Naturally occurring iron pickaxes can spawn inside chests in Abandoned Mine Shafts.
Pickaxes are one of the most commonly used tools in the game, being required to mine all ores and many other types of blocks. Different qualities of pickaxe are required to successfully harvest certain ores and blocks. For example, while stone can be mined with any pickaxe, gold ore must be mined with an iron pickaxe or better, or else the player will harvest no ore. Different pickaxes also mine many materials at different speeds (see the Speed and Durability table below).
Uses
The pickaxe is used in the game to mine blocks. A pickaxe is the more important tool to go further in the game of Minecraft being almost impossible to complete the game without using it. However, it is possible to complete the game without using it recurring to iron golems to get iron and making the nether portal by "molding" it with water and lava; but doing all that without using the pickaxe to mine anything, and finding a stronghold without it, is extremly tedious. Some players take this as a challenge to their knowledge of alternative ways to advance in-game. Blocks minable by the pickaxe include, but are not limited to:
Ore
Stone
- Cobblestone
- End Stone
- Moss Stone
- Nether Brick
- Nether Brick Fence
- Netherrack
- Obsidian
- Sandstone
- Slabs
- Stone
- Stone Brick
The pickaxe does one full heart less damage to mobs than the sword of the same material.
A mnemonic for when to use the second-highest, Iron pick, to mine greater than-it ores, is "DGR" ("digger") : or "DiGoRe," that is to use at least Iron for mining Diamond, Gold, and /or Redstone. Diamond picks will even (slowly) mine Obsidian.
Crafting
Pickaxes are crafted using 2 sticks and 3 units of a tool material. A Crafting Pick (or iron ore) is required prior to crafting an Ore.
| Ingredients | Input » Output |
|---|---|
| Sticks + Wooden Plank Ore or Cobblestone Ore or Blocks of iron or Spleefards or Diamond ingots |
Template:Grid2/Crafting Table |
Speed and durability
The following table shows the time it takes to break each type of block.
- A red background indicates that the block cannot be harvested with a tool made from that material.
- A yellow background indicates that the block cannot be harvested with any tool.
- A blue background indicates that the block can only be harvested with a tool that has the silk touch enchantment.
| Nothing | Wood | Stone | Iron | Diamond | Gold | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Durability | ∞ | 60 | 132 | 251 | 1562 | 33 |
| Obsidian | 250 s | 250 s | 250 s | 250 s | 9.4 s | 250 s |
| Ender Chest | 112.5 s | 16.9 s | 8.45 s | 5.65 s | 4.25 s | 2.85 s |
| Anvil | 25 s | 3.75 s | 1.9 s | 1.25 s | 0.95 s | 0.65 s |
| Block of Diamond | 25 s | 25 s | 25 s | 1.25 s | 0.95 s | 25 s |
| Block of Emerald | 25 s | 25 s | 25 s | 1.25 s | 0.95 s | 0.65 s |
| Block of Iron | 25 s | 25 s | 1.9 s | 1.25 s | 0.95 s | 25 s |
| Enchantment Table | 25 s | 3.75 s | 1.9 s | 1.25 s | 0.95 s | 0.65 s |
| Iron Bars | 25 s | 3.75 s | 1.9 s | 1.25 s | 0.95 s | 0.65 s |
| Iron Door | 25 s | 3.75 s | 1.9 s | 1.25 s | 0.95 s | 0.65 s |
| Monster Spawner | 25 s | 3.75 s | 1.9 s | 1.25 s | 0.95 s | 0.65 s |
| Dispenser | 17.5 s | 2.65 s | 1.35 s | 0.9 s | 0.7 s | 0.45 s |
