To make a Netherite Ingot, mine Ancient Debris in the Nether, smelt it into Netherite Scrap, then combine four Scraps with four Gold Ingots. Ancient Debris cannot be crafted in unmodified survival, and a diamond- or Netherite-tier pickaxe is required to obtain it. Since Minecraft 1.20, upgrading diamond equipment also requires a Netherite Upgrade Smithing Template, one Netherite Ingot, and the diamond item in a Smithing Table. These rules are the same in Java and Bedrock editions, although world generation and command syntax differ.
This guide covers the complete progression, efficient and safe mining methods, smelting and crafting quantities, smithing-template locations and duplication, current commands, and the mistakes that prevent players from getting Netherite.
What is the complete Netherite progression?
The process has four separate stages. Ancient Debris is the mined resource, Netherite Scrap is its smelted product, and Netherite Ingots are crafted from Scrap and Gold. The ingot is then used with a template to upgrade compatible diamond gear; it does not smelt directly into equipment.
- Enter the Nether and mine Ancient Debris with a diamond or Netherite pickaxe.
- Smelt each Ancient Debris block in a Furnace or Blast Furnace to obtain one Netherite Scrap.
- Craft one Netherite Ingot from four Netherite Scraps and four Gold Ingots in any arrangement.
- Use a Netherite Upgrade Smithing Template, a diamond item and one Netherite Ingot in a Smithing Table.
The template requirement was introduced in the 1.20 Trails & Tales update and applies to equipment upgrades, not to the ingot recipe. Mojang’s update notes describe the smithing change at Minecraft 1.20 Trails & Tales.
How do you find Ancient Debris?
Ancient Debris generates naturally only in the Nether. It can also occur as loot in some Bastion Remnant chests, but mining is the normal survival method. There is no craftable Ancient Debris recipe in vanilla survival.
Enter the Nether and choose a mining level
Ancient Debris is scattered through Nether terrain and is never naturally exposed to air. Its average generation peak is around Y=16, making Y=15 or Y=16 practical levels for tunnel mining. It can still generate above or below those coordinates, so treating one level as a guarantee will waste time.
| Edition | Generation attempts per chunk | Vertical ranges and cluster sizes |
|---|---|---|
| Java Edition | Up to two | One cluster of 0–3 blocks from Y=8–24, plus one cluster of 0–2 blocks from Y=8–119 |
| Bedrock Edition | Up to five | Two clusters of 0–3 blocks from Y=8–23, plus three clusters of 0–2 blocks from Y=8–119 |
The distribution data and block properties are documented on the Ancient Debris entry. The often-repeated instruction to mine specifically at Y=11 is not a current requirement; Y=11 is simply associated with one older bed-mining convention.
Use the required pickaxe
Only a diamond or Netherite pickaxe can harvest Ancient Debris. A weaker pickaxe may break the block without dropping it, permanently losing that resource. Silk Touch is unnecessary because a correctly mined block already drops one Ancient Debris, and Fortune cannot increase that fixed one-block drop.
Branch-mine around Y=15–16
Make long tunnels at Y=15 or Y=16, then open short side branches at regular intervals. Because the block is hidden inside netherrack and other Nether materials, exposing more wall and ceiling area gives you more chances to see a cluster. Carry spare pickaxes, blocks for sealing lava, food, and a way to handle fire.
Use TNT when you have a controlled setup
Ancient Debris has high blast resistance, so TNT can remove surrounding netherrack while usually leaving the debris intact. Prepare a protected firing position, clear a safe route back, and collect exposed blocks before lighting additional charges. TNT consumes valuable gunpowder and sand, so it is most useful after you have a reliable supply.
Use beds only with serious precautions
Beds explode when a player attempts to sleep in the Nether. The blast can expose Ancient Debris, but it can also kill you, ignite nearby blocks, and destroy drops. Place a solid block between yourself and the bed, stand behind that cover before activating it, and carry Fire Resistance or fire-protection gear when possible. Mojang’s practical guide explains this approach at How to Find Ancient Debris.
How do you turn Ancient Debris into Netherite Scrap?
Every Ancient Debris block must be smelted. Mining it does not produce Scrap immediately.
Furnace method
- Place and open a Furnace.
- Put Ancient Debris in the upper input slot.
- Put an appropriate fuel in the lower slot.
