How to craft Lead in Minecraft
Utility Since 1.6 (Horse Update)
Quick answer: Craft Lead in a Crafting Table (3x3 grid) with 5x String. You get 2.
Recipe
S
S
S
S
S
L
Lead
x2
S = String. Station: Crafting Table (3x3 grid).
Ingredients and how to get them
| Material | Amount | How to get it |
|---|---|---|
| String | 5 | Kill spiders, break cobwebs with a sword or shears, or fish. |
What is Lead used for?
- Tie up animals: attach to fences or drag horses, cows, llamas and other leashable mobs around
- The alternative to building canals and tunnels for moving animals long distances
- Wandering traders spawn with two trader llamas on leads; the lead drops when a llama is detached
Variants
- No variants; a lead stretches a maximum of 12 blocks before it breaks
Java vs Bedrock
Since Java 25w18a (1.21.6) and Bedrock 1.21.90 the lead is crafted from 5 string. Before that it needed 4 string and 1 slimeball, so older guides and videos show a different recipe. In Java you can leash multiple animals at once, one per lead.
Related: Fishing RodChestBoat