Table of Contents
Who this is for: New Minecraft players learning basic crafting recipes and tool progression.
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Crafting Your First Pickaxe
Making a pickaxe in Minecraft requires just two materials: sticks and your chosen pickaxe material. You’ll need 2 sticks and 3 units of material (wood planks, cobblestone, iron ingots, gold ingots, or diamond).
Step-by-Step Crafting Process
Open your crafting table (3×3 grid) and follow this pattern:
- Place 3 material units across the top row
- Put 1 stick in the center of the middle row
- Place 1 stick in the center of the bottom row
The recipe looks like a “T” shape with your material forming the horizontal line and sticks creating the vertical handle.
Pickaxe Materials and Their Properties
| Material | Durability | Mining Speed | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wood | 59 uses | Slowest | Emergency tool |
| Stone | 131 uses | Basic | Early game mining |
| Iron | 250 uses | Good | Most versatile choice |
| Diamond | 1,561 uses | Fast | Long-term investment |
| Gold | 32 uses | Fastest | Specialized tasks only |
Getting Your Materials
For sticks, craft them from 2 wood planks placed vertically in your crafting grid. Wood planks come from any log type you punch from trees. Stone requires mining cobblestone with any pickaxe, while iron and diamond need smelting ores in a furnace or finding them in loot chests.
Pro Tips for Pickaxe Use
Different pickaxe tiers can mine different blocks. Stone pickaxes can’t mine iron ore, and iron pickaxes can’t mine diamond ore. Always carry backup pickaxes during long mining sessions since they break after extended use.
Start with a wooden pickaxe to mine your first cobblestone, then immediately upgrade to stone for better efficiency. Once you’ve established a base and found iron, craft an iron pickaxe for the best balance of durability and speed. Ready to put your crafting skills to the test in more gaming adventures?
TL;DR
Craft a pickaxe by placing 3 material units across the top row of a crafting table, with 2 sticks vertically below the center. Start with wood, upgrade to stone, then iron for best results.
