How to Make an Armor Stand in Minecraft

Guide Java Bedrock

Quick answer: Craft an armor stand with 6 sticks and 1 smooth stone slab: sticks in the full top row, one stick in the middle, and the smooth stone slab in the bottom-center slot with sticks on either side.

What you need

6 sticks
1 smooth stone slab (smooth stone = cobblestone smelted twice)

Step by step

Craft 6 sticks from planks.
Smelt cobblestone into stone, then smelt the stone again into smooth stone.
Craft 3 smooth stone slabs (or cut one with a stonecutter); you only need 1.
Open a crafting table.
Fill the top row with 3 sticks, put 1 stick in the center, and place the smooth stone slab in the bottom-center with sticks to its left and right.
Take the armor stand and place it; right-click it with armor, an elytra or a mob head to display them.

Java vs Bedrock

The armor stand recipe is the same in Java and Bedrock. Java armor stands have no arms by default and can be posed only with commands, while in Bedrock you can change poses directly (sneak + interact) and through redstone power. Stands hold armor sets, mob heads, carved pumpkins and elytra, and they are the standard mannequin for trophy rooms and shops. You can place a stand in 8 orientations, and dispensers can equip them automatically.

Versions: javabedrock

Frequently asked questions

How do you make an armor stand with arms?

In survival Java there is no recipe difference: arms require commands (summon with ShowArms:1b). In Bedrock, armor stands placed normally can be posed with sneak + interact, and command-summoned ones can have arms too.

Can an armor stand hold tools or weapons?

Only if it has arms (commands or Creative in Java). A normal stand displays armor, elytra, mob heads and carved pumpkins, but nothing in its hands.

Do armor stands break?

They break in one hit and drop as an item in survival, and water, pistons or explosions can knock them around. They count as entities, so name tags and glow effects work on them.