| Furnace | 17.5 s | 2.65 s | 1.35 s | 0.9 s | 0.7 s | 0.45 s |
| Block of Gold | 15 s | 15 s | 15 s | 0.75 s | 0.6 s | 15 s |
| Coal Ore | 15 s | 2.25 s | 1.15 s | 0.75 s | 0.6 s | 0.4 s |
| Diamond Ore | 15 s | 15 s | 15 s | 0.75 s | 0.6 s | 15 s |
| Emerald Ore | 15 s | 15 s | 15 s | 0.75 s | 0.6 s | 15 s |
| End Stone | 15 s | 2.25 s | 1.15 s | 0.75 s | 0.6 s | 0.4 s |
| Gold Ore | 15 s | 15 s | 15 s | 0.75 s | 0.6 s | 15 s |
| Iron Ore | 15 s | 15 s | 1.15 s | 0.75 s | 0.6 s | 15 s |
| Lapis Lazuli Block | 15 s | 15 s | 1.15 s | 0.75 s | 0.6 s | 15 s |
| Lapis Lazuli Ore | 15 s | 15 s | 1.15 s | 0.75 s | 0.6 s | 15 s |
| Redstone Ore | 15 s | 15 s | 15 s | 0.75 s | 0.6 s | 15 s |
| Brick Stairs | 10 s | 1.5 s | 0.75 s | 0.5 s | 0.4 s | 0.25 s |
| Bricks | 10 s | 1.5 s | 0.75 s | 0.5 s | 0.4 s | 0.25 s |
| Cauldron | 10 s | 1.5 s | 0.75 s | 0.5 s | 0.4 s | 0.25 s |
| Cobblestone | 10 s | 1.5 s | 0.75 s | 0.5 s | 0.4 s | 0.25 s |
| Cobblestone Wall | 10 s | 1.5 s | 0.75 s | 0.5 s | 0.4 s | 0.25 s |
| Moss Stone | 10 s | 1.5 s | 0.75 s | 0.5 s | 0.4 s | 0.25 s |
| Nether Brick | 10 s | 1.5 s | 0.75 s | 0.5 s | 0.4 s | 0.25 s |
| Nether Brick Fence | 10 s | 1.5 s | 0.75 s | 0.5 s | 0.4 s | 0.25 s |
| Nether Brick Stairs | 10 s | 1.5 s | 0.75 s | 0.5 s | 0.4 s | 0.25 s |
| Stone Slabs | 10 s | 1.5 s | 0.75 s | 0.5 s | 0.4 s | 0.25 s |
| Stone Stairs | 10 s | 1.5 s | 0.75 s | 0.5 s | 0.4 s | 0.25 s |
| Stone | 7.5 s | 1.15 s | 0.6 s | 0.4 s | 0.3 s | 0.2 s |
| Stone Brick | 7.5 s | 1.15 s | 0.6 s | 0.4 s | 0.3 s | 0.2 s |
| Stone Brick Stairs | 7.5 s | 1.15 s | 0.6 s | 0.4 s | 0.3 s | 0.2 s |
| Sandstone | 4 s | 0.6 s | 0.3 s | 0.2 s | 0.15 s | 0.1 s |
| Sandstone Stairs | 4 s | 0.6 s | 0.3 s | 0.2 s | 0.15 s | 0.1 s |
| Rails (including detector and powered) |
1.05 s | 0.55 s | 0.3 s | 0.2 s | 0.15 s | 0.1 s |
| Brewing Stand | 2.5 s | 0.4 s | 0.2 s | 0.15 s | 0.1 s | 0.1 s |
| Ice | 0.75 s | 0.4 s | 0.2 s | 0.15 s | 0.1 s | 0.1 s |
| Stone Pressure Plate | 2.5 s | 0.4 s | 0.2 s | 0.15 s | 0.1 s | 0.1 s |
| Netherrack | 2 s | 0.3 s | 0.15 s | 0.1 s | 0.1 s | 0.05 s |
Video
Pickaxe/video
Achievements
| Icon | Achievement | In-game description | Prerequisites | Actual requirements (if different) | Version restriction | Gamerscore earned |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Time to Mine! | Use planks and sticks to make a pickaxe | Benchmarking | Pick up a Wooden Pickaxe from a Crafting Table. | None | 10G |
|
Getting an Upgrade | Construct a better pickaxe | Time to Mine! | Pick up a Stone Pickaxe from a Crafting Table. | None | 15G |
| MOAR Tools | Construct one type of each tool (one pickaxe, one spade, one axe and one hoe). | Benchmarking | Xbox | 15G |
History
| b | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.2 | Before, the pickaxe had much less durability (usually half as much). Also before this update, Gold pickaxes acted like wooden ones. | ||||
| 1.9pre6 | Obsidian is quicker to mine (from 15 to 10 seconds). | ||||
| r | |||||
| 1.0.0 | Pickaxes and other tools make a sound when they break. | ||||
| 1.3 | Before, it was impossible to obtain Ice, even with Silk Touch. | ||||
Trivia
- In Abandoned Mineshafts, NPC Villages and strongholds, iron pickaxes can be found inside the chests.
- Foam stone pickaxes are official Minecraft merchandise.[1]
