3 Ways To Make A Pickaxe On Minecraft - WikiHow

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Terms of Use wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. Learn why people trust wikiHow How to Make a Pickaxe on Minecraft PDF download Download Article Explore this Article methods 1 Making a Wooden Pickaxe (Windows or Mac) 2 Making a Wooden Pickaxe (Consoles or Pocket Edition) 3 Crafting Better Pickaxes Other Sections Questions & Answers Tips and Warnings Related Articles References Article Summary Co-authored by GraySun Builds

Last Updated: January 30, 2026

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This article was co-authored by GraySun Builds. GraySun Builds is a Minecraft expert and content creator based in Canada. He shares content on Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, and TikTok focused on unique buildings, tutorials, and educational building videos, with a combined following of over 310k. He specializes in fantasy survival-esque building and utilizes a wide variety of colors in his builds. All of his builds are created with survival mode in mind, with the goal of being accessible and able to inspire anyone playing the game. His builds are also available to download on Patreon. This article has been viewed 281,860 times.

The pickaxe is an iconic tool in Minecraft, and one of the most vital tools. Without one, a player is bound to die soon, or at least get bored very quickly. This is because pickaxes are used to mine tougher items, especially stone. Stone and cobblestone are important resources, as well as the ores/minerals that can be found. This is a simple guide on how to make a pickaxe.

Steps

Method 1 Method 1 of 3:

Making a Wooden Pickaxe (Windows or Mac)

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  1. Step 1 Turn tree trunks into wood. 1 Turn tree trunks into wood. Left-click and hold on a tree to break it. Repeat this for several tree trunks.[1]
  2. Step 2 Open your inventory. 2 Open your inventory. Press E to open your inventory. Look for a 2 x 2 crafting grid next to the image of your character. This grid has an arrow to its right leading to a results box. Advertisement
  3. Step 3 Turn wood into planks. 3 Turn wood into planks. Drag at least three blocks of wood into a single slot of your 2 x 2 grid. Planks should appear in the results. Drag these planks to your inventory.[2]
  4. Step 4 Make a crafting table. 4 Make a crafting table. Drag four planks into your crafting area, completely filling up the grid. Drag a crafting table to one of your quick slots at the bottom of the screen.
  5. Step 5 Place the crafting table. 5 Place the crafting table. Click the crafting table in your quick slot bar. Right-click anywhere on the ground to place it in the world.
  6. Step 6 Right-click the crafting table. 6 Right-click the crafting table. This will bring up another crafting interface, with a 3 x 3 grid.
  7. Step 7 Turn planks into sticks. 7 Turn planks into sticks. Place one plank directly above a second plank in the crafting area to turn them into sticks.[3] You can do this in the crafting table area or your inventory.
    • A common beginner mistake is confusing wood and planks. This recipe will not work with wood logs.
  8. Step 8 Make the wooden pickaxe. 8 Make the wooden pickaxe. Now you're ready to craft a pickaxe. Right-click on your crafting table and fill it as follows:
    • Fill the top row completely with planks.[4]
    • Place a stick in the center of the middle row.[5]
    • Place another stick in the center of the bottom row.
  9. Step 9 Use the pickaxe. 9 Use the pickaxe. Drag the pickaxe to your quick slot and click it to equip it. Now you'll use the pickaxe whenever your right-click and hold to break an object. Try breaking down stone with the pickaxe. It's much faster than breaking it by hand, and you'll get cobblestone instead of just destroying the block.
    • You can mine coal with a wooden pickaxe (black-flecked stone). Trying to mine iron ore (beige-flecked stone) or more valuable ores with the wooden pickaxe will destroy the block without dropping items. See below for more advanced pickaxe recipes.
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Method 2 Method 2 of 3:

Making a Wooden Pickaxe (Consoles or Pocket Edition)

