Smithing Table Minecraft: Recipe, Uses & Netherite Upgrade
The smithing table in Minecraft is the block you need to turn diamond gear into netherite, apply armor trims and give villagers the toolsmith job. It
The smithing table Minecraft is the block you need to turn diamond gear into netherite, apply armor trims and give villagers the toolsmith job.
It arrived in the Village & Pillage update (1.14) as little more than a villager workstation but the Nether update (1.16) gave it a real purpose and since 1.20 it also handles armor trims.
This smithing table Minecraft guide covers the crafting recipe, step by step instructions for every use and fixes for the problems players run into most often, like an upgrade that refuses to work. If that is your issue, jump straight to the troubleshooting section.
What Does a Smithing Table Do in Minecraft?
A smithing table in Minecraft upgrades gear you already own instead of crafting something new. It has three main uses: turning diamond tools, weapons and armor into netherite, adding cosmetic armor trims with smithing templates, and serving as the job block for toolsmith villagers.
Both gear upgrades and armor trims preserve existing enchantments, and netherite upgrades cost no experience levels. For example, a fully enchanted diamond pickaxe becomes a fully enchanted netherite pickaxe without needing to be enchanted again.
One limitation is that the smithing table cannot repair items and diamond to netherite is the only material upgrade available in vanilla Minecraft. Since version 1.20, every netherite upgrade also consumes a smithing template, so you need to know where to find and duplicate one.
How to Make a Smithing Table in Minecraft
The Smithing Table Minecraft recipe is simple and works the same way in Java and Bedrock Edition. You need 2 iron ingots and 4 planks of any type. Oak, bamboo, cherry and even crimson and warped planks all work, so use whatever you have on hand.
To craft it, open a crafting table, because the recipe needs the 3x3 grid and will not fit in your inventory crafting slots. Place the 2 iron ingots in the top row in the left and middle slots.
Then place the 4 planks directly below them as a 2x2 square, filling the left and middle slots of the middle and bottom rows. Drag the smithing table from the result slot into your inventory.
Short on iron? Our Minecraft ore levels guide shows where iron generates. Two ingots are easy to smelt in a regular furnace but if you are processing a big stack for other projects a blast furnace smelts ore twice as fast and an iron farm takes the mining out of it entirely.
You can also skip crafting and take a smithing table from a toolsmith’s house in a village. Just be careful, breaking a table a villager is using can leave that villager without a job, unless they have already traded with you.
How to Use a Smithing Table in Minecraft
Right click the smithing table to open its interface. Since version 1.20, it has three input slots, place the template in the first slot the item you want to change in the second, and the upgrade material in the third.
Understanding how the smithing table in Minecraft works makes upgrading gear and applying armor trims much easier.
Upgrade Diamond Gear to Netherite
You need a netherite upgrade smithing template a piece of diamond gear, and a netherite ingot.
Open the smithing table.
Put the netherite upgrade template in the first slot.
Put the diamond tool, weapon or armor piece in the second slot.
Put the netherite ingot in the third slot.
Take the netherite item from the result slot.
Each upgrade uses up one template, so you will need a spare for every piece of gear.
Where to Get the Template and the Ingot
Netherite upgrade templates generate in bastion remnants in the Nether, and only the treasure room is guaranteed to have one. Once you find it, duplicate it in a crafting table with 7 diamonds and 1 netherrack. Put diamond, template, diamond in the top row, diamond, netherrack, diamond in the middle row, and three diamonds in the bottom row. You get your original template back plus a copy.
The ingot takes a bit more work. Smelt ancient debris into netherite scrap, then combine 4 scraps with 4 gold ingots to make one netherite ingot. If you are still hunting for debris, our best Y level for netherite guide shows where to dig.
Netherite is worth the effort. Tools last noticeably longer (2,031 uses against 1,561 for diamond), and armor adds extra toughness and knockback resistance. Netherite items are also fire resistant, so gear dropped in lava floats instead of burning, though you only have five minutes to grab it before it despawns. The armor itself will not protect you from lava damage, so carry a fire resistance potion.
