How to Make a Shield in Minecraft

It’s a dangerous world out in Minecraft land, and you’ve gotta take whatever you can get to protect your neck. With hard-hitting melee mobs that deliver deadly bonks and sharpshooting ranged mobs with impeccable aim, having a Shield in your off-hand is invaluable. Luckily, crafting one isn’t a very expensive endeavor, and we’ll show you exactly how to do so in our guide below. Here’s how to make a Shield in Minecraft.

Related: How to Make a Sword in Minecraft

How to Make a Shield in Minecraft

Shields in Minecraft are able to block projectiles, like Skeleton arrows, as well as most melee hits from Zombies and the like. Having one equipped in your off-hand slot can mean the difference between surviving down in the depths and meeting an untimely death.

To craft a Shield, you’ll need the following materials:

• 1 Iron Ingot
• 6 Wooden Planks

Iron Ingots are obtained by smelting Iron Ore in a Furnace. You’ll find Iron Ore commonly in most caves.

Wooden Planks are crafted by simply placing any type of raw wood anywhere in your crafting window.

Arrange the materials as shown in the image above, with the Iron Ingot in the top-middle slot, surrounded by five Wooden Planks in each direction, and finally a Wooden Plank in the bottom-middle slot. This crafting recipe yields one Shield, and any type of Wooden Planks can be used to complete the craft.

Once crafted, place the Shield in your off-hand slot on your character window to equip it. Holding your interact button (Right-click on PC) will hold the Shield in front of your character, blocking most types of damage directly ahead.

Like all other gear, Shields have a finite amount of durability. However, they can be repaired and/or enchanted just like your tools and armor for longer lasting blocking potential.

Related: How to Make Books in Minecraft

For more information on Minecraft, check out our other guides here at Prima Games.