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Minecraft Items

Items allow you to perform specific tasks in minecraft, which can range from simply harvesting a block faster, to setting things on fire or changing the colour of wool.

Like blocks, items can be categorized, which is what we’ve done in this guide to make everything easier to find. Note that some items could theoretically be put in more than 1 category, but we’ve only put each item into 1 category to make it easier.

Durability

Some items, like tools and armour, have a certain amount of uses before that item breaks. The amount of uses is determined by the materials the tools are made of, and often by the tool itself. The durability of the item will be shown as a small bar at the bottom of the tool’s icon in your inventory, which will shrink each time you use that tool to break a block or attack a mob or player.

It’s possible to repair tools by combining 2 of the same damaged tools in a crafting interface, which will create a new version of that tool with the durability of the old tools combined, plus 10% extra durability, unless the total is more than 100% of the normal tool’s durability. However, any enchantments on the old tools will be lost. Note that you can only combine tools that have been made out of the same materials, so you cannot combine a diamond and iron pickaxe, only 2 diamond or 2 iron pickaxes.

List of Items

Below is a list of the items in minecraft, but note that some items are shown as a group, instead of each individual item. All tools, for example, are only listed as their type (axe, pickaxe), not as their individual parts (diamond axe, iron axe, ..).

Note that, with the exception of paintings, all items that can be placed as a block, like sugarcane, or all items that act like blocks, like wheat, are not listed. They’re listed in the block list instead.

You can click on each image to get to a seperate page with more info on that item.

Raw Materials

These items can be obtained in game through a single action, whether it’s mining an ore block or killing a monster. They are somewhat useless on their own, but can be used to create useful items and blocks.


Blaze rods
Blaze rods are dropped by Blazes, which can only be found in Nether fortresses. The blaze rods are used to create blaze powder and brewing stands.


Bones
Bones are dropped by skeletons, which can be found in the Overworld, but only at night or in dark places. Bones are used to make bonemeal, which can be used as an instant fertilizer and as white dye for wool.


Charcoal
Charcoal can be obtained by burning logs in a furnace, 1 log will yield 1 charcoal. Charcoal burns just as long as coal and it can be used in any recipe which requires coal.


Clay ball
Clay balls are dropped when you break a clay block, which can usually be found underwater. Clay is used to create clay blocks and bricks, which can then be used to create brick blocks.


Coal
Coal can be obtained by mining a coal ore block, which yields 1 coal per block. Coal veins can be quite large and they’re found at almost any elevation, which makes it quite easy to get huge amounts of coal. Coal is used as a fuel in furnaces and powered minecarts. It’s also used to create torches and fire charges, though charcoal could be used instead of coal.


Cocoa beans
Cocoa beans can currently only be found in chests in dungeons. Cocoa beans are used to make cookies and they can be used as a dye.


Diamond
Diamonds are one of the rarest items in minecraft. They can either be found in chests, like the chest in villages, or they can be mined from diamond ore blocks, which yield 1 diamond per block. Diamonds are mainly used to create the best tools, weapons and armour, but they can also be used to create several other blocks, like jukeboxes and enchantment tables.


Eggs
Eggs are dropped by chickens once every 5-10 minutes, however, the chicken will not drop an egg if you kill it. Eggs are currently only used to create cakes, but they can also be fired by right clicking, which will break the egg on impact. Eggs shot like this will sometimes spawn a chick.


Ender pearl
Ender pearls are dropped by Endermen, which can be found in both the Overworld and the End. They are mainly used to create eyes of ender, which are used to find the End portal. But Ender pearls can also be used as a teleportation mechanism, by firing them.


Feather
Feathers are dropped by chickens when you kill them. Feathers are used to create arrows, though arrows are also dropped by skeletons.


Flint
Flint is sometimes (1/10) dropped when you harvest gravel. Flint is used to create arrows and flint and steel, which allows you to set things on fire.


Ghast tear
Ghast tears are dropped by ghasts, which can only be found in the Nether. Ghast tears are used as an ingredient to create potions.


Glowstone dust
Glowstone dust is dropped when you break a glowstone block, which can only be found in the Nether. Glowstone dust is used to create glowstone blocks, but it can also be used as an ingredient in brewing.


Gold ingot
Gold ingots can be obtained by either smelting gold ore, by crafting it from either a gold block or gold nuggets, or they can be dropped by zombie pigmen. Gold ingots can be used to create tools, armour and weapons, though they’re quite useless due to their low durability. Gold ingots are also used in several crafting recipes, like clocks and powered rails.


