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All Minecraft Armor Trims and Their Locations Guide

  • Jan 31
  • 7 min read

Updated: Feb 26

If you're searching for All Minecraft Armor Trims and Their Locations, this guide highlights the best armor trims Minecraft fans can find and explains armor trim colors at a glance.

Have you ever been exploring a shipwreck and found a strange item called a "Smithing Template"? These rare items are the key to unlocking one of the game's coolest features: adding unique patterns and colors to your favorite armor, from Iron all the way to Netherite.

All Minecraft Armor Trims and Their Locations Guide

The updated Smithing Table is a complete customization station. While you might know it for upgrading to Netherite, its new three-slot interface allows you to create a unique look with just three items: the template you found, the piece of armor you want to change, and a mineral like Gold, Emerald, or Amethyst to determine the pattern's color.


Applying an armor trim is easy once you know the recipe. Just open a Smithing Table and follow these steps:


  1. Place the Smithing Template in the far-left slot.

  2. Place your armor piece (like a Diamond Chestplate) in the middle slot.

  3. Place your chosen mineral (like a Gold Ingot) in the right-most slot.


Grab your newly styled gear from the output slot! This simple armor trim smithing table recipe is your ticket to standing out.


Summary


This guide explains how to use Smithing Templates at the Smithing Table to apply armor trims and choose from ten mineral-based colors. It also serves as a quick reference for Minecraft all armor trims and how to obtain them. It details where to find templates---from easier Overworld structures (Sentry, Dune, Wild, Coast) to tougher locations like Mansions, Fortresses, Strongholds, End Cities, Ancient Cities (Silence, Ward), Ocean Monuments (Tide), and Trail Ruins (Wayfinder, Raiser, Shaper, Host). It covers duplicating templates with diamonds and a structure-specific core block so you never lose rare finds. Finally, it offers combination ideas to craft a signature look and turn your armor into a record of your adventures.


Choosing Your Look: A Guide to the 10 Armor Trim Color Palettes


Choosing the right pattern is only half the battle---the color is what truly makes your armor stand out. The mineral you place in that third Smithing Table slot dictates the trim's hue, giving you a full color palette to work with. Want to add a flash of red to your diamond chestplate? Use Redstone Dust. Dreaming of a regal purple accent on your helmet? Grab an Amethyst Shard.


Here are all ten materials you can use:

  • Iron Ingot: A subtle, silvery-white.

  • Copper Ingot: A bright, metallic orange.

  • Gold Ingot: A classic, rich yellow.

  • Lapis Lazuli: A deep, royal blue.

  • Emerald: A vibrant, jewel-toned green.

  • Diamond: A brilliant, light cyan.

  • Amethyst Shard: A mystical, rich purple.

  • Redstone Dust: A bold, striking red.

  • Quartz: A clean, pure white.

  • Netherite Ingot: A dark, contrasting charcoal.


While most of these colors pop, Netherite has a special trick up its sleeve. Using a Netherite Ingot on a piece of Netherite armor creates a unique "tone-on-tone" look, making the pattern appear as a slightly darker, more defined version of the armor itself. This is the perfect way to customize Netherite armor for a sleek, intimidating style without being too flashy.


Your First Hunt: Where to Find the 4 Easiest Armor Trims


With your color palette ready, the real treasure hunt begins. Different Smithing Templates are found in different structures---they're location-specific rewards for exploring. A great place to start is a Pillager Outpost. After clearing out the enemies, climb to the very top of the main tower. The chest waiting for you there has a good chance of containing a Sentry Armor Trim, a pattern that mimics the strong, blocky look of the Pillagers themselves.


Many of Minecraft's classic trap-filled temples also hold these new treasures. If you stumble upon a Desert Temple, carefully dig down past the pressure plate trap to the four chests below. One of them might hold the Dune Armor Trim , which features a design reminiscent of a Creeper's face. Similarly, navigating the tripwires and hidden levers of a Jungle Temple could reward you with the Wild Armor Trim from one of its chests, a pattern with a rugged, overgrown look.


For those who prefer a coastal adventure, the Coast Armor Trim is your target. This template is found exclusively inside the treasure chests of Shipwrecks. You're looking for the one with valuable loot like diamonds and emeralds, not the chests with food or maps. It can be a bit tricky to find, sometimes buried in the sand nearby, but the distinct wave-like pattern is a worthy reward.


Finding these first four templates is a fantastic way to begin your collection. They are all found in common, overworld structures you've likely seen before. Once you have these secured, you can seek out the rarer, more prestigious patterns in the world's most dangerous places.


For the Explorer: Finding Trims in Dungeons, Strongholds, and The End


For those seeking a greater challenge, the shadowy halls of a Woodland Mansion hold the Vex Armor Trim. This pattern, with its sharp, angry-looking lines mirroring the face of a Vex, is found inside chests scattered throughout the mansion. While fighting through Evokers and Vindicators is a serious task, your odds of finding a trim here are quite high, making it a rewarding objective for any brave adventurer.


