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You do not craft Netherite armor directly in a crafting table. In the modern Minecraft smithing system, you upgrade a complete set of diamond armor: mine ancient debris in the Nether, smelt it into Netherite scrap, combine scrap with gold to make Netherite ingots, then use a smithing table with a Netherite Upgrade Smithing Template for each armor piece.
A full set requires four diamond armor pieces, four Netherite ingots, four upgrade templates, and a smithing table. This guide covers the template-based system used in current 1.20-era and later gameplay, including how to obtain and duplicate templates and how the process differs from the original Nether Update method.
What you are actually making
Netherite armor is an upgraded version of diamond armor, not a separate set made from raw Netherite materials. Mojang describes Netherite as “A new high-level material found in the Nether. Use it to upgrade your diamond gear!” The diamond helmet, chestplate, leggings and boots are the base equipment; Netherite changes each piece through a smithing-table operation.
Compared with diamond armor, Netherite armor has greater toughness and durability, and it provides knockback resistance. Mojang also states that Netherite items float in lava. These improvements are useful when fighting or building in dangerous areas, but obtaining Netherite takes more preparation than simply collecting diamonds: you must enter the Nether, find ancient debris, process it, and obtain the required smithing templates from Bastion Remnants.
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Materials for a complete Netherite set
Gather the base armor first, then collect the Nether resources and templates. The quantities below are for one helmet, one chestplate, one pair of leggings and one pair of boots.
| Material | Quantity for four pieces | Purpose or source |
|---|---|---|
| Diamond helmet, chestplate, leggings and boots | 4 armor pieces | Each diamond piece is upgraded individually in a smithing table. |
| Netherite ingots | 4 | One ingot is used for each diamond armor piece. |
| Netherite scrap | 16 | Four scrap combine with four gold ingots to make one Netherite ingot. |
| Gold ingots | 16 | Four gold ingots are combined with four Netherite scrap for each Netherite ingot. |
| Netherite Upgrade Smithing Templates | 4 | One template is needed for each upgrade in the template-based system. |
| Smithing table | 1 | Used to apply the template, ingot and diamond armor together. |
| Netherrack | At least 1 block per duplication operation | The template-duplication recipe uses the template’s base material, netherrack. |
| Diamonds for duplication | 7 per duplication operation | Used with a template and netherrack to produce two templates. |
The four-ingot total is the amount identified in the Minecraft Wiki advancement guide accessed in 2026. The 16-scrap and 16-gold totals follow the four-scrap-plus-four-gold recipe described by Mojang in 2020.
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1. Assemble the diamond armor
Have a diamond helmet, diamond chestplate, diamond leggings and diamond boots ready. Netherite cannot replace the diamond base in the smithing operation, so collecting Netherite materials before you have the four diamond pieces will not let you finish the set.
Check that each piece is the armor item you intend to keep. The smithing process is performed one piece at a time, and each operation consumes the resources placed into the table.
2. Enter the Nether and mine ancient debris
Travel to the Nether and search the lower depths for ancient debris. Ancient debris is the ore you need; it is not Netherite scrap yet. Bring enough material and storage capacity for multiple trips if necessary, because four finished ingots require 16 ancient-debris-derived scrap.
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The guide does not depend on a particular coordinate, mining pattern or explosive method. The important progression is to locate ancient debris in the Nether and bring it safely to a furnace or blast furnace.
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3. Smelt ancient debris into Netherite scrap
Place the ancient debris in a furnace or blast furnace. Smelting produces Netherite scrap. Keep the scrap separate from ordinary Nether materials while you track your totals: you need 16 scrap for a four-piece set.
Smelting does not produce a Netherite ingot directly. The ingot is the next recipe in the chain, so do not take ancient debris or scrap to the smithing table expecting an armor upgrade.
4. Craft four Netherite ingots
For each ingot, combine four Netherite scrap with four gold ingots. Repeat the recipe four times:
- 4 Netherite scrap + 4 gold ingots = 1 Netherite ingot.
- Four repetitions consume 16 Netherite scrap and 16 gold ingots.
- The result is 4 Netherite ingots, one for each armor slot.
These quantities are the recipe values reported by Mojang’s 2020 Nether Update article. Gold is not an optional additive: every ingot requires four gold ingots alongside the four scrap.
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5. Find the Netherite Upgrade Smithing Template
Search Bastion Remnant chests for a Netherite Upgrade Smithing Template. Mojang states that all Bastion Remnant chests can contain the template. Treasure Room bastions guarantee two templates, giving you a particularly reliable starting point if you locate that bastion type.
A template is a separate item from the Netherite ingot and from the armor. Finding ancient debris alone does not unlock the upgrade; you must also have the template in the smithing table’s template slot.
6. Duplicate templates when you do not have four
If you find only one template, duplicate it before upgrading. In a crafting table, combine:
- One Netherite Upgrade Smithing Template
- Seven diamonds
- One netherrack block, the template’s base material
The recipe produces two templates. Mojang documented this seven-diamond duplication recipe in 2023. Because one template is used in each armor upgrade, repeat the operation until you have four templates or find additional templates in Bastion Remnant chests.