- Wait for the smelt to finish and remove one Netherite Scrap from the output slot.
A regular Furnace works; a Blast Furnace is optional rather than mandatory. Removing the finished Scrap awards 2 experience points for each Ancient Debris smelted. The recipe and experience value are listed in the Ancient Debris documentation.
Blast Furnace method
A Blast Furnace also accepts Ancient Debris and returns exactly one Netherite Scrap per block. It is useful when you want a dedicated ore-processing station, but it does not increase the yield. Both furnace types require fuel.
Smelting problems and fixes
- No output: confirm that fuel is in the lower slot and Ancient Debris is in the upper slot.
- The block disappeared while mining: the pickaxe was below diamond tier; the drop cannot be recovered from that block.
- You expected several Scraps: one Ancient Debris always produces one Scrap, so four blocks are needed for one ingot.
How do you craft a Netherite Ingot?
One Netherite Ingot requires four Netherite Scraps and four Gold Ingots. The recipe is shapeless, so the eight ingredients can occupy any eight positions in the grid.
Crafting in your inventory
- Open the inventory’s 2×2 Crafting grid.
- Place four Netherite Scraps and four Gold Ingots in any arrangement.
- Take the Netherite Ingot from the result slot.
The recipe fits in the 2×2 grid, so a Crafting Table is not required. Mojang’s general crafting instructions are at How to Craft.
Crafting at a Crafting Table
Open a Crafting Table and use its 3×3 grid if you prefer a larger workspace. The same shapeless recipe and quantities apply. Gold Nuggets do not substitute for Gold Ingots, and Netherite Scrap cannot be made directly from gold.
| Finished item | Netherite Scrap | Gold Ingots | Ancient Debris equivalent |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Netherite Ingot | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| 1 Block of Netherite (9 ingots) | 36 | 36 | 36 |
Because the smelting ratio is one Ancient Debris to one Scrap, the Ancient Debris column is the minimum number of blocks that must be mined. The figures above do not include extra ingots for additional equipment or replacement tools.
How do you upgrade diamond gear to Netherite?
The ingot is only a material. It does not turn into a Netherite tool or armor piece by itself. A Smithing Table now has three inputs: a template, the diamond item, and the Netherite Ingot.
Items that can be upgraded
- Diamond pickaxe
- Diamond axe
- Diamond shovel
- Diamond hoe
- Diamond sword
- Diamond helmet
- Diamond chestplate
- Diamond leggings
- Diamond boots
The template does not convert arbitrary items into Netherite variants. It is specifically for these compatible diamond tools, weapons and armor pieces.
Smithing Table procedure
- Place and open a Smithing Table.
- Put one Netherite Upgrade Smithing Template in the template slot.
- Put the compatible diamond item in the item slot.
- Put one Netherite Ingot in the material slot.
- Take the Netherite item from the output slot.
The template is consumed for each upgrade. The diamond item’s enchantments, current durability and custom name carry over to the Netherite result. The slot layout and supported items are shown in the Smithing Table template documentation.
Where can you find a Netherite Upgrade Smithing Template?
Netherite Upgrade Smithing Templates generate as loot in Bastion Remnant chests. Their appearance in ordinary bastion chests is random. A Treasure Room Bastion Remnant guarantees two templates, making that structure the most reliable single find when you can identify and safely reach its treasure area.
Templates are consumed, so one copy upgrades one item. Plan to find or duplicate additional templates before attempting a full armor set and several tools.
How do you duplicate the template?
Use a Crafting Table with one Netherite Upgrade Smithing Template, seven Diamonds and one Netherrack. The result is two templates: your original is preserved and one additional copy is created.
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Netherite Upgrade Smithing Template | 1 |
| Diamond | 7 |
| Netherrack | 1 |
| Result | 2 Netherite Upgrade Smithing Templates |
For this particular template, the copying block is Netherrack. Ancient Debris, Netherite Scrap and Netherite Ingots are not substitutes. The original template remains available after the recipe. The template update announcement is archived at Minecraft Java Edition Snapshot 23w04a.
What commands give Netherite materials?
Commands require cheats in a local world or the appropriate permissions on a server. The /give command places an item in the target player’s inventory. Use the namespaced identifiers shown for current Java syntax, and use autocomplete on Bedrock to verify the identifier accepted by your installed release.
