Key takeaway
You can get Iron Nuggets by hitting rocks and collecting the ones that drop.
In Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Iron Nuggets are used to craft many different tools and items. The best way to collect Iron Nuggets is by hitting rocks, though you can do this in more places than just your own island.
Iron Nugget Uses
Before you get to collecting your Iron Nuggets, it’s important to understand why you need them. When you’re first starting out with Animal Crossing: New Horizons, you will be asked to collect 30 Iron Nuggets to open the island’s first store, Nook’s Cranny. Additionally, there are numerous tools and items you can make throughout the game that will require Iron Nuggets.
| Item | Iron Nuggets Required |
|---|---|
| Campsite Construction Kit | 15 |
| Axe | 1 |
| Shovel | 1 |
| Fishing Rod | 1 |
| Net | 1 |
| Watering Can | 1 |
| Iron Ladder Set-Up Kit | 5 |
| Simple DIY Workbench | 1 |
| Mini DIY Workbench | 2 |
| DIY Workbench | 3 |
| Wooden Full-Length Mirror | 1 |
| Wooden Table Mirror | 1 |
| Log Wall-Mounted Clock | 1 |
| Wooden-Block Stereo | 2 |
| Wooden-Block Wall Clock | 1 |
| Plain Sink | 1 |
| Natural Garden Chair | 2 |
| Natural Square Table | 2 |
| Natural Garden Table | 3 |
| Trophy Case | 6 |
| Acoustic Guitar | 3 |
| Barrel | 2 |
| Wooden Bucket | 1 |
| Butter Churn | 2 |
| Garden Wagon | 2 |
| Wooden Storage Shed | 10 |
| Cutting Board | 1 |
| Wooden Toolbox | 2 |
| Wooden Music Box | 1 |
| Key Holder | 1 |
| Barbed-Wire Fence | 2 |
| Recycled-Can Thumb Piano | 1 |
| Brick Oven | 2 |
| Silo | 12 |
| Drinking Fountain | 2 |
| Fountain | 8 |
| Sauna Heater | 3 |
| Stonework Kitchen | 10 |
| Iron-and-Stone Fence | 3 |
| Block Fence | 2 |
| Zen Fence | 3 |
| Tall Concrete Island Counter | 2 |
| Low Concrete Island Counter | 1 |
| Concrete Pillar | 1 |
| Iron Garden Chair | 3 |
| Iron Garden Table | 5 |
| Iron Garden Bench | 8 |
| Iron Worktable | 10 |
| Iron Closet | 12 |
| Iron Shelf | 14 |
| Iron Hanger Stand | 3 |
| Standard Umbrella Stand | 3 |
| Frying Pan | 2 |
| Gong | 6 |
| Water Pump | 2 |
| Jail Bars | 5 |
| Kettlebell | 5 |
| Barbell | 10 |
| Iron Frame | 20 |
| Kettle Bathtub | 8 |
| Manhole Cover | 3 |
| Imperial Pot | 3 |
| Plate Armor | 10 |
| Iron Wall Lamp | 4 |
| Iron Wall Rack | 3 |
| Iron Doorplate | 2 |
| Crest Doorplate | 4 |
| Steel-Frame Wall | 8 |
| Steel Flooring | 7 |
| Knight's Helmet | 5 |
| Iron Armor | 8 |
| Armor Shoes | 4 |
| Rope Fence | 4 |
| Iron Fence | 6 |
| Wedding Fence | 5 |
| Park Fence | 5 |
| Corrugated Iron Fence | 3 |
| Iron Wand | 3 |
| Tall Steel Island Counter | 8 |
| Low Steel Island Counter | 4 |
| Steel Pillar | 4 |
| Ironwood Chair | 2 |
| Ironwood Cart | 4 |
| Ironwood Dresser | 4 |
| Ironwood Table | 6 |
| Ironwood Low Table | 4 |
| Ironwood Bed | 10 |
| Ironwood Cupboard | 6 |
| Ironwood Kitchenette | 3 |
| Ironwood DIY Workbench | 6 |
| Garden Bench | 4 |
| Ironwood Clock | 2 |
| Golden Gears | 3 |
| Terrarium | 2 |
| Hanging Terrarium | 4 |
| Vine Lamp | 2 |
| Glowing-Moss Balloon | 1 |
| Glowing-Moss-Jar Shelves | 6 |
| Suspicious Cauldron | 10 |
| Cherry Speakers | 2 |
| Juicy-Apple TV | 2 |
| Astronaut Suit | 5 |
| Rocket | 20 |
| Satellite | 15 |
| Space Shuttle | 10 |
| Crewed Spaceship | 20 |
| Lunar Lander | 15 |
| Lunar Rover | 10 |
| Flying Saucer | 10 |
| Robot Hero | 90 |
| Star Clock | 1 |
| Hearth | 5 |
| Bamboo Speaker | 1 |
| Shell Speaker | 2 |
| Shell Music Box | 2 |
| Mermaid Vanity | 2 |
| Mermaid Lamp | 2 |
| Mermaid Wall Clock | 2 |
| Spooky Table Setting | 1 |
| Spooky Carriage | 10 |
| Spooky Trick Lamp | 4 |
| Spooky Garland | 1 |
| Spooky Fence | 5 |
| Turkey Day Casserole | 5 |
| Turkey Day Table Setting | 2 |
| Illuminated Snowflakes | 3 |
| Illuminated Present | 3 |
| Illuminated Reindeer | 5 |
| Illuminated Tree | 3 |
| Ornament Table Lamp | 2 |
| Ornament Tree | 3 |
| Ornament Garland | 5 |
| Windflower Fan | 2 |
| Cosmos Shower | 3 |
| Lily Record Player | 3 |
Where to Get Iron Nuggets
The best places to get Iron Nuggets are from rocks on your island or from rocks on islands that you visit. By hitting these rocks with either a Shovel or a Stone Axe, resources will drop from them. You’ll want to hit the stones as many times as you can until resources stop dropping.
Your Island
There are six rocks on your island in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. To take full advantage of these, you’ll want to collect resources from them each new day when they reset. Keep in mind that one of your rocks will always drop Bells rather than resources. The other five rocks will drop resources at random, and these can include Iron Nuggets.
Visiting Islands
If you’re looking to collect many Iron Nuggets, you might want to consider traveling to other islands. The islands you visit will have new rocks that you can collect resources from. This is especially effective if you’ve collected a bunch of Nook Miles. You can purchase Nook Miles Tickets for 2,000 Nook Miles each. These are what you will use to travel to other islands to collect resources. The best part is that you aren’t limited to a certain number of trips per day, so you can buy as many tickets as you want and use them as desired.