Helmet

Helmet
Rarity tier	Common; Uncommon
Armor	1 (); 2 (); 3 ();
Armor toughness	0 (); 2 (); 3 ();
Durability	In Java Edition: 55; 77; N/A; 165; 275; 363; 407; In Bedrock Edition: 56; 78; 121; 166; 276; 364; 408;
Enchantability	8; 9; 10; 12; 15; 25;
Knockback resistance	0; 1 (10%)
Renewable	Yes; No
Stackable	No

A helmet (the leather variety being known as a cap and the type crafted from turtle scutes being known as a turtle shell) is a piece of armor that covers the head of the player. There are seven primary tiers of helmet: leather, golden, copper, iron, chainmail, diamond, and netherite. A turtle shell is another kind of helmet that gives the Water Breathing effect, and can be used to brew potions of the Turtle Master.

Variants

Leather Cap

Golden Helmet

Copper Helmet

Iron Helmet

Chainmail Helmet

Turtle Shell

Diamond Helmet

Netherite Helmet

Obtaining

Crafting

Ingredients	Crafting recipe	Description
Leather or Gold Ingot or Iron Ingot or Diamond
Turtle Scute
Copper Ingot

Smithing

Ingredients	Smithing recipe
Netherite Upgrade + Diamond Helmet + Netherite Ingot

Mob loot

Zombies, husks, skeletons, strays, bogged, and piglins have a small chance to spawn wearing armor. There is a 8.5% chance (9.5% with Looting I, 10.5% with Looting II and 11.5% with Looting III) for the mob to drop the helmet they're wearing upon death, unless they are spawned from an ominous trial spawner. The dropped helmet is usually badly damaged, and may be enchanted with enchantment levels 5-19.

In Bedrock Edition, vindicators and pillagers spawned in raids have a 4.16% chance (5.128% on hard difficulty) to drop an iron helmet. The dropped helmet is usually badly damaged, and has a 50% chance of being enchanted with a random enchantment.

Trading

Leather

Villager	Probability		Villager wants	Player receives
Villager	JE	BE	Villager wants	Player receives
Apprentice Leatherworker	67%	50%	5 × Emerald	Leather Cap^{[t 1]}
Master Leatherworker	100%	50%	5 × Emerald	Leather Cap^{[t 1]}

↑ ^a ^b The leather armor has a random color created by two dyes (possibly the same dye twice.)

Chainmail

Villager	Probability		Villager wants	Player receives
Villager	JE	BE	Villager wants	Player receives
Journeyman Armorer	40%	33%	Emerald	Chainmail Helmet

Iron

Villager	Probability		Villager wants	Player receives
Villager	JE	BE	Villager wants	Player receives
Novice Armorer	40%	25%	5 × Emerald	Iron Helmet

Diamond

Villager	Probability		Villager wants	Player receives
Villager	JE	BE	Villager wants	Player receives
Master Armorer	100%	50%	13–27 × Emerald	Enchanted Diamond Helmet^{[t 1]}

↑ When creating an enchantment offer, the game uses a random enchantment level from 5 to 19. The enchantments are never treasure enchantments.

Usage

Helmets can be placed in the top armor slot of a player's inventory for activation.

Statistics

Each armor point reduces damage by 4% (increasing additively). Armor points are signified by half a shirt on the armor bar above the health bar. The effectiveness of armor points is decreased as the strength of incoming attacks increase, an effect lessened by armor toughness. Armor toughness does not have a visual indicator bar. Helmet durability is decreased by 1 for every 4HP of incoming damage (rounded down, but never below 1). Different helmet types have different enchantability from one another, a value that affects the strength of enchantments received directly though enchanting tables. Netherite helmets provde a knockback resistance of 1 (10%).

