Minecraft has a variety of utility blocks. Some give you the ability to craft, while others allow you to make the best potions in the game. However, only one of them can help you get the strongest armor and tools in the game. Yes, we’re talking about netherite items that you can only get if you know how to make and use a smithing table. With that out of the way, let’s learn how to make a smithing table in Minecraft.
Editor’s Note: updated on June 13, 2024 to streamline the content and improve readability
What Is a Smithing Table in Minecraft
The smithing table is a utility block that players can use to upgrade their diamond gear into netherite gear. You can put weapons, tools, and armor on the table to upgrade it. But unlike an anvil, the smithing table doesn’t cost any experience points (XP) to the player. Moreover, the gear you are upgrading retains its durability and the Minecraft enchantments applied to it.
A smithing table is also a job block for toolsmith villagers. So, it is responsible for creating one of the many villager jobs in Minecraft. That’s why it commonly spawns inside villages, but only inside the huts of toolsmiths. If you get lucky and find one, you can simply use your bare hands to break and collect it. Using a pickaxe is the faster option, though.
Thanks to its basic ingredients, you can make a smithing table on day one of your journey in this blocky survival world. However, you can only use it later on.
Items Required to Make a Smithing Table
To make a smithing table, you need the following items:
- Four wooden planks (any wood)
- Two iron ingots
You can get wooden planks by placing a log of wood in the crafting area. The crafting recipe of the smithing table doesn’t require any particular type of wooden planks. As for iron, you can use our Minecraft ore distribution guide to find iron ore in no time.
How to Craft a Smithing Table in Minecraft
Once you have the ingredients ready, you simply need to combine them on a crafting table to make a smithing table in Minecraft. You can use any adjacent columns of the crafting recipe.
To craft a smithing table, first place iron ingots in two adjacent cells of the top row of the crafting area. Then, you need to fill the cells in the two rows below the ingots with wooden planks. They don’t have to be of the same type of wood. And voila, you have crafted a smithing table. That’s easy, right?
How to Use a Smithing Table in Minecraft
The main purpose of a smithing table in Minecraft is to upgrade diamond gear to Netherite gear. So, if you have a diamond sword, you can add a Netherite ingot to the sword to get a Netherite sword, which is the strongest in the game.
To do so, access the smithing table and place the diamond item in the left side cell of the table. Then, place the netherite ingot in the cell next to it. The final result will be a Netherite version of that item. Here’s an example:
Things to Know When Using Smithing Table
Now, before you jump in and start using the smithing table, make sure you know the following things:
- You can only use diamond gear at a time on this table.
- Unlike other ore-based tools, you only need one Netherite ingot to make any netherite tool.
- It is the only way to use Netherite and get Netherite gear in Minecraft without any commands. If you wish to learn about Minecraft commands instead, follow our linked guide.
Here’s How the Smithing Table Works
One of the biggest changes in Minecraft 1.20 is the more powerful new Smithing table that allows you to customize your armor, not only upgrade it. Let’s see how it works.
Use Netherite in Smithing Table
In the new version of Minecraft, using Netherite is much harder than before. But looking at its strength, it appears like a much-needed balancing change. Now, instead of directly combining Netherite in the Smithing table, you first have to get Netherite Upgrade Smithing Templates. These templates spawn exclusively in the Bastion Remnant’s treasure rooms within the Nether dimension.
After obtaining the template, you need to place it in the Smithing Table along with a diamond item and a Netherite ingot to combine the three. If obtaining individual templates for each Netheirte item feels like too much work, you can also duplicate one template by combining it with 7 diamonds and 1 Netherrack.
Armor Trimming
Other than upgrade templates, you can also find a bunch of Armor Trim Smithing Templates around the overworld structures of Minecraft. Each trim template allows you to add a unique pattern to your armor, which reflects the structure it was found in. Currently, there are 11 armor trim smithing templates in Minecraft, and you can use them in 10 color options.
To use one, you need to place an armor trim along with a piece of armor and a color material on the Smithing table. There are currently 10 color options, each of which uses a unique in-game ore material.
How to Get Netherite in Minecraft
Finding Netherite is the most common concern that players have after discovering the smithing table. Luckily for you, we already have a guide on how to find Netherite in Minecraft. You can use the linked guide to get Netherite in no time. Though, you will first have to make a Nether portal in Minecraft as this ore is exclusive to the Nether dimension.
With that, you are now ready to find, make, and use a smithing table in Minecraft. With the help of this block, you can upgrade your armor, weapons, and tools to Netherite. Then, you only need to apply some of these best Minecraft enchantments to make all of your gear close to indestructible.
ith that said, mods or no mods, the Netherite gear can change your game. And now that you know how to make it with a smithing table, what are you planning to build next in Minecraft? Tell us in the comments!
Sanmay Chakrabarti
