How to Make Netherite Armor in Minecraft
Master the art of crafting Netherite armor in Minecraft with our step-by-step guide. Get ready to enhance your gameplay—read the article now!
If you are tired of the endless late-game grind and want to secure the ultimate protection, you have come to the right place. In this article, we will reveal exactly why upgrading your gear is worth the effort and how you can obtain the materials that are waiting for you in the dangerous depths of the Nether.

Netherite armor is the strongest and most durable armor tier in Minecraft. To create it, you cannot just craft it from scratch; you must combine a Netherite armor piece with your existing diamond gear at a Smithing Table using Netherite Ingots and a Netherite Upgrade template.
Key Features of the Best Armor
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Supreme Protection: A full set provides 20 armor points and 12 armor toughness, reducing incoming damage by a minimum of 80% (and more depending on how the enemy spawns and the attacker's strength).
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Knockback Resistance: Each piece grants 10% knockback resistance (totaling 40% for a full set), meaning you are pushed back much less when struck by mobs or players.
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Lava Immunity: Like all netherite items, the armor floats in lava and will not burn if you die in a fiery pit.
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Durability: It boasts significantly higher durability and retains all previously applied enchantments when upgrading from diamond.
#1 - Gear Up with Diamond Armor
If you don’t have a full diamond armor set yet, you’ll need to grab your diamond pickaxe and head into the caves to mine a total of 24 Diamonds.
To create your initial set of diamond armor, follow these recipes:
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5 Diamonds → Diamond Helmet
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8 Diamonds → Diamond Chestplate
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7 Diamonds → Diamond Leggings
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4 Diamonds → Diamond Boots
Craft these in your Crafting Table. Remember: you cannot craft netherite armor directly as a fresh craft—you need to apply the materials onto your existing diamond armor first!

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**#**2 - Go to the Nether and Find Ancient Debris
Here’s where the adventure starts. Build a Nether portal using Obsidian and light it up with Flint & Steel. Once you’re in the Nether, you need to find the raw materials to build your Minecraft Netherite armor:
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Best Y-level: Between 8-22; Y=15 is the absolute sweet spot.
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Method: You can use traditional strip mining, but using beds or TNT to create massive explosions will clear large areas much faster (Ancient Debris is completely blast-proof!).
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Tool required: Diamond or Netherite pickaxe only—anything weaker won’t drop debris.
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Target: Collect at least 16 Ancient Debris.

#3 - Smelt Ancient Debris into Netherite Scraps
Bring your raw debris back to a Furnace or Blast Furnace.
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Each Ancient Debris smelts into four netherite scrap pieces if you process enough blocks (specifically, a 1:1 ratio per debris).
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You’ll need 16 Netherite Scraps total to forge the necessary ingots for your set.
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Pro tip: Don’t stand around—set up multiple furnaces to speed up the process!
#4- Craft Netherite Ingots
Open your crafting grid and combine your resources. To get one netherite ingot, you must use this shapeless recipe:
- 4 Netherite Scraps + 4 Gold Ingots → 1 Netherite Ingot.

- Because this recipe is shapeless, you can plop the ingredients anywhere in the crafting grid.
#5 - Get Netherite Upgrade Smithing Templates
Starting in Minecraft 1.20, you can’t upgrade your gear without finding a specific template first.
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Where to find: Bastion Remnants chests in the Nether (100% chance in the main treasure room).
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How to duplicate: Use 1 template + 7 Diamonds + 1 Netherrack in a crafting table to copy more so you don't have to keep searching.

- You’ll need 4 templates total for a complete armor set.
#6 -Craft a Smithing Table
If you don't have one sitting around your base, you can craft it by combining two iron ingots and 4 Wooden Planks. Alternatively, you can easily snag one for free from a Toolsmith’s house in a village.

#7- Upgrade Diamond Armor to Netherite
This is the moment on the page where you finally transform your gear! Take your items to the Smithing Table:
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Place a Netherite Upgrade Template in the left slot.
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Add your Diamond armor piece—such as one diamond chestplate—in the middle slot.
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Add one netherite ingot in the right slot.

Collect your shiny new gear! Whether your diamond pieces already have god-tier enchantments like protection IV or unbreaking III, they will be perfectly preserved through the upgrade. Repeat this process until your diamond top is converted into high-tier netherite chestplates, helmets, leggings, and boots.
Note: Upgrading to Netherite armor is the definitive turning point in your Minecraft journey. While diamond gear is great for the mid-game, Netherite provides unmatched durability, built-in knockback resistance, and an invaluable lava-proof property. In dangerous dimensions like the Nether, knowing your hard-earned enchanted gear will float on lava instead of burning away gives you total peace of mind. Ultimately, Netherite isn't just a stat boost—it is the ultimate insurance policy to secure your progression and dominate the end-game.