Java Edition commands
/give @s minecraft:ancient_debris 1
/give @s minecraft:netherite_scrap 1
/give @s minecraft:netherite_ingot 1
/give @s minecraft:netherite_upgrade_smithing_template 1To give a full stack of the three stackable materials:
/give @s minecraft:ancient_debris 64
/give @s minecraft:netherite_scrap 64
/give @s minecraft:netherite_ingot 64Modern Java syntax uses the namespaced item identifier followed by an optional count. Older guides that use pre-1.20.5 item-NBT formatting may not match current item-component syntax.
Bedrock Edition commands
Bedrock documents the form /give <player: target> <itemName: Item> [amount: int] [data: int] [components: json]. These examples target the executing player:
/give @s ancient_debris 1
/give @s netherite_scrap 1
/give @s netherite_ingot 1
/give @s netherite_upgrade_smithing_template 1For 64 items:
/give @s ancient_debris 64
/give @s netherite_scrap 64
/give @s netherite_ingot 64Microsoft’s current command reference lists the optional amount (which defaults to one) and the remaining arguments at Bedrock /give command documentation. If a command fails, type the item name until autocomplete offers the identifier for your exact Bedrock release.
What mistakes stop players from getting Netherite?
- Mining at the wrong tier: use a diamond or Netherite pickaxe; weaker tools do not drop Ancient Debris.
- Looking for “Netherite Ore”: the vanilla block is named Ancient Debris. There is no Netherite Ore block to mine and smelt.
- Expecting Fortune to multiply drops: each correctly mined Ancient Debris block yields one block.
- Using only one Scrap and one Gold: the ingot recipe is four Scraps plus four Gold Ingots.
- Putting the ingot in a Furnace: ingots are crafted, not smelted.
- Using Gold Nuggets: the recipe accepts Gold Ingots only.
- Skipping the template: modern Netherite smithing requires a Netherite Upgrade Smithing Template for every upgrade.
- Assuming a Blast Furnace is mandatory: a normal Furnace smelts Ancient Debris correctly.
- Using old two-slot smithing instructions: the current Smithing Table has template, item and material inputs.
- Detonating beds without cover: Nether explosions can kill you or destroy the drops you are trying to collect.
- Expecting Ancient Debris to be craftable: in unmodified survival it must be mined, found as eligible bastion loot, or supplied through commands or Creative mode.
How much material do you need for a Netherite loadout?
Count each planned upgrade separately. Every Netherite tool or armor piece consumes one Netherite Ingot and one template, while every ingot consumes four Ancient Debris and four Gold Ingots. For example, upgrading a diamond sword, pickaxe, axe, shovel, hoe and a full four-piece armor set requires nine ingots, which means 36 Ancient Debris and 36 Gold Ingots, plus nine templates. The template count can be reduced by duplicating copies with Diamonds and Netherrack, but the ingot and resource costs remain unchanged.
Keep spare diamonds for template duplication and a supply of Netherrack before leaving the Nether. This avoids finding a single template and then being unable to prepare enough copies for the rest of your equipment.
Does Java or Bedrock make Netherite easier to obtain?
The progression and recipes are the same in both editions. Bedrock permits up to five Ancient Debris generation attempts per chunk, while Java permits up to two, but actual finds still depend on the random cluster distribution and the area you mine. Both editions use the same Y=15–16 practical target, the same diamond-tier pickaxe requirement, the same smelting ratio, and the same 1.20 template rule.
Commands are the main operational difference: Java examples use namespaced identifiers such as minecraft:ancient_debris, while Bedrock accepts the documented target-and-item syntax and may expose names through autocomplete.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you find Ancient Debris without mining it?
Yes. Some Bastion Remnant chests can contain Ancient Debris, although chest loot is not a dependable replacement for mining. In a normal unmodified survival world, there is no crafting recipe for the block.
Does a Netherite Upgrade Smithing Template disappear after one use?
Yes. Each smithing operation consumes one template. Duplicate it first with seven Diamonds and one Netherrack if you need several upgrades.
Can villagers sell Netherite Ingots or Ancient Debris?
The progression described here does not include villager trades: the required materials come from Nether exploration, smelting and crafting. Bastion chests and commands are the documented alternatives to mining.
Why is my Ancient Debris not dropping?
The usual cause is using a pickaxe below diamond tier. Ancient Debris also does not multiply with Fortune, so a correctly mined block still produces only one block.