Helmet type	Armor points	Armor toughness	Durability	Enchantability	Knockback resistance
Leather cap	1 ()	0 ()	55	15	0
Golden helmet	2 ()	0 ()	77	25	0
Copper helmet	2 ()	0 ()	121	8	0
Iron helmet	2 ()	0 ()	165	9	0
Chainmail helmet	2 ()	0 ()	165	12	0
Turtle shell	2 ()	0 ()	275	9	0
Diamond helmet	3 ()	2 ()	363	10	0
Netherite helmet	3 ()	3 ()	407	15	1

Repairing

Combining

Name	Ingredients	Crafting recipe	Description
Leather Cap or Golden Helmet or Iron Helmet or Chainmail Helmet or Turtle Shell or Diamond Helmet or Netherite Helmet	Damaged Leather Cap or Damaged Golden Helmet or Damaged Iron Helmet or Damaged Chainmail Helmet or Damaged Turtle Shell or Damaged Diamond Helmet or Damaged Netherite Helmet		The durability of the two helmets is added together, plus an extra 5% durability.
Damaged Copper Helmet	Damaged Copper Helmet		The durability of the two helmets is added together, plus an extra 5% durability.

Name	Ingredients	Grinding recipe	Description
Leather Cap or Golden Helmet or Iron Helmet or Chainmail Helmet or Turtle Shell or Diamond Helmet or Netherite Helmet	2x Damaged Leather Cap or 2x Damaged Golden Helmet or 2x Damaged Iron Helmet or 2x Damaged Chainmail Helmet or 2x Damaged Turtle Shell or 2x Damaged Diamond Helmet or 2x Damaged Netherite Helmet		The durability of the two helmets is added together, plus an extra 5% durability.
Copper Helmet	2x Damaged Copper Helmet		The durability of the two helmets is added together, plus an extra 5% durability.

Unit repair

}}

Name	Ingredients	Anvil recipe
Leather Cap	Damaged Leather Cap + Leather	Leather Cap
Golden Helmet	Damaged Golden Helmet + Gold Ingot	Golden Helmet
Copper Helmet	Damaged Copper Helmet + Copper Ingot	Copper Helmet
Iron Helmet	Damaged Iron Helmet + Iron Ingot	Iron Helmet
Chainmail Helmet	Damaged Chainmail Helmet + Iron Ingot	Chainmail Helmet
Turtle Shell	Damaged Turtle Shell + Turtle Scute	Turtle Shell
Diamond Helmet	Damaged Diamond Helmet + Diamond	Diamond Helmet
Netherite Helmet	Damaged Netherite Helmet + Netherite Ingot	Netherite Helmet

A helmet can be repaired in an anvil by adding units of the tiers' repair material, with each repair material restoring 25% the helmet's maximum durability, rounded down. Two helmets of the same tier can also be combined in an anvil. Both methods preserve the helmet's enchantments.

Enchantments

A helmet can receive the following enchantments. Note that while iron and chainmail have the same durability, chainmail has a higher enchantability than iron or diamond.


Name	Description	Max level	Method	Weight
Protection^{[note 1]}	Increases overall damage reduction.	IV	Enchanting Table Anvil	10
Projectile Protection^{[note 1]}	Increases damage reduction against projectiles.	IV	Enchanting Table Anvil	5
Blast Protection^{[note 1]}	Increases damage reduction against explosions.	IV	Enchanting Table Anvil	2
Fire Protection^{[note 1]}	Increases damage reduction against fire.	IV	Enchanting Table Anvil	5
Thorns	Deals returning damage to attackers.	III	Anvil	1
Respiration	Extends breathing time underwater.	III	Enchanting Table Anvil	2
Aqua Affinity	Increases underwater mining speed.	I	Enchanting Table Anvil	2
Unbreaking	Grants a chance to negate durability consumption.	III	Enchanting Table Anvil	5
Mending	Repairs the helmet when obtaining experience.	I	Anvil	2
Curse of Vanishing	The helmet vanishes on death, not dropping as an item.	I	Anvil	1
Curse of Binding	Removes the ability to de-equip the helmet.	I	Anvil	1

↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d Protection, Projectile Protection, Blast Protection, and Fire Protection are mutually exclusive.

Armor trimming

It is possible to upgrade armor with trims. This requires a smithing template, a helmet, and an ingot or crystal (iron ingot, copper ingot, gold ingot, netherite ingot, emerald, redstone dust, lapis lazuli, amethyst shard, nether quartz, diamond, or resin brick).

These trims have no effect on the gameplay or strength of the armor.