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  1. Step 1 Chop down trees. 1 Chop down trees. On game consoles, hold the right trigger or R2 button while facing a tree to turn it into wood. In Pocket Edition, hold your finger over the tree. You'll need at least three blocks of wood.
  2. Step 2 Open the crafting area. 2 Open the crafting area. All players start out with basic crafting ability. Here's how to access it:[6]
    • Xbox: Press X.
    • PlayStation: Press Square.
    • Xperia Play: Press Select.
    • Other Pocket Edition: Tap the three dots to open your inventory, then tap Craft.
  3. Step 3 Turn wood into planks. 3 Turn wood into planks. Select the wooden planks recipe and turn all your wood into planks.[7]
    • Console owners have the option to use the more advanced crafting system from the computer version of Minecraft. See the section above for instructions if using that system.
  4. Step 4 Make a crafting table. 4 Make a crafting table. Next, select the Crafting Table recipe to turn four planks into a crafting table. This gives you access to many more recipes.
  5. Step 5 Place the table. 5 Place the table. You'll need to place your crafting table in the world before it gives access to the expanded crafting menu.[8]
    • Consoles: Cycle through your quick slot with the D-pad or L1 buttons until you've selected the table. Place it with the left trigger or L2.
    • Pocket Edition: Tap on the crafting table in your quick slot, then tap on the ground to place it.
  6. Step 6 Make sticks. 6 Make sticks. Return to your crafting menu. You should now see a much larger list of options. Select the Sticks from the Materials tab. You will need two wooden planks.
  7. Step 7 Make a wooden pickaxe. 7 Make a wooden pickaxe. Now select the Wooden Pickaxe recipe from the Tools tab. As long as you have three planks and two sticks, the pickaxe will appear in your inventory.
  8. Step 8 Mine with the pickaxe. 8 Mine with the pickaxe. When you select the quick slot bar with the pickaxe in it, it should appear in your character's hands. With this equipped, you can break down stone into cobblestone and coal ore into coal. Don't try to break down more valuable ores without making a better pickaxe first, as described below.
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Method 3 Method 3 of 3:

Crafting Better Pickaxes

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  1. Step 1 Make a stone pickaxe. 1 Make a stone pickaxe. One of your first priorities for mining will be to make a stone pickaxe. Mine three stone blocks with your wooden pickaxe to get cobblestone, then select the stone pickaxe recipe. On the computer edition, just follow the same recipe for a wooden pickaxe but replace the planks with cobblestone. These are the advantages to a stone pickaxe:[9]
    • Breaks blocks faster than the wooden pickaxe
    • Lasts longer
    • Can mine iron ore (beige-flecked stone) and lapis lazuli ore (dark blue-flecked stone)
  2. Step 2 Make an iron pickaxe. 2 Make an iron pickaxe. Iron ore is usually not hard to find with a short mining expedition or visit to a shallow cave. Mine at least thee of these beige-flecked blocks of stone, then turn them into a pickaxe as follows:
    • Craft a furnace our of eight cobblestone.
    • Place the iron ore in the top slot of the furnace, and coal or other fuel in the bottom slot.[10]
    • Wait for the furnace to smelt the ore into iron ingots.
    • Craft an iron pickaxe from three iron ingots and two sticks.
    • An iron pickaxe can mine all types of ore, including gold, redstone, diamond, and emerald ores.[11]
  3. Step 3 Learn about gold pickaxes. 3 Learn about gold pickaxes. This is probably the least useful of the pickaxes, since it's weaker than iron. If you just like the shine, you can mine gold ore, smelt it into ingots, and craft it into a pickaxe. The process is identical to the iron pickaxe instructions above.
    • Gold ore is usually found about 32 blocks below sea level or lower.
  4. Step 4 Craft a diamond pickaxe. 4 Craft a diamond pickaxe. Diamond is an extremely rare ore only found far below the surface. If you manage to locate this light blue-flecked stone, you can craft an extra-strong, extra-durable diamond pickaxe out of three diamonds and two sticks.
    • There is no need to smelt diamond ore. The diamond will drop as soon as you break the block.
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Community Q&A

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  • Question Does making a diamond pickax work in multiplayer? Community Answer Community Answer Every single-player crafting recipe works in multiplayer, unless the server has plugins or mods to limit what items can be crafted. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful. Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 7 Helpful 10
  • Question What pickaxe breaks diamond ore? Verin Verin Top Answerer Iron, diamond will work. And soon Netherite will too, once it has been fully implemented into the game. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful. Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 6 Helpful 8
  • Question Can you show us how to craft it? Banana Head Banana Head Top Answerer For the sticks, place 2 wooden planks on top of each other in the crafting table. For a pickaxe, place the 2 sticks in the center and middle-bottom slots, then place whatever material you want the pickaxe to be (diamonds, iron ingots, wooden planks, cobblestone) into the 3 slots at the top. Thanks! We're glad this was helpful. Thank you for your feedback. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow Yes No Not Helpful 3 Helpful 7
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Tips

  • Some pickaxes can be found instead of crafted. For example, iron pickaxes can be found inside chests in strongholds, abandoned mine shafts or at the blacksmith's place in an NPC village. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
  • Once you have mined stone and gained cobblestone, you should make a stone pickaxe ASAP and ditch your wooden pickaxe. The wooden pickaxe is not a very good pickaxe since it is the lowest tier. Stone pickaxes are more adequate and easy to craft due to the abundance of stone. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
  • After making an iron pickaxe, don't start using it just yet. You should save it for later when you have to mine even better materials. You don't want to wear out your iron pickaxe. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
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References

  1. ↑ GraySun Builds. Minecraft Expert. Expert Interview
  2. ↑ GraySun Builds. Minecraft Expert. Expert Interview
  3. ↑ GraySun Builds. Minecraft Expert. Expert Interview
  4. ↑ GraySun Builds. Minecraft Expert. Expert Interview
  5. ↑ GraySun Builds. Minecraft Expert. Expert Interview
  6. ↑ http://minecraft.gamepedia.com/Controls
  7. ↑ GraySun Builds. Minecraft Expert. Expert Interview
  8. ↑ http://minecraft.gamepedia.com/Controls#Pocket_Edition
  9. ↑ http://minecraft.fandom.com/wiki/Pickaxe
More References (2)
  1. ↑ GraySun Builds. Minecraft Expert. Expert Interview
  2. ↑ http://minecraft.fandom.com/wiki/Pickaxe

About This Article

GraySun Builds Co-authored by: GraySun Builds Minecraft Expert This article was co-authored by GraySun Builds. GraySun Builds is a Minecraft expert and content creator based in Canada. He shares content on Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, and TikTok focused on unique buildings, tutorials, and educational building videos, with a combined following of over 310k. He specializes in fantasy survival-esque building and utilizes a wide variety of colors in his builds. All of his builds are created with survival mode in mind, with the goal of being accessible and able to inspire anyone playing the game. His builds are also available to download on Patreon. This article has been viewed 281,860 times. 59 votes - 30% Co-authors: 27 Updated: January 30, 2026 Views: 281,860 Categories: Minecraft Crafting Article SummaryX

To make a pickaxe on Minecraft, gather wooden blocks, and turn them into planks and sticks. Then, open the crafting table and fill the top row with wooden planks. Place a stick in the center block and another stick below it in the middle of the bottom row so the items make a T-shape. Drag the wooden pickaxe to the quick slot, and equip it to use for mining. If you want to learn other materials you can use to make your pickaxe, such as stone or diamond, keep reading the article! Did this summary help you?YesNo

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Yes No Advertisement Cookies make wikiHow better. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our cookie policy. GraySun Builds Co-authored by: GraySun Builds Minecraft Expert 59 votes - 30% Click a star to vote 30% of people told us that this article helped them. Co-authors: 27 Updated: January 30, 2026 Views: 281,860

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