How to Make String in Minecraft

String is a basic material, as such you can expect to find it in the Java and Bedrock editions. You can also find strings in the Pocket edition of Minecraft. Some recipes will not be present in every version, but we will clarify which versions of Minecraft support certain recipes and which ones do not below.

1. 1 Cobweb

There is only one recipe that yields strings in Minecraft. While there are many different methods to obtain string, using a cobweb is the only craftable recipe that yields string. You can obtain cobwebs by breaking them with a pair of shears.

In a Nutshell

Crafting string yourself may be a pain as finding cobwebs is oftentimes harder than finding the string on your own. If you happen to have plenty of cobwebs, you can consider converting them into string as it is used in multiple different types of recipes for different stages of the game. Since string is such a basic material, it pays to know what you can use string for in Minecraft.

It may come as a surprise, but you can obtain strings in multiple different ways. However, the only way to craft string in a crafting menu is to use a cobweb. You can only obtain a cobweb by breaking one with shears. Doing so will drop the cobweb itself. Placing a cobweb in your crafting menu will yield 9 strings.

It is worth noting that you cannot do the inverse of this recipe. You cannot use 9 strands of string to craft a cobweb.

If you would like to obtain string through other means, you can fish for string. This is very low odds of gathering string, with only a 0.6% chance to obtain with an unenchanted fishing rod. Using a luck of the sea enchanted fishing rod actually lowers the chance to find string, down to 0.3%.

The most common way to obtain string is to kill spiders. Both cave spiders and regular spiders will drop 0-2 string, which can be increased with the looting enchantment.

Finally, the last way to easily obtain string is to get it as a gift from cats. If you sleep in a bed with a cat that is not ordered to sit nearby, you may wake up with a gift from your cat. This can include a 16% chance to obtain a string.

String is used in 7 different recipes currently in the 1.16 build of Minecraft. You can make fishing rods, bows, looms, wool, scaffolds, leads, and crossbows with string in Minecraft.

To make a bow, place sticks in a “C” shape and place string in the opposite column. This can get you on your way to defending yourself at a range.

Making a fishing rod is similar to making a bow. Arrange 3 sticks in a diagonal in your crafting menu and place 2 strands of string below the top most corner stick. Doing so will yield one fishing rod.

Making a loom requires a bit more wood. Begin by placing two wooden planks in a 2x1 row in your crafting table. Then place 2 pieces of string above each of the wooden planks. This will grant you one loom that you can begin crafting banner patterns with.

To craft wool, you can use 4 pieces of string in a 2x2 arrangement in a crafting menu to craft white wool. You cannot craft any other color wool, even with dye added to the crafting menu. It will always yield one white wool. This can be useful if you cannot find sheep and you would like to make a bed.

In order to make scaffolds you will need a decent amount of bamboo. Luckily you can grow plenty just through one stalk of bamboo, but you will still need to locate some through a jungle. Place 6 bamboo in 2 separate columns in your crafting menu then place a piece of string between the two columns at the top. Doing so will yield 6 scaffolds for you to utilize.

If you have slimeballs you can also make leads out of string. Place a slimeball in the middle-most slot of your crafting table menu and place 3 strings around one corner of the crafting table, place another piece of string below the slimeball in the opposite corner of the 3 string to make 2 leads. Leads can be helpful for keeping animals in check and taking them across long distances.

Finally, you can make a crossbow with string in Minecraft. To make a crossbow you will need 3 sticks, 2 pieces of string, an iron ingot, and a tripwire hook for the full recipe. Tripwire hooks can be found in naturally generated structures, fished up or crafted with a wooden plank, stick, and an iron ingot. Arrange the top row as a stick, iron ingot, and another stick. The next row has a string, tripwire hook, and string. Finally place a stick in the middle of the bottom row to craft your crossbow.

That is everything you can craft with string in Minecraft.

Q. How do you Get String in Peaceful Mode?

If you are in peaceful mode you can get strands of string by breaking cobwebs with a pair of shears, and converting those cobwebs into 9 pieces of string per cobweb. If you happen across an abandoned mineshaft, you can get plenty of string this way. Otherwise you will need to get them as gifts from you cats. If you sleep in a bed with a cat nearby (that is not sitting down) there is a 16% chance that you can obtain string from your cat.

Q. How do you Get String without Killing Spiders in Minecraft?

As explained above, there are methods of obtaining string in Minecraft without killing mobs. You can either locate cobwebs and break them down, use the cat’s special gifting mechanic to obtain string, or even kill striders in the nether for string. There are a lot of different ways you can legitimately obtain string without killing mobs in Minecraft.

Congratulations, you now know what versions of Minecraft support string, what materials are required to craft string, how to make string yourself, and every recipe that string is involved in. String is a basic material in Minecraft, but it has some complex recipes that can be helpful at different stages of the game. Familiarizing yourself with the ins and outs of string can only be beneficial to your playthroughs of this sandbox game.