Here’s How To See Your Item Durability in Minecraft

Minecraft is not as “stats-heavy” as most other games. This is due to the combat aspect of the game being relatively weak and the choice of items being limited. Still, durability is something that you need to check often because it affects almost every tool you use, and it would be horrible to lose your only pickaxe in the deepest mine imaginable. Still, sometimes players like to cut it too close and venture off with used tools, hoping for the best and calculating the remaining uses as best they can. Let me tell you, there are easier ways to check your item’s durability, and today, we’re going to show you how.

Editor’s Note: This guide was updated in November 2023 and reflects the most current state of the game.

Some items break more often than others

When it comes to durability stats in Minecraft, almost every tool has it, and all items related to combat, such as swords and armor, have it. Every time you take damage, your weapon’s durability decreases. The durability of a certain item naturally depends on the type of material the item is made out of, meaning that you will get more uses from Netherite Sword when compared to a wooden sword.

Items made out of Netherite will generally yield you around 2031 uses, while items made out of wood will yield you 59 uses, with items made out of gold offering the least uses, 32. This is because gold is naturally soft.

As far as tools go, like fishing rods, brushes, shears, etc, you will always get the same number of uses. Glow stick will provide you with 100 uses, while shears will yield 238 uses.

Not every interaction with a tool counts as a use, however. You can hit mobs with them for as long as you want without shears losing durability; however, as soon as you break a block with them or shear a sheep with them, you will lose one use.

Generally, you always have a good clue how much of the item’s durability is remaining

Your item’s durability is primarily displayed as a small health bar underneath the item’s icon. The color can range from green – completely healthy, orange – used, and red – almost broken. There are some colors in between, but those are really not that relevant to explain in more detail.

Keep in mind that unused items won’t have a health bar at all. It only appears if you actually use the item in question or the sword in question or receive some damage while wearing armor.

Additionally, you can enable expanded tooltips for items in Minecraft: Java Edition by pressing F3+H. Displaying advanced tooltips will provide you with a real numerical value related to how much use you have left from that particular item.

This feature is not available in Minecraft: Bedrock Edition, however.

How do you extend your item’s durability in Minecraft?

To extend item durability in Minecraft, consider enchanting your tools with Unbreaking, increasing their chances of not consuming durability. Combine Unbreaking with Mending, allowing experience orbs to repair items automatically. Use an anvil to repair items of the same type, but be mindful of the experience cost. Craft or repair items with unenchanted materials to avoid high repair costs. Finally, use higher-tier materials like diamonds for tools and weapons, as they generally have greater durability than lower-tier alternatives.

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