Your Nether explorations now offer more than just blaze rods and fortress warts. Chests within Nether Fortresses have a chance to contain the Rib Armor Trim. This one is a bit rarer, with only about a 6.7% chance of appearing in any given chest. You might have to search a few different fortresses to find this skeletal pattern, but it's a perfect cosmetic reward for braving the fiery depths.


As you search for the portal room in a Stronghold, be sure to keep an eye out for libraries. The chests tucked away in these library rooms might contain the Eye Armor Trim, a design that perfectly resembles the Eye of Ender. With around a 10% chance to appear in these specific chests, it adds an extra layer of treasure to your end-game preparations.


Once you step through an End Gateway and begin exploring the outer islands, the towering End Cities hold the Spire Armor Trim. Found in the chests guarded by Shulkers, this trim perfectly mimics the pointy architecture of the cities themselves. Much like the Rib trim, it's fairly uncommon, so looting a few cities might be necessary.


The Rarest Treasures: How to Get the Silence, Ward, and Tide Trims


For the most prestigious patterns, you must venture into the deepest, darkest places in the world: the Ancient Cities. Here, hidden within chests, is a chance to find the Silence Armor Trim. This is the ultimate prize for a treasure hunter and arguably the rarest Minecraft armor trim pattern. Getting it requires sneaking past the Warden, and with only a 1.2% chance of appearing in a chest, its discovery is a true mark of a master adventurer.


Fortunately, not all treasure in the Deep Dark is quite so elusive. While searching for the Silence trim, you are much more likely to come across the Ward Armor Trim. This ancient city armor trim, which looks like the strange, soul-filled block at the city's center, has a 5% chance of being in those same chests. That's still rare, but it means you're about four times more likely to find this one.


Away from the darkness of the caves, another unique trim awaits beneath the waves. The Tide Armor Trim is a special case because it doesn't drop from a chest. Instead, you must defeat an Elder Guardian inside an Ocean Monument. Each Elder Guardian you slay has a 20% chance---a 1 in 5 shot---of dropping the template. This makes it a fantastic, farmable reward for clearing out these underwater fortresses. These trims mark a powerful warrior, but another set of patterns tells a different story---one of a patient archaeologist.


Unearthing History: Finding the 4 New Trims in Trail Ruins


Scattered across Taiga, Snowy Taiga, Old Growth Taiga, and Jungle biomes, you may spot the new Trail Ruins structure. These are ancient, buried villages that require a more delicate touch. Instead of a sword, your most important tool here is a Brush. Craft one with a feather, copper ingot, and a stick, and you'll be ready to uncover some of Minecraft's forgotten history.


Within these Trail Ruins, keep an eye out for blocks that look slightly off: Suspicious Gravel and Suspicious Sand. Unlike normal blocks that break instantly, you can use your Brush on these to slowly excavate the treasures hidden inside. It's a completely new way to find loot and the only method for acquiring four distinct patterns: the Wayfinder, Raiser, Shaper, and Host smithing templates.


Finding these trail ruins smithing templates is a game of patience. When brushing Suspicious Gravel, each of these four trims has an equal 8.3% chance of being uncovered. While that might sound low, it means every piece of Suspicious Gravel offers a solid shot at discovering an ancient pattern. After finding one, you can make more without having to find another.


Never Lose a Rare Trim: The Secret to Duplicating Smithing Templates


Finding a rare armor trim is a thrill, but using your only one can feel risky. Thankfully, you can duplicate Smithing Templates. It's an expensive process, but it guarantees you'll never run out of your favorite designs, turning a single rare find into a full collection.


To copy a template, you'll need a Crafting Table, seven Diamonds, and one "core block" that's tied to the template's origin. In the crafting grid, place the seven Diamonds in a "U" shape around the bottom and sides, put your template in the center slot, and place the core block directly above it. This will produce two of that same template, replacing your original and giving you one extra.


The core block required depends on the trim's origin. For example, the Sentry trim from a Pillager Outpost uses Cobblestone. To copy the rarest Minecraft armor trim patterns, like the Silence trim from an Ancient City, you'll need a block of Cobbled Deepslate. With this knowledge, you can build an infinite supply of any pattern you discover.


Creating Your Signature Look: Armor Trim Combination Ideas


You've journeyed from seeing armor as mere protection to viewing it as a canvas for your adventures. With knowledge of every trim's location and the secret to duplication, you can experiment with the entire Minecraft armor trim color palette to find a style that is uniquely yours. Here are a few ideas to get you started:


  • The Shadow Stealth: A full Netherite set with the Silence Armor Trim and a Netherite Ingot for a dark, tone-on-tone effect that whispers "master of the Deep Dark."

  • The Sunken King: Diamond armor paired with the Tide Armor Trim and Lapis Lazuli for a rich, deep blue that marks you as a conqueror of Ocean Monuments.

  • The Desert Pharaoh: Gilded armor using the Dune Armor Trim on a Gold Chestplate with an Emerald for a vibrant green accent, creating a look worthy of desert royalty.


Ultimately, your armor becomes a trophy case. The Spire trim is a testament to conquering the End, while the Tide trim proves you ruled an Ocean Monument. Your gear is no longer just about stats---it's a wearable history of your greatest accomplishments. Now, go show them off.

 
 
 

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© 2026 by Sourajit Saha

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