How do you get Iron Shovel in Minecraft?

Iron Shovel is crafted from Iron Ingot and Stick at a Crafting Table, in a single step. It also comes from trading with villagers, and Iron Shovel from chest loot, not just the recipe above.

What is Iron Shovel used for?

Iron Shovel is a tool, and it harvests blocks faster than a bare hand does. A mid-tier shovel used to dig dirt, sand, gravel, clay and snow efficiently. It has 250 durability.

How many Iron Shovel can you stack?

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

How much durability does Iron Shovel have?

Iron Shovel starts at 250 durability, and every use takes one off. No iron item beats 250: Iron Shovel and Iron Pickaxe, Iron Axe, Iron Hoe, and Iron Sword all start there. On Iron Shovel the bar is not the end of it, because Unbreaking makes every point last longer and Mending refills them from experience.

Can Iron Shovel be enchanted?

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

Where do you find Iron Shovel in chests?

Iron Shovel is chest loot in village toolsmith chests (about 41%) and end city chests (about 13%). Those odds are per chest, and Luck does not move them.

When was Iron Shovel added to Minecraft?

Iron Shovel was added in the early Alpha development period.

ToolsEnchantableCraftable

Iron Shovel

A mid-tier shovel used to dig dirt, sand, gravel, clay and snow efficiently. It has 250 durability.

Stack Size

Durability

250

Iron Shovel at a glance

Iron Shovel comes from crafting, trading with villagers, and chest loot, and Tools is where it sits as a tool. One slot, one Iron Shovel: nothing stacks here, and nine of them fill a hotbar. 27 chest slots take 27 of them. Expect 250 uses out of Iron Shovel, with repairs on an anvil to stretch it further; it takes enchantments too.

Its 250-point durability sets how many actions Iron Shovel survives before breaking, and Unbreaking multiplies those 250 while Mending repairs Iron Shovel from the experience you pick up. Iron is the dependable mid-game material, striking a practical balance between durability and performance that makes it the workhorse choice for most players. When enchanted, Iron Shovel can carry 6 different enchantments, among them Efficiency, Fortune, Silk Touch, and Unbreaking. Of the 2 kinds of generated chest that can hold Iron Shovel, village toolsmith chests are the best bet at about 41% per chest. It sits between Iron Pickaxe and Milk Bucket in Tools, number 19 of 35 there.

Combat and Mining Stats for Iron Shovel

Attack damage: 4.5 per hit
Attack speed: 1.0 swings per second
Damage per second: 4.5
Shovel mining speed: 6x
Enchantability: 14
Repairs with: Iron Ingot, 62 points per unit

The Iron Shovel deals 4.5 damage a hit, half a point more than the iron pickaxe and a point and a half under the iron sword, and at 1.0 swings a second that comes to 4.5 damage per second.

Speed 6 and 250 uses make an Iron Shovel the usual digging tool for a big project, and one iron ingot puts 62 points of that bar back.

Crafting recipe

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

How to obtain

Crafting
Trading
Chest loot

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 Iron Shovel

How do you get Iron Shovel in Minecraft?
Iron Shovel is crafted from Iron Ingot and Stick at a Crafting Table, in a single step. It also comes from trading with villagers, and Iron Shovel from chest loot, not just the recipe above.
What is Iron Shovel used for?
Iron Shovel is a tool, and it harvests blocks faster than a bare hand does. A mid-tier shovel used to dig dirt, sand, gravel, clay and snow efficiently. It has 250 durability.
How many Iron Shovel can you stack?
One Iron Shovel per slot, since Iron Shovel does not stack, and every one then costs 1 Iron Ingot and 2 Stick. A shulker box tops out at 27 of them, one per slot.
How much durability does Iron Shovel have?
Iron Shovel starts at 250 durability, and every use takes one off. No iron item beats 250: Iron Shovel and Iron Pickaxe, Iron Axe, Iron Hoe, and Iron Sword all start there. On Iron Shovel the bar is not the end of it, because Unbreaking makes every point last longer and Mending refills them from experience.
Can Iron Shovel be enchanted?
Yes. The list for Iron Shovel runs to 6: Efficiency, Fortune, and Silk Touch, all on Iron Shovel, plus Unbreaking, Mending, and Curse of Vanishing.
Where do you find Iron Shovel in chests?
Iron Shovel is chest loot in village toolsmith chests (about 41%) and end city chests (about 13%). Those odds are per chest, and Luck does not move them.
When was Iron Shovel added to Minecraft?
Iron Shovel was added in the early Alpha development period.

Building with it

One ingot and two sticks give a shovel with 250 uses, and it is the tool that makes terrain work bearable. Digging out a basement, a canal or a beach with an iron shovel is several times faster than with stone, and the ingot cost is trivial once a mine is running.

In practice

One ingot for 250 uses makes the iron shovel the point where digging stops being a chore. It also turns grass into path blocks with a right click, which is the cheapest way to mark a route between two builds without laying a single block.

All Items Tools All Recipes Full Recipe Guide