Gold nugget
Gold nuggets can be obtained by either turning a gold ingot into nuggets or by killing zombie pigmen. Gold nuggets are used to create golden apples, gold ingots and glistering melons.


Gunpowder
Gunpowder is dropped by creepers and ghasts. Gunpowder is mainly used to create TNT and fire charges, but it can also be used as an ingredient in brewing, as it’ll turn potions into splash potions.


Iron ingot
Iron ingots are obtained by smelting iron ore, though they can also be found in some chests and they’re dropped by iron golems and zombies. Iron ingots are mainly used to create the second best tools, weapons and armour, but they can also be used to create various items, ranging from buckets and couldrons to doors and iron bars.


Leather
Leather is dropped by cows and is used to create armour, though the armour isn’t that great as it hardly offers any protection.


Melon Seeds
Melon seeds can only be found in chests in abandoned mineshafts, though they can also be crafted from a melon slice once you’ve grown melons. Melon seeds are, of course, used to grow melons.


Pumpkin seeds
Pumpkin seeds can be found in chests in abandoned mineshafts and they can be crafted from pumpkins. Pumpkin seeds are, of course, used to grow pumpkins.


Seeds
Seeds are obtained by either destroying tall grass, ferns or wheat in any growth stage. Which one of these 3 you get the seeds from doesn’t matter, the seeds will always be the same. Seeds are used to grow wheat.


Slimeball
Slimeballs are dropped by slimes, but only be the tiny versions. Slimes can only be found below layer 40 and only in 10% of the chunks in minecraft, which makes it quite difficult to find slimes. Slimeballs are used to create sticky pistons and magma cream.


String
String is dropped by spiders and cave spiders, but can also be obtained by destroying cobwebs. It can also be found in some chests. String is used to create bows, fishing rods and wool.

Player Created Items

These items are created using the raw material items and they’re often used in a final step to create useable items, like weapons, potions and various blocks.


Blaze powder
Blaze powder can be crafted from blaze rods, which can be obtained from blazes. Blaze powder is used to create eyes of ender, magma cream and fire charge, but they can also be used as a brewing ingredient.


Bonemeal
Bonemeal is crafted from bones and can be used as a dye and as an instant fertilizer.


Book
Books are made with paper and are used to create bookshelves. They can also be obtained by breaking a bookshelf, which can be found in villages and strongholds.


Bowl
Bowls can be crafted using wooden planks and they’re used to create mushroom stew.


Brick
Bricks are obtained by cooking clay in a furnace, which can then be used to create brick blocks.


Eye of ender
Eyes of ender are crafted with blaze powder and ender pearls. They’re used to find the End portal, which can be done by firing them, after which they’ll fly towards the End portal for a short time.


Fermented spider eye
Fermented spider eyes are made using sugar, spider eyes and a brown mushroom. These fermented eyes are used as a brewing ingredient.


Glass bottle
Glass bottles are crafted using glass blocks and can be filled with water. Water bottles are used to create potions.


Glistering melon
Glistering melons are created using a melon slice and gold nuggets. Glistering melons are used as a brewing ingredient.


Magma cream
Magma cream is created by combining a slime ball and blaze podwer. Magma cream is used as a brewing ingredient.


Paper
Paper is crafted from sugar cane and is used to create maps and books.


Stick
Sticks are crafted from 2 wooden planks and are used to create most tools and weapons. They’re also part of several other recipes, like ladders and rails.


Sugar
Sugar is crafted from sugar cane and used to make cakes, cookies and fermented spider eyes. Sugar can also be used as a brewing ingredient.

Food, Health and Powers

These items will affect your health and general well being in some way. Food will generally restore your hunger bar, which prevents you from starving, though some have different effects. Potions will have several different effects, depending on the potion.


Beef (raw)
Beef can be obtained by killing cows, which will drop 1-3 pieces of beef.


Steak (beef cooked)
Raw beef can be cooked into steak, which will restore up to 4 hunger bar slots.


Bread
Bread is made with 3 pieces of wheat and will restore 2.5 hunger bar slots.


Cookie
Cookies are made using 2 pieces of wheat and 1 cocoa bean, which creates 8 cookies. Cookies restore just 1 hunger bar slot per cookie.


Chicken (raw)
Chicken is obtained by killing chickens, which will always drop 1 piece of chicken.


