How to make netherite armor in Minecraft (2025)

Wondering how to make netherite armor in Minecraft? Since Minecraft's release, new materials have been added regularly, making the game even more expansive. Like most survival games, Mojang's sandbox lets players craft and use armor to reduce damage.

In Minecraft, armor can be crafted using materials such as iron, gold, and diamonds. The material used determines how much damage is reduced and how durable the armor is. Among all armor types, netherite armor is the strongest in Minecraft. Follow this guide to learn how to craft it for yourself.

---

How to get Netherite armor in Minecraft

Introduced with Minecraft 1.16 The Nether Update, netherite is a rare resource that can be used to upgrade diamond armor. It provides the best gear in the game and, as expected, is the most difficult to craft.

Acquiring netherite items is not an easy task, and after the 1.20 update, it has become more complicated. The process is described further along in this guide.

---

Materials needed to netherite armor in Minecraft

Ancient debris in the game (Image via Mojang)

To make netherite armor in Minecraft, players will need the following items:

• Ancient debris
• Gold ingots
• Netherite upgrade smithing template
• Smithing table

Players first need to acquire ancient debris and gold ingots to upgrade their diamond armor to netherite. Ancient debris is a rare block found only in the Nether, between Y-levels 8 and 115. The best level for finding ancient debris is Y-level 15.

A bastion in the game (Image via Mojang)

While you are in the Nether looking for ancient debris blocks, you should also search for bastion remnants. These giant structures are the only place where you can find netherite upgrade smithing templates.

Treasure chests in bastions have a guaranteed chance to contain a netherite upgrade smithing template. After you have found a netherite upgrade template, you can use seven diamonds and a netherrack block to duplicate the template. Repeat the steps until you have enough templates for all of your armor pieces.

Smelting ancient debris to get netherite scrap (Image via Mojang)

Once the player has obtained a few ancient debris, they can smelt it to get netherite scrap. This item is a crafting ingredient for netherite ingots, which is needed for upgrading diamond items.

Crafting recipe of netherite ingot (Image via Mojang)

By placing four netherite scraps and four gold ingots on the crafting table, as shown, players can craft a netherite ingot. To get full netherite armor, players will need four netherite ingots, and for that, they will have to mine 16 ancient debris.

Upgrading a diamond chestplate in 1.20 snapshot (Image via Mojang)

After crafting a netherite ingot, place it, netherite upgrade smithing template, and the diamond armor item to be upgraded on a smithing table to upgrade it to netherite.