How do you get Golden Shovel in Minecraft?

Golden Shovel is crafted from Gold Ingot and Stick at a Crafting Table, in a single step.

When was Golden Shovel added to Minecraft?

Golden Shovel was added in the early Alpha development period.

Where do you find Golden Shovel in chests?

Golden Shovel is chest loot in one place and one only: ruined portal chests (about 21%). No other generated chest lists it, so that single structure is the whole search, and every other chest in the game will disappoint you.

Can Golden Shovel be enchanted?

Yes. The list for Golden Shovel runs to 6: Efficiency, Fortune, and Silk Touch, all on Golden Shovel, plus Unbreaking, Mending, and Curse of Vanishing.

How many Golden Shovel can you stack?

One Golden Shovel per slot, since Golden Shovel does not stack, and every one then costs 1 Gold Ingot and 2 Stick. A shulker box tops out at 27 of them, one per slot.

How much durability does Golden Shovel have?

The bar on Golden Shovel holds 32 points, one per use. Of the 9 golden items with a bar, Golden Shovel sits at 32, while Golden Chestplate reaches 112. Repair comes in two forms on Golden Shovel: Unbreaking slows the wear down, Mending turns collected experience back into points.

What is Golden Shovel used for?

Golden Shovel is a tool, and it harvests blocks faster than a bare hand does. A gold shovel used to dig dirt, sand, gravel and snow. It digs the fastest of all shovels but has very low durability.

ToolsEnchantableCraftable

Golden Shovel

A gold shovel used to dig dirt, sand, gravel and snow. It digs the fastest of all shovels but has very low durability.

Stack Size

Durability

Golden Shovel at a glance

Minecraft files Golden Shovel under Tools: a tool you get from crafting. It claims a slot each, so nine hotbar slots hold nine and a double chest of 54 slots takes 54. Expect 32 uses out of Golden Shovel, with repairs on an anvil to stretch it further; it takes enchantments too.

32 actions is what Golden Shovel is worth from new, and the two enchantments that change that number are Unbreaking, which stretches the 32, and Mending, which pays them back as you collect experience. Gold gear mines and attacks quickly and enchants exceptionally well, but its very low durability means it wears out fast compared with sturdier materials. When enchanted, Golden Shovel can carry 6 different enchantments, among them Efficiency, Fortune, Silk Touch, and Unbreaking. Generated chests only ever hold Golden Shovel in one place: ruined portal chests (about 21%). It sits between Golden Pickaxe and Iron Axe in Tools, number 15 of 35 there.

Combat and Mining Stats for Golden Shovel

Attack damage: 2.5 per hit
Attack speed: 1.0 swings per second
Damage per second: 2.5
Shovel mining speed: 12x
Enchantability: 22
Repairs with: Gold Ingot, 8 points per unit

A Golden Shovel hits for 2.5 at 1.0 swings a second, matching wood at 2.5 damage per second and telling you what gold is not for.

Speed 12 clears sand faster than any other shovel in the game, and the 32 uses in a Golden Shovel mean you will feel every block. Eight points come back per gold ingot.

Crafting recipe

Crafting
Gold Ingot
Stick
Stick
Golden Shovel
Recipe data from Astroworld Crafting, where Golden Shovel has the grid for Golden Shovel

How to obtain

Crafting

Enchantments

Efficiency Fortune Silk Touch Unbreaking Mending Curse of Vanishing

Click an enchantment to view details on the Enchantments database.

Notes

Right-clicking a grass block turns it into a dirt path.

Frequently asked questions about Golden Shovel

How do you get Golden Shovel in Minecraft?
Golden Shovel is crafted from Gold Ingot and Stick at a Crafting Table, in a single step.
When was Golden Shovel added to Minecraft?
Golden Shovel was added in the early Alpha development period.
Where do you find Golden Shovel in chests?
Golden Shovel is chest loot in one place and one only: ruined portal chests (about 21%). No other generated chest lists it, so that single structure is the whole search, and every other chest in the game will disappoint you.
Can Golden Shovel be enchanted?
Yes. The list for Golden Shovel runs to 6: Efficiency, Fortune, and Silk Touch, all on Golden Shovel, plus Unbreaking, Mending, and Curse of Vanishing.
How many Golden Shovel can you stack?
One Golden Shovel per slot, since Golden Shovel does not stack, and every one then costs 1 Gold Ingot and 2 Stick. A shulker box tops out at 27 of them, one per slot.
How much durability does Golden Shovel have?
The bar on Golden Shovel holds 32 points, one per use. Of the 9 golden items with a bar, Golden Shovel sits at 32, while Golden Chestplate reaches 112. Repair comes in two forms on Golden Shovel: Unbreaking slows the wear down, Mending turns collected experience back into points.
What is Golden Shovel used for?
Golden Shovel is a tool, and it harvests blocks faster than a bare hand does. A gold shovel used to dig dirt, sand, gravel and snow. It digs the fastest of all shovels but has very low durability.

Building with it

A golden shovel digs sand and gravel faster than diamond does, and then falls apart after 32 uses. Players who find gold before iron sometimes use one as a disposable digging tool, but for most worlds it is a stepping stone rather than a real shovel.

In practice

A golden shovel digs sand and gravel faster than diamond and then breaks after 32 uses. Players who find gold before iron sometimes use one as a disposable digging tool, but its real value is as a cheap candidate for the enchanting table.

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