Ingredients	Smithing recipe
Any Armor Trim + Any Helmet + Any Ingot/Crystal

History

Java Edition Classic
August 13, 2009							Notch tested armor models on mob. Only chestplates and helmets were available. They were merely aesthetic at the time and had no effect on gameplay.
0.24_SURVIVAL_TEST							Added plate helmets.
							Added the model and the texture for unused chain helmets.
							Plate armor models have been tested on zombies and skeletons. It had no effect on gameplay.
Java Edition Indev
0.31			20091223-0040				Plate and chain armor models are no longer used.
			20091231-2255				Added items of relation to cloth, studded, chain and iron helmets.
			20091231-2255				The textures of cloth helmets are taken from one of Notch's previous games, Legend of the Chambered. The rest are from Legend of the Chambered 2.
20100206-2034							Added items of golden and diamond helmets.
20100206-2034							Removed studded helmets.
20100212-1210							Added armor models.
							Armor models are now displayed on the player in the inventory.
							Helmets can now be crafted.
20100218							Added models of cloth, chain, iron, gold, and diamond helmets.
							Helmets can now be worn.
							Helmets now function. All helmets give 3 (). Helmets have limited durability, with lower tier helmets less durable than higher tier helmets.
Java Edition Alpha
v1.0.8							With the introduction of leather, "Cloth Helmet" has been renamed to "Leather Cap".
v1.0.8							Leather cap is now crafted with leather instead of cloth.
Java Edition
1.0.0			Beta 1.9 Prerelease				The armor protection behavior has been changed. Prior to this update, the total armor protection is based in this equation: (((total equipped armor damage reduction − 1) × (all equipped armor max damage − total equipped armor damage)) ÷ (total equipped armor max damage + 1)). Armor no longer reduces certain damage types to be covered by enchantments.
			October 3, 2011				The first images of a player wearing enchanted armor are revealed.
			Beta 1.9 Prerelease 3				Iron helmets can now be found in the new stronghold altar chests.
			Beta 1.9 Prerelease 4				Helmets can now be enchanted.
1.1			12w01a				Iron helmets can now be found in the new blacksmith chests in villages.
1.2.1			12w06a				Zombies now drop iron helmets on rare occasions and zombie pigmen now drop golden helmets.
1.3.1			12w15a				`⇧ Shift`+clicking can now be used to wear helmets.
			12w21a				Chain helmets can now be obtained legitimately in survival mode through trading.
							Blacksmith villagers now sell chain helmets for 5–6 emeralds.
							Blacksmith villagers now sell diamond helmets for 7 emeralds.
							Blacksmith villagers now sell iron helmets for 4–5 emeralds.
							Butchers now sell leather caps for 2–3 emeralds.
1.4.2			12w32a				Mob armor has been reintroduced. A partial or full set of any armor is now sometimes worn by zombies, skeletons and zombie pigmen, with the likelihood increasing with difficulty.
			August 17, 2012				Jeb and Dinnerbone tweeted pictures of dyeable leather armor.
			12w34a				Leather helmets can now be dyed by crafting a leather armor piece with dyes. Dyes can be removed by using dyed leather armor on a cauldron with water.
			12w34a				Default leather caps textures are now slightly darker.
			12w36a				Dyed leather caps are now more saturated and have a slight tint of tan in respect to the default armor color.
			12w37a				Leather armor now has non-dyed parts on the cap. This has been implemented so that players can distinguish between other types of helmets and similarly colored leather caps.
1.5			13w04a				Helmets in the player's hand can now be equipped by right-clicking.
1.5			13w04a				Dispensers can now equip nearby players with helmets.
1.8			14w02a				Trades changed: armorer villagers now sell chain helmets for 5–7 emeralds.
							Armorer villagers no longer sell diamond helmets.
							Armorer villagers now sell iron helmets for 4–6 emeralds.
							Leatherworkers no longer sell other leather caps.
			14w05a				Helmets no longer turns red when mobs and players are hurt.
			14w06a				Helmets are now visible on giants.
			14w25a				Chain helmets cannot be crafted anymore due to the item form of fire being removed.
1.9			15w31a				Enchanted iron and diamond helmets can now be found in end city ship chests.
			15w31a				Mobs now wear armor from the bottom to the top, rather than from the top to the bottom. This means that a mob with three armor pieces, for example, spawns with all armor except a helmet.^[1]
			15w34b				Helmet durability now affects armor value.
			15w36a				Armor and armor enchantment calculations have been changed. For the original values, see here.
			15w36d				Helmet durability affecting value has been removed.
			15w36d				Helmets now have an attribute controlling the defense points.
			15w50a				Added `equip` sounds for leather armor.
			16w02a				Armor and armor enchantment calculations have been changed again.
