Where to Find Flint and Steel in Minecraft
Creates fire when used on a block. Essential for lighting Nether portals and igniting TNT.
Flint and Steel at a glance
The Tools category of Minecraft holds Flint and Steel, a crafted item, and this guide sets out the 2 locations, the 3 methods behind it, and the quickest way to hold Flint and Steel yourself. Short version: Flint and Steel sits in All Overworld biomes and Nether (Ruined Portals, Nether Fortresses), and craft using 1 Iron Ingot and 1 Flint. Difficulty for Flint and Steel: 1 of 5, which we call very easy, since it is one of the first things a new survival world can supply, needing no special gear or travel. You will not be hunting for Flint and Steel across biomes at all: a Crafting Table is the whole source, so read on for what goes into it, what each part costs you and the best moment to make one.
Primary Location
All Overworld biomes
Difficulty
Very Easy (1/5)
Version Added
1.0
Stack Size
1
Durability
64
Where to Find Flint and Steel
2 places carry Flint and Steel: All Overworld biomes and Nether (Ruined Portals, Nether Fortresses). Which of them you walk into depends on the route you take to Flint and Steel. Flint has a 10% drop chance from mining gravel; use Fortune III to guarantee flint drops. Required to light Nether Portals and ignite TNT blocks. The route that does not involve crafting Flint and Steel at all: looting it from generated structure chests.
Biomes & Dimensions
- All Overworld biomes
- Nether (Ruined Portals, Nether Fortresses)
Best Way to Get Flint and Steel
The fastest route to Flint and Steel runs through the Crafting Table, with Iron Ingot and Flint. Gather those 2 parts once and Flint and Steel stops being something you look for. The shopping list before you can craft Flint and Steel runs to 2 lines: Iron Ingot (smelt iron ore or raw iron, which peaks around Y 16) and Flint (mine gravel, which drops flint about 10% of the time). Gravel generates in large quantities on beaches, rivers, and in the Nether (Y 63-65). Plan the trip around the slot count rather than the stack size: Flint and Steel takes one slot each, a chest holds 27 and a double chest tops out at 54, so decide up front how many you need. the original 1.0 release is where Flint and Steel entered the game, and it has worked the same way ever since, so nothing here depends on which update you are on.
All Methods
- 1Craft using 1 Iron Ingot and 1 Flint
- 2Found in Ruined Portal chests
- 3Found in Nether Fortress chests
Crafting recipe for Flint and Steel
Flint and SteelCrafting TableStation: Crafting Table
Tips for Finding Flint and Steel
- Flint has a 10% drop chance from mining gravel; use Fortune III to guarantee flint drops
- Required to light Nether Portals and ignite TNT blocks
- Gravel generates in large quantities on beaches, rivers, and in the Nether (Y 63-65)
More notes on Flint and Steel
Required to light Nether portals. Each use consumes 1 durability.
Enchantments for Flint and Steel
Flint and Steel elsewhere on Astroworld
Items and guides next to Flint and Steel
Iron Pickaxe and Respawn Anchor come up in the same trips as Flint and Steel, whether through the same biome, the same chest or the same recipe. Stats, durability and the grid for Flint and Steel sit on its own item page.
View the Flint and Steel item pageGetting Flint and Steel in practice
Flint and steel is one iron ingot and one flint, and flint comes from gravel, roughly one in ten blocks. It lights the Nether portal, sets TNT off and starts a campfire, and it is the one tool that most players carry a spare of, because losing it in the Nether means being stuck there.
What to watch out for with Flint and Steel
One flint and one iron, and the durability of 64 uses is more than a whole Nether trip needs. The habit worth building is lighting a permanent fire on netherrack beside the portal, since netherrack burns forever and saves the flint and steel for the way home.
Frequently asked questions about Flint and Steel
Where do you find Flint and Steel in Minecraft?
Flint and Steel is found in All Overworld biomes and Nether (Ruined Portals, Nether Fortresses). Craft using 1 Iron Ingot and 1 Flint.
What is the best way to get Flint and Steel?
Crafting it at a Crafting Table from Iron Ingot and Flint beats searching, because that grid gives Flint and Steel every time.
Can you craft Flint and Steel?
Yes. Flint and Steel is crafted at a Crafting Table using Iron Ingot and Flint.
How hard is it to find Flint and Steel?
Finding Flint and Steel is rated very easy (1 out of 5): it is one of the first things a new survival world can supply, needing no special gear or travel.
When was Flint and Steel added to Minecraft?
Flint and Steel was added in the original 1.0 release.