014 Armor page: greaves plate level |
| Cloak Base 26. Wide cover. | 26 armor value | Torso cloak, cover layer | Dwarf Fortress Wiki Item value page: Armor values table, Cloak Base Value 26 |
| Coat Base 27. | 27 armor value | Torso coat, long cover | Dwarf Fortress Wiki Item value page: Armor values table, Coat Base Value 27 |
| Dress Base 31. Covers arms and legs by steps. | 31 armor value | Torso dress, full body steps | Dwarf Fortress Wiki Item value page: Armor values table, Dress Base Value 31 |
| Robe Base 33. Top here by length and cover. | 33 armor value | Torso robe, max steps cover | Dwarf Fortress Wiki Item value page: Armor values table, Robe Base Value 33 |
About this converter
Dwarf Fortress has no single damage blocked number, so traders and managers use base item value as the shared scale. This table ranks 15 Bay12 torso and leg pieces on that scale, from Thong at 5 up to Robe at 33. Low rows: Thong 5, Loincloth 8, Short Skirt 13, Breastplate 15. Mid rows: Mail Shirt 20, Leather Armor 21, Long Skirt 22, Toga 23, Trousers 23, Leggings 23, Greaves 23. High rows: Cloak 26, Coat 27, Dress 31, Robe 33. Combat armor sits mid table while long clothes sit high, since length and coverage raise value. Material and quality then multiply these bases: copper, bronze, iron, steel, and adamantine climb in that order, and masterwork can double protection.
How to use it
Pick two armor pieces and a unit in the top row, for example Breastplate and Robe with armor value. The three boxes below stay linked, so editing any number updates the other two. One box holds counts of the first piece, one holds matching counts of the second, one holds the total in the chosen unit. Try 1 Robe against Thong to see how many small garments one long robe equals in base value. Click any row to load it as Entry A with amount 1.
Values are base item values before material and quality multipliers, not points of damage stopped. Real protection uses armor level, coverage, layer size, and weapon type: plate beats chain, chain beats leather, rigid plate resists blunt force while mail shirts and leggings resist cuts but do little vs hammers. Breastplate covers torso only while mail shirts also cover neck, upper arms, and upper legs. Bone, shell, leather, and wood carry a 50 percent modifier vs iron before quality. Helm, gauntlet, boot, shield, and weapon rows sit outside this torso and leg table. Numbers match the Item value page Armor and Pants tables.
FAQ
Which armor piece has the top base value here?
Robe at 33, ahead of Dress at 31 and Coat at 27. Among combat pieces, the 23 group of Toga, Trousers, Leggings, and Greaves ties on top.
Is this the same as damage blocked?
No. These are base item values for trade and stockpiles. Real defense uses armor level, coverage percent, material, quality, and weapon type.
Which material protects best?
Copper, then bronze and bismuth bronze, then iron, then steel, then adamantine. Bone, shell, leather, and wood sit at half iron before quality.
Where do these numbers come from?
Dwarf Fortress Wiki Item value page Armor and Pants tables, DF2014 Armor page for chain vs plate roles, and the Armor token page for ARMORLEVEL tags.
Sources
- Dwarf Fortress Wiki Item value page: Armor values table, Cape 8, Breastplate 15, Mail shirt 20, Leather armor 21, Toga 23, Cloak 26, Coat 27, Dress 31, Robe 33
- Dwarf Fortress Wiki Item value page: Pants values table, Thong 5, Loincloth 8, Short skirt 13, Long skirt 22, Trouser 23, Leggings 23, Greaves 23
- Dwarf Fortress Wiki DF2014 Armor page: chain vs plate roles, mail shirt and leggings vs cuts, rigid plate vs blunt, coverage notes
- Dwarf Fortress Wiki Armor and Armor piece pages: leather, chain, plate sets and bone shell leather wood 50 percent modifier
- Dwarf Fortress Wiki Armor token page: ARMORLEVEL, UBSTEP, LBSTEP, BLOCKPOWER tags
- Dwarf Fortress by Bay 12 Games: in game stocks and item value readouts
Last verified: 2026-10-15 · 15 entries
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