How do you get Iron Sword in Minecraft?

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

Where do you find Iron Sword in chests?

Iron Sword is chest loot in village weaponsmith chests (about 23%), bastion chests (about 19%), buried treasure (about 17%), and end city chests (about 13%). It shows up in 5 kinds of chest in total. Those odds are per chest, and Luck does not move them.

How much durability does Iron Sword have?

Iron Sword starts at 250 durability, and every use takes one off. 250 is where iron stops, and Iron Sword sits on that ceiling next to Iron Pickaxe, Iron Axe, Iron Hoe, and Iron Shovel. On Iron Sword the bar is not the end of it, because Unbreaking makes every point last longer and Mending refills them from experience.

When was Iron Sword added to Minecraft?

Iron Sword was added in the early Alpha development period.

How many Iron Sword can you stack?

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

What is Iron Sword used for?

Iron Sword is used in combat, which is what it is made for. A mid-tier sword that deals 6 attack damage and has 250 durability. A reliable mid-game melee weapon.

Can Iron Sword be enchanted?

Yes, and there are 10 to choose from on Iron Sword: Sharpness, Smite, and Bane of Arthropods, all on Iron Sword, plus Knockback, Fire Aspect, and Looting, and on Iron Sword also Sweeping Edge, Unbreaking, and Mending, with Iron Sword taking Curse of Vanishing.

WeaponsEnchantableCraftable

Iron Sword

A mid-tier sword that deals 6 attack damage and has 250 durability. A reliable mid-game melee weapon.

Stack Size

Durability

250

Iron Sword at a glance

Crafting, trading with villagers, and chest loot give you Iron Sword, a weapon filed under Weapons. It claims a slot each, so nine hotbar slots hold nine and a double chest of 54 slots takes 54. 250 uses are what Iron Sword has before a repair, and every hit takes one off; it takes enchantments too.

Count on 250 uses out of Iron Sword before it goes, longer with Unbreaking on it, and effectively without end once Mending is on it and you keep picking up experience. 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 Sword can carry 10 different enchantments, among them Sharpness, Smite, Bane of Arthropods, and Knockback. Of the 5 kinds of generated chest that can hold Iron Sword, village weaponsmith chests are the best bet at about 23% per chest. It sits between Golden Sword and Mace in Weapons, number 5 of 12 there.

Combat Stats for Iron Sword

Attack damage: 6 per hit
Attack speed: 1.6 swings per second
Damage per second: 9.6
Enchantability: 14
Repairs with: Iron Ingot, 62 points per unit

An Iron Sword hits for 6 and keeps the 1.6 swings a second that every sword shares, so it lands 9.6 damage per second. Against a zombie at 20 health that is four hits with the Iron Sword instead of the five a wooden one needs.

Iron ingots repair it, 62 points each. The Iron Sword carries 250 uses, and its enchantability of 14 is higher than diamond's 10, so an Iron Sword often walks off the table with a better book than a diamond one does.

Crafting recipe

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

How to obtain

Crafting
Trading
Chest loot

Enchantments

Sharpness Smite Bane of Arthropods Knockback Fire Aspect Looting Sweeping Edge Unbreaking Mending Curse of Vanishing

Click an enchantment to view details on the Enchantments database.

Frequently asked questions about Iron Sword

How do you get Iron Sword in Minecraft?
Iron Sword is crafted from Iron Ingot and Stick at a Crafting Table, in a single step. It also comes from trading with villagers, and Iron Sword from chest loot, not just the recipe above.
Where do you find Iron Sword in chests?
Iron Sword is chest loot in village weaponsmith chests (about 23%), bastion chests (about 19%), buried treasure (about 17%), and end city chests (about 13%). It shows up in 5 kinds of chest in total. Those odds are per chest, and Luck does not move them.
How much durability does Iron Sword have?
Iron Sword starts at 250 durability, and every use takes one off. 250 is where iron stops, and Iron Sword sits on that ceiling next to Iron Pickaxe, Iron Axe, Iron Hoe, and Iron Shovel. On Iron Sword the bar is not the end of it, because Unbreaking makes every point last longer and Mending refills them from experience.
When was Iron Sword added to Minecraft?
Iron Sword was added in the early Alpha development period.
How many Iron Sword can you stack?
One Iron Sword per slot, since Iron Sword does not stack, and every one then costs 2 Iron Ingot and 1 Stick. A shulker box tops out at 27 of them, one per slot.
What is Iron Sword used for?
Iron Sword is used in combat, which is what it is made for. A mid-tier sword that deals 6 attack damage and has 250 durability. A reliable mid-game melee weapon.
Can Iron Sword be enchanted?
Yes, and there are 10 to choose from on Iron Sword: Sharpness, Smite, and Bane of Arthropods, all on Iron Sword, plus Knockback, Fire Aspect, and Looting, and on Iron Sword also Sweeping Edge, Unbreaking, and Mending, with Iron Sword taking Curse of Vanishing.

Building with it

Six damage and 250 uses make the iron sword the practical weapon for the first days of a world, and two ingots is a price anyone can pay. Most players carry one until diamonds arrive, then keep it as a backup for the second hotbar slot.

In practice

Two ingots and a stick, and every hostile mob in the overworld becomes manageable. The iron sword is what most players use through the whole middle of a world, and keeping a second one in the hotbar is cheaper than repairing the first at an anvil.

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