Starting with exactly one template and no additional finds, three duplication operations increase your supply from one to four. That uses 21 diamonds and three netherrack blocks in total: the first operation makes two templates, and two more operations expand those two into four. This is a planning calculation based on the two-for-one recipe; finding more templates can reduce the diamonds needed for duplication.
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7. Open the smithing table
Place a smithing table and open its interface. The modern interface has separate locations for the template, equipment and material. Do not use a regular crafting table for the upgrade itself.
8. Upgrade the helmet
- Put the Netherite Upgrade Smithing Template in the template slot.
- Put the diamond helmet in the equipment slot.
- Put one Netherite ingot in the material slot.
- Collect the Netherite helmet result.
The operation combines the diamond base with the template and one ingot. Keep the remaining materials available for the three other armor pieces.
9. Repeat for the chestplate, leggings and boots
Perform the same three-input operation for each remaining diamond piece. Use one separate template and one separate Netherite ingot for the chestplate, leggings and boots. When all four operations are complete, the set consists of a Netherite helmet, chestplate, leggings and boots.
Why the template matters in current versions
The Netherite Upgrade Smithing Template requirement belongs to the newer smithing-template system documented in Mojang’s Java Edition 1.19.4 article and used in current 1.20-era and later gameplay. A historical guide written for the original 1.16 Nether Update may describe an ingot-plus-diamond smithing flow without mentioning a template.
That difference explains why an old walkthrough can appear to conflict with the interface you see. Before following instructions, identify the Minecraft edition and version you are running. This article assumes the modern template-based interface: a diamond armor piece, a Netherite Upgrade Smithing Template and a Netherite ingot are all required for each upgrade.
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Diamond versus Netherite armor
| Consideration | Diamond armor | Netherite armor |
|---|---|---|
| Role in the upgrade path | Required base for every Netherite armor piece | Created by upgrading the diamond piece in a smithing table |
| Material cost for a full set | Four diamond armor pieces | Four Netherite ingots, plus four upgrade templates and the same four diamond pieces |
| Nether resources | Does not require ancient debris, Netherite scrap or gold for the armor itself | Requires 16 scrap from ancient debris and 16 gold ingots for four ingots |
| Template requirement | None for wearing the diamond set | One Netherite Upgrade Smithing Template per upgrade in the current system |
| Protection characteristics identified by Mojang | Lower toughness and durability than Netherite | Higher toughness and durability than diamond, plus knockback resistance |
| Lava behavior | Not the behavior specified for Netherite items | Mojang says Netherite items float in lava |
| Exploration risk | Can be obtained without entering the Nether | Requires Nether exploration for ancient debris and Bastion Remnants |
Netherite is therefore an upgrade for players who already have diamond armor and are prepared to risk Nether exploration. Diamond remains the prerequisite equipment rather than a material you can skip.
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Count ingots separately from scrap
Track the conversion in stages: 16 scrap become four ingots, and each ingot is assigned to one armor piece. If you have 12 scrap, you can make only three ingots and complete only three upgrades, even if you already have four templates.
Decide whether to search or duplicate
Finding more Bastion Remnant chests may provide additional templates. If you have one template and enough diamonds, duplication gives a predictable way to reach four. Treasure Room bastions guarantee two templates, but two still leave two upgrades to cover through additional finds or duplication.
Keep the four diamond pieces intact
The Netherite operation starts with diamond equipment in the equipment slot. Do not treat Netherite ingots as a replacement for missing diamond armor; they are the material applied to existing pieces.
Troubleshooting the smithing process
No Netherite result appears
- Confirm that the equipment slot contains a diamond helmet, chestplate, leggings or boots, not another material.
- Confirm that the template slot contains a Netherite Upgrade Smithing Template rather than a different smithing template.
- Confirm that the material slot contains a Netherite ingot, not Netherite scrap or ancient debris.
- Check that the smithing table is the interface you opened; a crafting table cannot perform this upgrade.
You have scrap but cannot make an ingot
Smelted ancient debris produces scrap, and scrap must be combined with gold. Gather four gold ingots for every four scrap before attempting the ingot recipe. For a complete set, the target is 16 of each input material.
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You found one template and used it too soon
Use the duplication recipe before spending the template on an upgrade if you need four operations. Seven diamonds and one netherrack block duplicate one template into two. Continue duplicating until your template count matches the number of armor pieces still to upgrade.
An old tutorial gives different instructions
Check its version date. The original 1.16 Nether Update description predates the template requirement, while the Java Edition 1.19.4 smithing-template system and modern 1.20-era gameplay use the upgrade template. A version mismatch is the likely reason the older interface does not match yours.
Final checklist
- Four diamond armor pieces are ready.
- Sixteen ancient-debris-derived Netherite scrap have been smelted.
- Sixteen gold ingots have been combined with the scrap to make four Netherite ingots.
- Four Netherite Upgrade Smithing Templates are available, either from Bastion Remnant chests or duplication.
- A smithing table is placed and usable.
- Each upgrade uses one template, one diamond armor piece and one Netherite ingot.
Once the fourth operation is complete, you have the full Netherite armor set. The essential rule is simple: mine and process Nether resources, obtain enough templates, and upgrade diamond armor one piece at a time rather than trying to craft Netherite armor directly.
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