Apply Armor Trims
Trims use the same screen. Place a trim smithing template in the first slot, an armor piece in the second, and a mineral or gem in the third. The template decides the pattern and the material decides the color, lapis lazuli gives blue, emerald gives green and nether quartz gives white.
Trim templates are found in different structures and can be duplicated with diamonds and a matching block just like the netherite template. Each trim uses up one template and trims are purely cosmetic, so your armor’s protection stays the same. Once the set is done, put it on an armor stand to show off the full look.
Smithing Table Minecraft Not Working? Why You Can’t Upgrade to Netherite
If your Smithing Table Minecraft upgrade is not working, check these four common problems before trying again.
Missing template. Since 1.20, every netherite upgrade needs a netherite upgrade smithing template. Without it, nothing appears in the result slot.
Netherite scrap instead of an ingot. The table only accepts a finished netherite ingot, so craft one from 4 scraps and 4 gold ingots first.
The item is not diamond. Only diamond tools, weapons and armor can be upgraded. Iron, gold and stone gear cannot and neither can items like elytra, shields or tridents.
Wrong slot order. The template goes in the first slot, the gear in the second and the ingot in the third.
Also check your version. Netherite does not exist before 1.16, and from 1.16 to 1.19 the upgrade needs only the diamond item and the ingot, with no template.
Smithing Table and Toolsmith Villagers
In Minecraft, the smithing table is the toolsmith’s job block. Place an unclaimed one near an unemployed villager, and they can claim it and become a toolsmith. Toolsmiths trade tools and bells and at higher levels they sell diamond tools.
If a villager ignores your table one of these is usually the reason:
Another villager has already claimed it, and a claimed job block cannot be taken by someone else.
A wall, fence or gate is blocking the path, so the villager cannot reach it.
The villager has already traded with you. Once that happens, their profession is locked and cannot change.
The villager is a nitwit (green robes) or a baby. Neither can take a job.
Smithing Table vs Anvil
The smithing table changes what an item is. It turns diamond gear into netherite and applies armor trims, with no experience cost. The anvil works on the condition of an item instead. It repairs, combines and renames items but every one of those jobs costs experience levels.
So if your diamond pickaxe is nearly broken, the smithing table will not fix it. Repair it at an anvil first, then upgrade it. If you want to strip enchantments from an item instead a grindstone removes them and gives back some experience. And if you are short on levels for anvil work, an XP farm and a good enchanting table setup will keep you supplied.
Conclusion
The Minecraft smithing table recipe requires just 2 iron ingots and 4 planks, making it easy to craft when you are ready to upgrade diamond gear to netherite.
To get started, find a Netherite Upgrade Smithing Template in a bastion remnant, duplicate it using diamonds and netherrack and collect ancient debris to craft netherite ingots. You can also use smithing templates to apply armor trims and customize your gear.
If your smithing table upgrade does not work, check that you have the correct template, a netherite ingot and the items in the right slots.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a smithing table repair items?
No. It only upgrades gear or applies trims, and a half broken diamond pickaxe comes out as a half broken netherite pickaxe. Repair it at an anvil first, or use a grindstone if you only want to remove enchantments.
What does a smithing table do in Minecraft?
It upgrades diamond gear to netherite, applies armor trims and gives villagers the toolsmith job, all without costing experience levels.
Where do you find the netherite upgrade smithing template?
Only in bastion remnants in the Nether. The treasure room chest is guaranteed to have one, while chests in other parts of the bastion have roughly a 10% chance. There is no way to craft the first template from scratch but once you have one you can duplicate it.
How many templates and ingots do you need for a full set of netherite armor?
Four of each, because every piece uses one template and one netherite ingot. Duplicating gives you back the original plus a copy, so three duplications (21 diamonds in total) turn one template into four. Add a sword and pickaxe and you need six of each.
Can you change an armor trim after applying it?
Yes. Put the armor back in the smithing table with a different trim template or material, and the new trim replaces the old one. You do need a fresh template, since each trim uses one up.