Iron Golem in Minecraft: How to Build One and What It Drops
Build an iron golem from four iron blocks and a carved pumpkin. Iron golems have 100 health, guard villages, drop 3-5 iron ingots and power iron farms.
Iron golems are the 100-health bodyguards of villages. They attack hostile mobs on sight, hit hard enough to throw a zombie into the air, and drop 3-5 iron ingots when they die. You can find them in villages or build your own from four iron blocks and a carved pumpkin.
| Stat | Value |
|---|---|
| Health | 100 HP (50 hearts) |
| Damage | 7.5-21.5 HP on Normal (4.75-11.75 Easy, 11.25-32.25 Hard) |
| Knockback resistance | Full, except wind charges |
| Drops | 3-5 iron ingots, 0-2 poppies |
| XP | 0 |
Building one
Stack four iron blocks in a T: one on the ground, one on top of it, and one on each side of that top block. Then place a carved pumpkin or jack o’lantern on the center. The two spaces under the arms have to be air (grass and snow layers will block it). Thirty-six ingots is a steep price before you’ve found much iron, so most players only build one to guard a base or a trading hall.
A golem you build is permanently friendly. It wanders, attacks monsters, and ignores you even if you hit it by accident.
Village golems and how they spawn
On Java, villagers summon golems themselves. When a group of villagers who have slept recently gossip together (five or more) or panic at a nearby zombie (three or more), one golem can appear, provided no other golem was detected nearby in the last 30 seconds. That panic rule is why an iron farm is three villagers, three beds and a trapped zombie.
Bedrock does it differently. Golems spawn based on village size: a village needs at least 10 villagers and 20 beds, with most villagers working and linked to beds, and you get one extra golem per extra 10 villagers. Bedrock iron farms are bigger as a result.
Fighting alongside (or against) one
The arm-swing hits for up to 21.5 damage on Normal and launches the target upward, so golems kill most overworld mobs in one or two hits. They won’t attack creepers, which is the usual way a golem dies.
Village golems turn on you if you attack them, and on Java they also go hostile when your popularity in that village falls to -15 or below, mostly from hitting or killing villagers. On Bedrock, hitting a villager near a golem is enough. If one comes after you, run: you won’t outdamage 100 health with a stone sword, and you can’t knock it back.
Healing and repairs
Golems show cracks at 75%, 50% and 25% health. Right-click one with an iron ingot to restore 25 HP, one crack stage per ingot. Worth it for a golem guarding something you care about.
Drops
3-5 iron ingots and 0-2 poppies every time, and Looting doesn’t change it. They drop no XP. Golems also hand poppies to villagers now and then, a nod to the robot in Castle in the Sky.
Edition differences
- Bedrock golems are slightly taller (2.9 vs 2.7 blocks), always walk fast, and attack hoglins and zoglins.
- Java golems can no longer hit through a one-block wall.
- On Java you can still use an uncarved pumpkin and shear it afterwards; Bedrock removed that in 1.21.30.
See the mobs hub for the other utility mobs.
Common questions
How do you build an iron golem?
Place four iron blocks in a T shape, two high in the middle with arms on each side, then put a carved pumpkin or jack o'lantern on top. The spaces below the arms must be empty.
Will an iron golem attack me?
A golem you built never will. Village golems attack you if you hit them or if your reputation with the village drops too low, usually from hurting villagers.
How do you heal an iron golem?
Use an iron ingot on it. Each ingot restores 25 HP, which is one stage of cracks.
Sources & verification
Facts on this page are checked against these references and in-game behavior for the stated edition(s). how we verify.
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