Minecraft is one of the most selling games in the gaming industry, it has had a lot of active users playing throughout the years. In Minecraft, mining is a major focus, especially in the Survival Game Mode. Mining is a key part of gathering crafting materials, which are needed to stay alive and progress in the game.
Both Gold and Iron have their uses, although their worth to players varies. During the game, you have to use different crafts and tools from different categories, each of which has pros and cons.
Gold might seem flattering if you are a rookie and just starting to play the game, but only because of how fantastic it looks on you. So, is Gold stronger than Iron? Let’s find out!
Durability and damage/armor
If we are looking at them just as crafting materials, we need to look at the items that we can craft with them and at those items properties.
The Following Gear And Tools Can Be Created From Iron:
| ITEM | DURABILITY | DAMAGE/ARMOR |
| Axe | 251 | 9 |
| Hoe | 250 | 1 |
| Pickaxe | 250 | 4 |
| Shovel | 250 | 4.5 |
| Sword | 250 | 6 |
| Helmet | 165 | 2 |
| Chestplate | 240 | 6 |
| Leggings | 225 | 5 |
| Boots | 195 | 2 |
| Horse armor* | n/a | 5 |
Gold Can Be Used To Make The Following Items And Tools:
| ITEM | DURABILITY | DAMAGE/ARMOR |
| Axe | 32 | 7 |
| Hoe | 32 | 1 |
| Pickaxe | 32 | 2 |
| Shovel | 32 | 2.5 |
| Sword | 32 | 4 |
| Helmet | 77 | 2 |
| Chestplate | 112 | 5 |
| Leggings | 225 | 3 |
| Boots | 91 | 1 |
| Horse armor* | n/a | 7 |
At first glance, you can immediately see how little durability Gold provides. Other than that, Iron gives you items with more armor (without considering the Armor Toughness) and that deal more damage. The only weird exception is represented by Horse armor, which is actually not craftable (it can only be looted).
What is not shown in the tables is that you can swing golden tools more quickly than Iron tools. So if you want to, for example, gather a lot of Dirt and you don’t want to spend too much time doing it, you can use a Golden Shovel to get the job done in no time. The only problem is that you will actually need to use more Shovels, because they will break much more quickly.
Can a Golden Pickaxe mine Diamonds?
On top of everything that we already said, a Golden Pickaxe cannot be used to mine Diamonds (let alone Netherite). If you try to break a Diamond Ore block with a Golden Pickaxe, the block will break without dropping anything.
Related topic: How to find Diamonds in Minecraft with the Lapis trick
Other uses
Other than being used to craft gear and tools, both Iron and Gold can be used to craft other items.
With Iron you can craft:
- Bucket
- Compass
- Crossbow (related: Bow vs Crossbow in Minecraft: which one is better?)
- Flint and Steel
- Shears
- Shield
Instead, you can use Gold to craft:
- Clock
- Glistering Melon Slice
- Golden Apple
- Golden Carrot
The items that you can craft with Iron are definitely very useful and are necessary to progress in a Survival game. The ones that you can craft with Gold, while not stricktly necessary, have some of the best healing items (for players and for Horses as well), making Gold much more valuable in Multiplayer and in Hardcore mode.
What Is Iron in Minecraft? How to Obtain It?
Iron Ore is a mineral block that can be found underneath the ground. When broken it drops Raw Iron which can be smelted to produce Iron Ingots. It is non-renewable, and it can be stacked. It is neither flammable nor transparent, and it has no luminosity. As mentioned earlier, it is not flammable, so there is no chance of catching fire from Lava in Minecraft (related: Do Magma blocks burn wood in Minecraft?).
What Is Gold in Minecraft? How To Obtain it?
Gold Ore is a scarce mineral block found underground, both in the Overworld and the Nether. If an iron Pickaxe or higher-level Pickaxe is used for mining, it drops Raw Gold. But if the mining is executed with a different tool than a Pickaxe (or with a Wooden or a Stone Pickaxe), then the Gold Ore wil not drop anything.
Conclusions
Now it comes down to who will win the debate over which is better in the game. Is it Gold or Iron?
To craft gear and tools, Iron is far better than Gold due to the damage it can cause and take. It is also more available and easier to find, and it lasts longer. The better swing rate of golden tools in not remotely enough to make up for these disadvantages.
Let’s be honest, Gold in Minecraft is useful just for crafting golden food and as a potions ingredient. Thank you very much for reading the article this far and I hope I’ll see you again around here. See you and take care!