			16w05a				Armor calculations have been changed, once again.
1.13			18w09a				Golden helmets now have a chance of generating in underwater ruins.
			18w11a				Enchanted leather caps can now generate in the chests of shipwrecks.
			18w20a				"Chain Helmet" has now been renamed to "Chainmail Helmet".
1.14			18w43a				The textures of all types of helmets have been changed.
			18w48a				Leather caps can now be found in chests in village tanneries.
			18w50a				Iron helmets can now be found on armor stands in taiga villages.
			19w08a				The textures of gold helmet items have been changed.
			19w11a				Armorer villagers now sell enchanted diamond helmets, making diamond helmets effectively renewable again.
			19w11a				Leatherworker villagers now sell randomly dyed leather caps.
			19w13a				Armorer villagers now give chainmail helmets to players under the Hero of the Village effect.
1.16			20w06a				Added netherite helmets.
			20w07a				Added textures and models for all helmets when they are used by piglins.
			20w07a				Netherite helmets are now obtained by combining one diamond armor piece and one netherite ingot in a crafting table.
			20w09a				The textures of diamond helmet items have been changed.
			20w10a				The texture of netherite helmets has been changed.
							The texture of netherite helmets for piglins has been changed.
							Netherite helmets can no longer be crafted.
							Netherite helmets are now obtained by combining one diamond helmet and one netherite ingot in a smithing table.
			20w16a				Golden and netherite helmets now generate randomly enchanted, and sometimes damaged, in bastion remnant and ruined portal chests.
			20w17a				Diamonds helmets now generate in place of netherite helmets in bastion remnant chests.
			pre3				The special helmet models and textures created for piglins have been removed except for leather helmets.
1.17			20w48a				Wearing a leather helmet now prevents freezing entirely.
1.17			21w13a				The two unused textures of the leather cap for piglins^[2]^[3] have been removed.
1.18.2			22w03a				Netherite helmet knockback resistance is no longer random.
1.19			22w17a				Changed the leather cap texture from to , to extend the center bar on the back face to the bottom.
1.19.4 Experiment Update 1.20			23w04a				Non-leather helmets can now be trimmed using a smithing table.
			23w04a				Upgrading diamond helmets to netherite helmets now requires the netherite upgrade smithing template.
			23w05a				Leather caps can now be trimmed using a smithing table.
			23w05a				Helmets can now have trims of the same material it is made out of.
			23w06a				Swapped `iron` and `iron_darker` palette, then made `iron_darker` darker overall.
1.19.4			23w05a				Helmets can now be swapped by using them in the hotbar.^[4]
1.20			23w12a				The pattern textures of dune and sentry armor trims are changed.
1.20			23w12a				Those previous patterns were left with different names: dune was renamed sentry and sentry was renamed shaper.
1.20.5			24w03a				Helmets can now receive Thorns through an enchanting table, rather than only through an anvil.^[5]
			February 20, 2024				A Mojang video about bugs shows early textures of netherite items, including helmets.
			24w12a				Helmets can no longer receive Thorns through an enchanting table.
1.21.2			24w33a				Mobs now once again wear armor from the top to the bottom, rather than from the bottom to the top. This means that a mob with three armor pieces, for example, spawns with all armor except boots.
Pocket Edition Alpha
v0.6.0							Added helmets.
v0.8.0			build 2				The leather helmet sprite has been changed to that of Java Edition, but its armor model remains that of older versions.
v0.9.0			build 1				Iron helmets now naturally generate in village chests and in stronghold altar chests.
v0.11.0			build 11				Helmets now protect against damage from mobs only.
v0.12.1			build 1				Helmets can now be worn by mobs.
v0.12.1			build 1				Chainmail helmets can now be obtained in survival mode from a mob wearing it.
v0.14.0			build 1				The texture of leather helmets has been changed.
v0.14.0			build 1				Leather helmets can now be dyed.
v0.15.0			build 1				Helmets can now be obtained from strays and husks that naturally spawn with armor.
Pocket Edition
1.0.0			alpha 0.17.0.1				Enchanted iron helmets and enchanted diamond helmets can now be found inside chests within end cities.
1.0.4			alpha 1.0.4.0				Iron helmets and chainmail helmets are now sold by armorer smith villagers via trading.
1.1.0			alpha 1.1.0.0				Golden, chain and iron helmets can now be smelted down into one of their respective nuggets.
Bedrock Edition
1.4.0			beta 1.2.14.2				Chainmail helmets now generate in buried treasure chests.
			beta 1.2.14.2				Enchanted leather helmets can now be found inside shipwreck supply room chests.
			beta 1.2.20.1				Golden helmets can now be found inside underwater ruins chests.
1.10.0			beta 1.10.0.3				The textures of all types of helmets have been changed.