Chicken (cooked)
You can cook the raw chicken, which will restore up to 3 hunger bar slots.


Fish (raw)
Fish is obtained by fishing in any body of water with a fishing rod.


Fish (cooked)
Raw fish can be cooked and will restore up to 2.5 hunger bar slots.


Golden apple
Golden apples are either crafted using gold nuggets and an apple or they can be found in some chests. Golden apples will restore up to 2 hunger bar slots and they’ll temporarily regenerate your health.


Melon slice
Melon slices are obtained by destroying a melon block, which can yield between 3 and 7 melon slice. Each melon slice will restore up to 1 hunger bar slot.


Milk
Milk is obtained by right clicking a cow while holding a bucket. You can drink milk, but it will not restore any hunger. Instead, milk will erase any effects on your character, including food poisoning and positive effects, like the effects of strength potions.


Porkchop (raw)
Porkchops are dropped by pigs, which will drop 0-3 porkchops upon death.


Porkchop (cooked)
You can cook the raw porkchops, which will restore up to 4 hunger bar slots.


Potions
Potions are brewed using a brewing stand and several ingredients. Each potion has a different effect, ranging from health restoration and an increased strength, to decreased movement speeds and poison effects.


Red apple
Red apples are dropped by destroyed or decaying leaves of oak trees, but they can also be found in some chests. Red apples restore up to 2 hunger bar slots, but they can also be turned into golden apples.


Rotten flesh
Rotten flesh is dropped by zombies and zombie pigmen. It’s possible to eat rotten flesh, though there’s an 80% chance you’ll get food poisoning.


Spider eye
Spider eyes are dropped by spiders and cave spiders, but only when the player deals the killing blow. They can be eaten and will restore up to 1 hunger bar slot, however, eating a spider eye will deal 2 hearts of damage.


Splash potions
Splash potions are throwable potions, which are made by simply adding gunpowder to a potion. However, splash potions have a weaker effect than normal potions. Splash potions have the same effect as normal potions, but will apply that effect to a radius around its place of impact. The further you stand from this impact zone, the weaker the effect of the potion.

Tools

These items are used to perfrom certain tasks which would otherwise be impossible, like mining obsidian or setting blocks on fire.
However, some tools are only used to harvest blocks faster.


Axe
Axes are used to break wooden blocks faster, though all wooden blocks can be destroyed by hand. Axes are made using 2 sticks and either 3 diamonds, iron ingots, gold ingots, cobblestone or wooden planks.


Bucket
Buckets are used to hold and transport lava, water and milk. It’s created using 3 iron ingots. Milk is obtained by right clicking cows. Water and lava is obtained by right clicking a water or lava source block. Note that right clicking flowing lava and water will not fill the bucket.


Fishing rod
Fishing rods are used to fish, which can be done in any body of water. Fishing rods are created using 3 sticks and 3 strings. You simply right click to cast your rod and right click again to reel it in, however, you will only get a fish when you reel in your line when the bobber submerges. Fishing rods can also be used to pull mobs, but not players.


Flint and steel
Flint and steel is used to set things on fire, as well as activate TNT and Nether portals. Flint and steel is made using flint and an iron ingot.


Hoe
Hoes are used to till grass and dirt blocks, which turns them into farmland. Farmland can then be used to plant seeds. Hoes are created using 2 sticks and either 2 diamonds, iron ingots, gold ingots, cobblestone or wooden planks.


Pickaxe
Pickaxes are used to mine stone blocks faster, though some blocks can only be harvested with a specific pickaxe, like obsidian, which requires a diamond pickaxe. Pickaxes are made using 3 sticks and either 3 diamonds, iron ingots, gold ingots, cobblestone or wooden planks.


Saddle
Saddles can only be found in chests in dungeons. Saddles can be applied to pigs, which allows you to ride them, though you cannot control their movements.


Shears
Shears are used to shear sheep, destroy some blocks faster, look wool and cobweb, and they’re used to harvest certain blocks, like vines, leaves and tall grass. Shears are made with 2 iron ingots.


Spade
Spades are used to break soft blocks, like sand, dirt and gravel faster, though you can also use your hands instead. Spades are made using 3 sticks and either 1 diamond, iron ingot, gold ingot, cobblestone or wooden plank.

Weapons

Weapons are, of course, used to deal damage to players and mobs. The items mentioned below are not the only means of dealing damage, as you could also use a bucket of lava as a weapon, but the items below are specifically designed to be used as weapons.


