Overview
A Netherite Pickaxe is a diamond pickaxe that does not burn and does not run out. Durability rises from 1,561 to 2,031, mining speed goes from a multiplier of 8 to 9 — small but noticeable across a long tunnel — and the item is immune to fire and lava, so a death at Y -50 in the Nether leaves it floating rather than gone. That fire immunity is the real upgrade. Anyone mining ancient debris is working around lava pockets by definition, and the tool that finds netherite is the one most likely to fall into it. The harvest tier is identical to diamond, so there is nothing a netherite pickaxe mines that a diamond one cannot; the gain is entirely durability, speed and survivability. Upgrading is done at a smithing table with a netherite ingot and a Netherite Upgrade Smithing Template, and every enchantment carries over — so enchant the diamond version to Efficiency V, Unbreaking III, Fortune III and Mending first, then upgrade the finished article. It is the last pickaxe most worlds ever need, and the only one you can drop into lava without a moment of panic.
Mining that never stops for repairs and never ends in a lost tool: ancient debris hunting, long deepslate tunnels, and any work done near lava.
Netherite Pickaxe is one of the 6 variants of this shape in the game. What changes between them is the material, and with it the hardness, the drops, the durability and the recipe — so every figure on this page is this variant's own. Stone Pickaxe is the same shape in a different material.
Netherite Pickaxe is a tool item in Minecraft 1.21.4. It has 2,031 points of durability. Use Netherite Ingot on an anvil to repair it.
Enchanting it is possible and generally recommended. It does not stack — each one takes its own slot. You cannot craft it at a bench — take Diamond Pickaxe and Netherite Ingot to a smithing table instead.
No recipe takes it as an ingredient.
About the netherite tool set
How to get it
Upgrade a Diamond Pickaxe at a Smithing Table with 1 Netherite Ingot and the upgrade template. One ingot is 4 Netherite Scrap plus 4 gold ingots.
Tips
- It mines exactly what diamond mines — the upgrade buys durability, a small speed gain and fire immunity, not new blocks.
- Netherite items float on lava, so recover them from the surface rather than assuming the tool is gone.
- Fully enchant the diamond pickaxe before upgrading; doing it the other way round costs more levels for no benefit.
- One netherite ingot is 4 ancient debris — budget a full Nether trip per tool you plan to upgrade.
Damage and attack speed
Netherite Pickaxe deals 6 damage per hit and swings 1.2 times a second, which works out at 7.2 damage per second when every swing is fully charged.
A swing that lands before the cooldown bar refills deals a fraction of that, so waiting for the bar is worth more than clicking faster.
That is 4 hits to kill a zombie or a creeper, the same for a skeleton, and 3 hits for a spider.
Properties
Netherite Pickaxe lasts 2,031 uses before it breaks, and Netherite Ingot repairs it on an anvil. Two worn copies can also be merged, on an anvil or a grindstone. Unbreaking III roughly quadruples the lifespan, and Mending replaces the repair cost with experience. Its enchantability of 15 decides how good the enchanting table's offers are: the higher the number, the more often a level-30 table offers the top-tier enchantment rather than a weak one. Netherite Pickaxe does not stack — each one occupies an inventory slot of its own.
- Damage per second
- 7.2
- Enchantability
- 15
- Repaired with
- Netherite Ingot
- Category
- Tools
How it compares to the rest of the set
Every tier of pickaxe in the game, side by side, so the trade-off is visible in one place: Netherite Pickaxe sits 6 of 6.
Gold is the outlier: it enchants better than anything else (enchantability 22) and breaks almost immediately, which is why gold gear is enchanted and then upgraded rather than used.
| Item | Durability | Attack damage | Attack speed | Enchantability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wooden Pickaxe | 59 | 2 | 1.2 | 15 |
| Stone Pickaxe | 131 | 3 | 1.2 | 5 |
| Iron Pickaxe | 250 | 4 | 1.2 | 14 |
| Golden Pickaxe | 32 | 2 | 1.2 | 22 |
| Diamond Pickaxe | 1,561 | 5 | 1.2 | 10 |
| Netherite Pickaxe | 2,031 | 6 | 1.2 | 15 |
How to get it
Smithing Table
Netherite Pickaxe
Enchantments it can take
5 enchantments can be applied to Netherite Pickaxe: Efficiency, Fortune, Mending, Silk Touch, and Unbreaking.
Mending is a treasure enchantment and never appears at an enchanting table — they come from loot chests, fishing or villager trades only.
Guides and tools that cover this
Frequently asked questions
How do you make Netherite Pickaxe in Minecraft?
Netherite Pickaxe is not crafted at a bench. Put Netherite Upgrade in the left slot of a smithing table, Diamond Pickaxe in the middle and Netherite Ingot on the right.
What is the stack size of Netherite Pickaxe?
Netherite Pickaxe does not stack at all. Every one you carry takes an inventory slot of its own, which is the practical limit on how many you take on a trip.
How much damage does Netherite Pickaxe do?
6 damage per fully charged hit, at 1.2 attacks per second — 7.2 damage per second. Strength II adds 6 damage on top of that.
How much durability does Netherite Pickaxe have?
Netherite Pickaxe has 2031 durability, and can be repaired on an anvil with Netherite Ingot.
Can Netherite Pickaxe be enchanted?
Yes — 5 enchantments apply to it, at an enchanting table with fifteen bookshelves, or from an enchanted book on an anvil. Mending is usually the one worth hunting for, because it removes the repair cost entirely.
The rest of the set
Netherite Pickaxe is one of 6 variants of the same shape. The others are made from different materials, so their numbers differ:
