What version was the Turtle Shell added?

Turtle Shells were added in Minecraft 1.13, the Aquatic Update. They're available in all versions from 1.13 onwards.

How do you get Scutes to craft a Turtle Shell?

Scutes drop from baby turtles when they grow into adult turtles. Find turtles on a beach, let them breed, and wait for the babies to mature. Each baby drops one scute, so you need 5 babies to grow up.

How long does the Water Breathing effect last?

The effect lasts 10 seconds. When it wears off, your air bubbles start draining. You can refresh it by going back to the surface or into a bubble column.

Can you enchant a Turtle Shell like other helmets?

Yes. You can add Protection, Aqua Affinity, Respiration, Unbreaking, Mending, and most other helmet enchantments using an Enchanting Table or anvil.

Is a Turtle Shell better than a Diamond Helmet?

Not really. A Diamond Helmet has more durability (363 vs 275) and better base protection. The Turtle Shell's unique feature is the Water Breathing effect, which is why you'd use it for underwater exploration.

How to Make a Turtle Shell in Minecraft

What is a Turtle Shell?

A Turtle Shell is a helmet you can craft and wear in Minecraft. It was added in the Aquatic Update (version 1.13) and gives you +2 armor points when worn. The cool part is that it also gives you the Water Breathing effect for 10 seconds whenever you’re exposed to water or in a bubble column.

That means you can stay underwater longer without drowning. If you go back above water or into a bubble column while wearing one, you get another 10 seconds of breathing time. Stack enough of these refreshes and you can stay down as long as you want.

Finding Turtle Shell in Creative Mode

If you’re playing in Creative mode, you’ll find the Turtle Shell in the Combat tab in Java Edition versions 1.13 through 1.19.2. In versions 1.19.3 and later, it was moved to the Ingredients tab.

How to Craft a Turtle Shell

To make a Turtle Shell, you need 5 Scutes. You get these from baby turtles when they grow up, so you’ll need to find a beach with turtles and wait for them to breed and mature.

Crafting Recipe

Place your 5 Scutes in a crafting table like this:

Row 1: Scute, Scute, Scute
Row 2: Scute, (empty), Scute
Row 3: (all empty)

That’s it. You’ll get your Turtle Shell from the output slot on the right. The pattern matters, so make sure the middle slot of the top row is empty.

Stats and Durability

The Turtle Shell has a durability of 275, which puts it right in the middle of the armor durability ladder. It’s more durable than Chain and Iron helmets (165 durability each) but less durable than Diamond (363) or Netherite (407).

Helmet Type	Durability
Netherite Helmet	407
Diamond Helmet	363
Turtle Shell	275
Chain Helmet	165
Iron Helmet	165
Golden Helmet	77
Leather Cap	55

Enchantments

You can enchant a Turtle Shell with most helmet enchantments. Here’s what works:

Aqua Affinity – Mine blocks underwater faster
Blast Protection – Reduce blast and explosion damage
Fire Protection – Take less fire and lava damage
Projectile Protection – Reduce arrow and fireball damage
Protection – General damage reduction
Respiration – Helps you see better underwater and extends breathing
Thorns – Damage attackers when they hit you
Unbreaking – Makes the helmet last longer
Mending – Repair the helmet using XP
Curse of Binding – You can’t remove it once equipped
Curse of Vanishing – It disappears when you die

Using Turtle Shells

Wear it like any other helmet. Right-click it in your inventory or press your equip key to put it on. The Water Breathing effect kicks in automatically once you’re underwater or in a bubble column.

You can also put a Turtle Shell on an Armor Stand if you want to display it as decoration.

What You Can Make With Turtle Shells

You can use Turtle Shells to craft a Potion of the Turtle Master, which gives you Slowness IV and Resistance III for 20 seconds. This is useful if you want to tank damage without moving much.

Crafting Other Armor

Check out these other armor guides:

How to Make a Diamond Helmet
How to Make an Iron Helmet
How to Make a Netherite Helmet
How to Make Leather Armor
How to Make a Shield

Item ID and Give Command

In Java Edition, the item ID is turtle_helmet. If you want to give yourself one using a command, use this:

/give @p turtle_helmet 1

Version Support

Turtle Shells are available in Java Edition versions 1.13 through 1.20 and current snapshots. If you’re on an older version, you won’t have access to this item.