Soul gems are the fuel for enchanting in Skyrim — you trap a creature's soul in one, then spend that soul to enchant or recharge a weapon. They come in six tiers, and the bigger the soul, the stronger the enchantment. Here's how each size works, how to fill them, and the item code for every gem.
Soul gem sizes & what fills them
Each gem can only hold a soul up to its own size. A soul always drops into the smallest empty gem that can contain it, so carry gems matched to what you're hunting — trapping a mammoth's Grand soul in a Petty gem isn't possible, but a Petty soul will waste a Grand gem if it's the only empty one you have.
| Gem | Enchant charge | Item code | Typical sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Petty | 250 | 0002E4E2 | Skeevers, wolves, mudcrabs, chaurus, skeletons, chickens |
| Lesser | 500 | 0002E4E4 | Bears, frostbite spiders, ice wraiths, wisps |
| Common | 1,000 | 0002E4E6 | Spriggans, sabre cats, tougher animals |
| Greater | 2,000 | 0002E4F4 | Trolls, wispmothers, the strongest creatures |
| Grand | 3,000 | 0002E4FC | Mammoths and giants (the largest non-human souls) |
| Black | 3,000 | 0002E500 | Humans, elves, orcs and other people (counts as Grand) |
Note that dragon souls can't be trapped — they're absorbed automatically toward your shouts and never go into a gem.
How to fill a soul gem
- Get the Soul Trap effect — learn the spell tome, or use a weapon enchanted with Soul Trap (an early option is the Soul Stealer arrows or any weapon you enchant yourself).
- Carry at least one empty gem of the size you need.
- Cast Soul Trap on the target (or strike it with the enchanted weapon) so the soul-trap visual appears on it.
- Kill the creature while the effect is still active. Its soul is pulled into your smallest suitable empty gem.
A reliable beginner's trick: enchant a fast weapon (a dagger or bow) with Soul Trap and a short duration is fine — you only need the effect live at the moment of the kill.
Black soul gems & the reusable stars
A regular gem can't hold a person's soul. To capture the soul of a human, elf or orc you need a Black Soul Gem, which stores it as a Grand-tier soul. The Daedric quest The Black Star rewards either Azura's Star (reusable for any non-human soul) or The Black Star (reusable for black/human souls) — a reusable gem never gets consumed when you enchant, so it pays for itself fast.
Spawning soul gems with the console
On PC you can skip the hunt entirely. Open the console with the tilde key (~) — see the opening the console guide — and run:
player.additem 0002E4FF 1— a filled Grand Soul Gem, ready to enchant with.player.additem 0002E504 1— a filled Black Soul Gem.player.additem 0002E500 1— an empty Black Soul Gem.
Browse every gem (empty and filled forms) on the Skyrim item codes list, and see how souls power enchantments in the enchanting guide.
Tips
- Match gem size to prey. Keep a stack of Petty/Common gems for routine kills and save Grand gems for mammoths, giants and (with a Black gem) bandits.
- Filled gems recharge weapons. When an enchanted weapon runs dry, recharge it from a filled gem in the inventory menu — a bigger soul restores more charge.
- The reusable stars are the best long-term gem. Once you have Azura's Star or The Black Star you'll rarely need to buy gems again.
Frequently asked questions
How do I fill a soul gem in Skyrim?
Cast Soul Trap (or hit the target with a Soul Trap-enchanted weapon) and then kill the creature while the effect is active. Its soul is captured into the smallest empty gem in your inventory that's large enough to hold it. You need an empty gem of the right size before the kill — you can't fill a gem after the creature is already dead.
What is the biggest soul gem in Skyrim?
Grand Soul Gems hold the largest souls (3,000 enchanting charge). Black Soul Gems are the same tier but specifically capture humanoid (people) souls, which normally can't be trapped. Azura's Star and The Black Star are reusable Grand gems — they never get used up.
What fills a Grand Soul Gem?
Mammoths and giants give Grand-tier souls, so killing one with Soul Trap active and an empty Grand gem on hand fills it. Black Soul Gems get a Grand-equivalent soul from any person (humans, elves, orcs) you soul-trap and kill.
How do I get a Black Soul Gem?
Buy them from court wizards and some apothecary/general merchants, find them in dungeons (especially necromancer and warlock lairs), or spawn one with player.additem 0002E500 1. The quest 'The Black Star' rewards a reusable one (The Black Star or Azura's Star, depending on your choice).
What do filled soul gems do?
Filled gems power the Arcane Enchanter (a bigger soul means a stronger enchantment and more charges) and recharge enchanted weapons that have run out of charge. Filled gems are also worth more gold than empty ones.