Minecraft Shovels: Everything players need to know

Iron Minecraft Shovel (Image via TurboSquid)
Iron Minecraft Shovel (Image via TurboSquid)

In Minecraft, there are many tools each designed for specific tasks, and shovels are one of those tools. Pickaxes for mining all types of rock substances, axes for mining wooden materials, and finally shovels, which are used to mine materials such as gravel and dirt at a quicker pace than if mined with a pickaxe or other tool.

Shovels have been a part of the game since the very beginning. The ability to mine dirt, gravel, and sand at a faster pace is very useful in the early stages of the game, and saves a lot of time in the long run.

Types of Shovels

There are many types of shovels in Minecraft, and after each upgrade the durability of the shovel will increase. The list goes as follows:

  • Wooden Shovel (Durability: 59)
  • Stone Shovel (Durability: 131)
  • Iron Shovel (Durability: 250)
  • Gold Shovel (Durability: 32)
  • Diamond Shovel (Durability: 1561)
  • Netherite Shovel (Durability: 2031).

How to make a Shovel

Making a shovel in Minecraft is very simple, and only takes a few steps to complete.

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Step One:

The first step to crafting anything in Minecraft is getting a crafting table. To make a crafting table, you'll need a piece of any type of wood log. This log is then crafted into four wooden planks, and those four wooden planks can then be arranged in a square and crafted into a crafting table.

Step Two:

The next step to making a shovel, is to gather the required materials. To make a shovel the player wineed two sticks and a piece of whatever material the shovel will be made out of.

The two sticks can be crafted by putting two wooden planks on top of each other in a crafting table, and the material the shovel will be made of can be gathered by mining whatever that material may be, and smelting it if necessary.

Step Three:

The third and final step to creating a shovel, is crafting it. The crafting recipe for a shovel is as follows. Two sticks are set on top of one another, and the material (Wood, Stone, Iron, Gold, Diamond, or Netherite) is then set on top of that. Once that is completed, you'll have your very own shovel.

Shovel Crafting Recipe (Image via DigMinecraft)
Shovel Crafting Recipe (Image via DigMinecraft)

How to use a Shovel

A Minecraft shovel is used the same way as all of the other tools, except it is used on sand, gravel, dirt, and clay. You use whatever is set as your mining button and mine to your hearts content.

Useful Shovel Enchantments

Enchantments can be extremely useful in Minecraft, and that is no different with shovels. There are many enchantments that can be added to shovels, and each has its own perks

Unbreaking

The unbreaking enchantment can be applied to any piece or armor, and any tool available in Minecraft, and its use is pretty self explanatory. This enchantment increases the durability of the item, and can go up to level three.

Efficiency

The efficiency enchantment can be used on pickaxes, axes, and shovels. This enchantment significantly increases the speed at which a tool mines, and allows for quicker mining trips. The maximum enchantment level of this enchantment is five.

Mending

The mending enchantment is another useful enchantment that can be used on shovels, as well as all armor and other tools in Minecraft. This enchantment takes a portion of the experience you gain from fighting mobs, mining, and other things, and uses it to bring the durability of your tool back up. This enchantment only comes in one level.

The Conclusion

All in all, shovels are a great way to make mining resources such as sand, and dirt a lot quicker. There are also many enchantments available that can make the efficiency of a shovel even better, and make them easier to use. Shovels are a great tool in Minecraft, and make the game a whole lot easier.