							Iron helmets now can be found in plains village weaponsmith chests.
							Leather helmets can now be found inside plains village tannery chests.
1.11.0			beta 1.11.0.1				Iron helmets now can be found in savanna, taiga, desert, snowy taiga and snowy tundra village weaponsmith chests.
							Leather helmets can now be found inside savanna, taiga, desert, snowy taiga and snowy tundra village tannery chests.
							Iron helmets can now be found in village armorer chests.
			beta 1.11.0.4				Pillagers and vindicators that spawn in raids can now drop iron helmets.
			beta 1.11.0.4				Diamond helmets are now sold by armorer villagers.
			beta 1.11.0.5				The textures of gold helmet items have been changed.
1.12.0			beta 1.12.0.2				Leather armor no longer shows as being dyed properly when worn by armor stands.
1.13.0			beta 1.13.0.1				Helmets no longer turn red when mobs and players are hurt.
1.13.0			beta 1.13.0.1				Leather armor now appears properly dyed when worn by armor stands.
1.16.0			beta 1.16.0.51				Added netherite helmets.
							The textures of diamond helmet items have been changed.
							Helmets can now be obtained from piglins that naturally spawn with golden helmets.
			beta 1.16.0.57				Golden and netherite helmets now generate randomly enchanted, and sometimes damaged, in bastion remnant chests.
							Netherite helmets can no longer be crafted.
							Netherite helmets are now obtained by combining one diamond helmet and one netherite ingot in a smithing table.
			beta 1.16.0.63				Diamonds helmets now generate in place of netherite helmets in bastion remnant chests.
			beta 1.16.200.53				Netherite helmets now gives a 90% reduction in knockback.
1.16.210			beta 1.16.210.53				Wearing leather helmets now prevents freezing entirely.
1.19.80 Experiment Next Major Update			Preview 1.19.80.21				Helmets can now be trimmed using a smithing table.
1.19.80 Experiment Next Major Update			Preview 1.19.80.21				Upgrading diamond helmets to netherite helmets now requires the netherite upgrade smithing template.
Upcoming Bedrock Edition
1.21.100 Experiment Drop 3 2025			Preview 1.21.100.23				Added copper helmets.
Legacy Console Edition
Xbox 360	Xbox One	PS3	PS4	PS Vita	Wii U	Switch
TU1	CU1	1.00	1.00	1.00	Patch 1	1.0.1	Added helmets.
TU5							Added chainmail helmets.
TU5							Added a quick equip for armor to the inventory interface.
TU12							The textures for leather helmets have been changed.
TU14		1.04					Leather helmets can now be dyed.
							Item repair can now repair helmets.
							Chain helmets can now be obtained legitimately in survival mode through trading.
TU19	CU7	1.12	1.12	1.12			Dispensers can now equip nearby players with helmets.
TU24	CU12	1.16	1.16	1.16			Helmets no longer turns red when mobs and players are hurt.
TU25	CU14	1.17	1.17	1.17			Helmets now have the quick equip functionality.
TU31	CU19	1.22	1.22	1.22	Patch 3		Trades changed: armorer villagers now sell chain helmets for 5–7 emeralds.
							Armorer villagers no longer sell diamond helmets.
							Armorer villagers now sell iron helmets for 4–6 emeralds.
							Leatherworkers no longer sell other leather caps.
TU34	CU22	1.25	1.25	1.25	Patch 4		Helmets can now be swapped by using them in the hotbar.
TU34	CU22	1.25	1.25	1.25	Patch 4		Equipping helmets using the quick equip functionality in creative mode no longer duplicates the helmet.
TU36	CU25	1.28	1.28	1.28	Patch 7		Equipping helmets with the quick equip functionality now plays a sound, which is unused in Java Edition.
TU46	CU36	1.38	1.38	1.38	Patch 15		Mobs now wear armor from the bottom to the top, rather than from the top to the bottom. This means that a mob with three armor pieces, for example, spawns with all armor except a helmet.
							Changed equipping sounds.
							Enchanted iron and diamond helmets can now be found in end city ship chests.
							Helmets now have an attribute controlling the defense points.
TU53	CU43	1.49	1.50	1.49	Patch 23	1.0.3	Golden, chain and iron helmets can now be smelted down into one of their respective nuggets.
TU54	CU44	1.52	1.52	1.52	Patch 24	1.0.4	Equipping armor using the quick equip functionality in creative mode now duplicates the armor just like on Java Edition.
TU60	CU51	1.64	1.64	1.64	Patch 30	1.0.11	Leather helmets can now be dyed with a cauldron.
TU69		1.76	1.76	1.76	Patch 38		Chainmail helmets now generate in buried treasure chests.
							Enchanted leather helmets can now be found inside shipwreck supply room chests.
							Golden helmets can now be found inside underwater ruins chests.
							Mobs now once again wear armor from the top to the bottom, rather than from the bottom to the top. This means that a mob with three armor pieces, for example, spawns with all armor except boots.
			1.90				The textures of all types of helmet items have been changed (except for the leather helmets).
			1.91				Pillagers and vindicators that spawn in raids can now drop iron helmets.
New Nintendo 3DS Edition
0.1.0							Added helmets.

