Orichalcum, also known as Orchium and Greensteel, was a gray-green metal alloy said to be as strong as steel but much lighter. It is often used by Orcs to create their distinctively green armors and weapons, but sees a lot of use by Elves as well.

It is also much more reactive than steel, being extremely temperamental during the smithing process. However, ultimately it retains its sharpness much longer than steel and is much more resistant to rust and corrosion.

Comparatively, orichalcum is worse than mithral in strength and lightness, but is cheaper and more easily extracted.