Arrow
Arrows are used as ammunition for bows and dispensers, which can then be fired and used to harm mobs and players from a distance. Arrows are created using a stick, a feather and a piece of flint.


Bow
Bows are used to fire arrows, which means you can harm mobs and players from a safe distance. Bows are created using 3 sticks and 3 string.


Fire charge
Fire charges can either be used by the player as a type of flint and steel, or they can be used as ammunition for dispensers, which will fire them.
Fire charges are created using coal (or charcoal), gunpowder and blaze powder.


Sword
Swords are used to deal great amounts of damage than fists or other items, but they do not extend your hitting range. Swords are created using 1 stick and either 2 diamonds, iron ingots, gold ingots, cobblestone or wooden planks.

Vehicles

There are currently only 2 types of vehicles, boats and minecarts. There’s only 1 type of boat and 3 types of minecarts, though only the normal minecart can be ridden by the player. Pigs can also be ridden by attaching a saddle to them, though they’re uncontrollable.


Boat
Boats are, of course, used to travel across water. They go much faster than a swimming player, though they can be a bit tricky to control in flowing water or narrow canals. Boats are crafted using 5 wooden planks.


Minecart
Minecarts are used to travel on rails, which have to be placed on blocks. Minecarts also require power or some other form of momentum, like gravity or a pushing player to move. Powered rails are the best option for this. Minecarts are created using 5 iron ingots.


Minecart with chest
These minecarts have a chest inside, which allows you to store items and make them travel to their next destination, without you having to follow them immediately. However, like normal minecarts, minecarts with chests will not move unless some form of power or momentum is applied.
These minecarts are crafted using a minecart and a chest.


Minecart with a furnace
These minecarts have a furnace inside, which can be right clicked while holding either coal or charcoal, which will make it move. These minecarts require no additional power or momentum to move, though they will have to be resupplied with (char)coal once in a while. These minecarts are crafted using a minecart and a furnace.

These items are used to help you navigate through minecraft.


Clock
Clocks are used to tell what time it is, which can be very useful when you’re underground or anywhere else where you cannot see the sky and/or sun. Clocks will help you to find out if it’s safe to go back to the surface. Clocks are made using 1 piece of redstone and 4 gold ingots.


Compass
Compasses are used to find out your position relative to that of your original spawn point, as the compass will always point to where you spawned when you created the world. This can be very useful to roughly tell where your base is, especially when you travel large distance.
Note that while a bed changes your spawn point, a compass will always point to your original spawn point.
Compasses are made using 4 iron ingots and 1 piece of redstone.


Map
Maps are, of course, used to map out the area around you. However, they will only map out the area if you have the map equiped and the scale is quite small. 1 pixel on the map equals an 8×8 square of blocks in the minecraft world. Maps will also only map out the area once, any changes made to the area will not be updated on the map. Maps can be used in the Nether and the End, but only if you make the map in those dimensions. Maps are made using a compass and 8 pieces of paper.

Decorational

These items are mainly used to change the appearance of specific things, like sheep or the walls in your house. However, music discs have also been included, as they don’t fit in other categories and they could enhance your house with the music they play.


Dye
Dyes are used to paint sheep and wool into specific colours. There are 16 colours, including black and white, which are obtained in several different ways, ranging from simply mining blocks like lapis lazuli, to combining several colours to create a new colour.


Music discs
Music discs can be played in jukeboxes. They’re obtained when a skeleton deals the killing blow to a creeper, the other damage done to the creeper can be done by anything else. 2 music discs can also be found in dungeon chests.


Painting
Paintings are crafted using 8 sticks and any colour of wool, the colour of the wool does not affect the resulting painting. Paintings can be placed on walls by right clicking the block. Right clicking any block will place a random painting, which can range from a small, 1 block painting to huge versions. The painting you get is always random, though by restricting the size in which they can be placed you can control what paintings you place to some degree.

Creative Only

These items can only be obtained in creative mode.


Bottle o’enchanting
This is a splash potion which will drop 3-11 experience upon impact. They’re usually used in custom adventure maps to allow the players to enchant their weapons without having to kill mobs.


Music disc 11
This music disc doesn’t play a song, instead, a weird sound track can be heard which starts with footsteps and end with a scream.


Spawn eggs
These eggs will spawn mobs when you right click a block while holding such an egg. The type of mob that spawns will depend on the egg you’re holding. Most mobs have their own egg, though there are a few mobs which have no egg, which means they cannot be spawned without using mods or codes.