First image of armor.
Dinnerbone's first screenshot of dyed armor.

Armor durability from Indev until late Beta

Leather	Golden	Chainmail	Iron	Diamond
33	66	66	132	264

Issues

Issues relating to "Helmet" are maintained on the bug tracker. Issues should be reported and viewed there.

Trivia

Unlike other helmets, the netherite helmet covers most of the player's face, due to a nose guard and cheek plates.

Gallery

Renders

Worn

Item

Mobs

A zombie wearing a helmet in Survival Test.
A skeleton wearing a helmet in Survival Test.

References

↑ MC-182478
↑ /assets/minecraft/textures/models/armor/piglin_leather_layer_1.png
↑ /assets/minecraft/textures/models/armor/piglin_leather_layer_1_overlay.png
↑ MC-216270 — resolved as "Fixed".
↑ MC-267943 — Anvil exclusive enchantments can be obtained from enchanting tables — resolved as "Fixed".

External links

Taking Inventory: Helmet – Minecraft.net on February 20, 2020

Navigation

[leatherworker_leather-1] The leather armor has a random color created by two dyes (possibly the same dye twice.)

[armorer_enchant-2] When creating an enchantment offer, the game uses a random enchantment level from 5 to 19. The enchantments are never treasure enchantments.

[exc-3] Protection, Projectile Protection, Blast Protection, and Fire Protection are mutually exclusive.

[4] MC-182478

[5] /assets/minecraft/textures/models/armor/piglin_leather_layer_1.png

[6] /assets/minecraft/textures/models/armor/piglin_leather_layer_1_overlay.png

[7] MC-216270 — resolved as "Fixed".

[8] MC-267943 — Anvil exclusive enchantments can be obtained from enchanting tables — resolved as "Fixed".

[t 1]

[t 1]

[note 1]

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

v t e Armor
	Leather Copper Chainmail Iron Golden Diamond Netherite Turtle Shell
Chestplate	Leather Copper Chainmail Iron Golden Diamond Netherite
Leggings	Leather Copper Chainmail Iron Golden Diamond Netherite
Boots	Leather Copper Chainmail Iron Golden Diamond Netherite
Horse Armor	Leather Iron Golden Diamond
Other	Wolf Armor
Joke	Poisonous Pota-Toes Poisonous Potato Chestplate Shazboots!

Rarity tier	Common Uncommon
Armor	1 () 2 () 3 ()
Armor toughness	0 () 2 () 3 ()
Durability	In Java Edition: 55 77 N/A 165 275 363 407 In Bedrock Edition: 56 78 121 166 276 364 408
Enchantability	8 9 10 12 15 25
Knockback resistance	0 1 (10%)
Renewable	Yes No
Stackable	No