What is Flint in Minecraft?
Flint is a basic item in Minecraft that you need for making arrows and flint and steel. You can’t craft it on a crafting table, so you have to get it from mining gravel.
Where to Find Flint
You get flint by mining gravel blocks. Gravel is super common and shows up almost everywhere. You’ll find it on beaches, riverbanks, and underground when you dig. Mining gravel with a shovel gives you the best chance of getting flint.
Finding Gravel
Gravel blocks are gray-white colored cubes that usually spawn in groups. Look for them on the surface or dig straight down to find more gravel underground. Beach areas have tons of gravel.
How to Mine Gravel for Flint
1. Get a Shovel
You can mine gravel with your hands, but a shovel is way faster. Wooden, stone, iron, diamond, and netherite shovels all work. If you’re mining a lot of gravel, use an iron or diamond shovel since they last longer.
2. Mine the Gravel Block
Hold down left click on the gravel (Java Edition) or tap and hold (Pocket Edition). Keep clicking until the block breaks. You’ll get a floating item drop, which is usually either gravel or flint.
3. Pick Up Your Drop
Grab the item before it disappears. If you got gravel, just mine another block. Keep going until flint drops.
Important Tip About Drop Rates
Not every gravel block drops flint. You’ll get flint roughly 10% of the time, so expect to mine a bunch of gravel to get several flint. Sometimes you’ll get lucky and get it on the first block. Other times you’ll mine 20 blocks before getting one.
Flint in Creative Mode
If you’re in creative mode, flint is in the creative inventory. The menu location depends on your version:
- Versions 1.8 to 1.11: Materials tab
- Versions 1.12 to 1.19: Miscellaneous tab
- Versions 1.19.3 and up: Ingredients tab
Flint Command
In Java Edition 1.13 and newer, use this command to give yourself flint:
/give @p flint 1
For versions 1.8 to 1.12, use:
/give @p flint 1 0
What You Can Make with Flint
Flint has a few useful crafting recipes:
- Flint and Steel (smite flint + iron ingot)
- Arrows (flint + stick + feather)
- Fletching Table (plank + flint)
Game Control Differences
- Java Edition: Left click and hold
- Pocket Edition: Tap and hold
- Windows 10: Left click and hold
- Console: RT button (Xbox) or R2 button (PlayStation)
- Nintendo Switch: ZR button
- Education Edition: Left click and hold