Armor Stand
Armor Stand displays gear, carved pumpkins, and heads using sticks plus a smooth stone slab.
Description
The stand is more than decoration. It can be moved by pistons in many contraptions, named, hidden, posed through edition-specific tools, or used as a marker in mapmaking. In survival, its main value is organization: full sets of netherite, leather colours, trims, or roleplay outfits can be stored visibly instead of buried in chests.
Java & Bedrock Guide
How to craft and use an Armor Stand in Minecraft
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1
Prepare a smooth stone slab
Smelt cobblestone into stone, smelt that stone again into smooth stone, then craft three smooth stone into smooth stone slabs. One smooth stone slab is needed for each Armor Stand.
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2
Craft the Armor Stand
Place six sticks and one smooth stone slab in the crafting grid: sticks fill the top row, both bottom corners, and the center, with the smooth stone slab in the bottom-middle slot. This yields one Armor Stand.
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3
Place and rotate it
Right-click the ground while facing the direction you want; the Armor Stand turns to face you and can be set in eight rotations depending on where you stand.
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4
Equip items
Hold any armor piece, mob head, carved pumpkin, or elytra and right-click the Armor Stand to place that item into its matching slot.
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5
Pose it (Bedrock)
In Bedrock Edition, sneak and interact to cycle through 13 preset poses; in Java Edition, poses and arms are added with commands.
Bedrock Edition Armor Stands have arms and adjustable poses by default, while Java Edition Armor Stands have no arms unless added through commands.
How to craft this block
Frequently asked questions
How do you craft an Armor Stand?
Place six sticks and one smooth stone slab in a crafting table: three sticks across the top row, one stick in each bottom corner, one stick in the center, and the smooth stone slab in the bottom-middle slot.
Can an Armor Stand hold a full set of armor?
Yes. An Armor Stand displays a helmet, chestplate, leggings, and boots at the same time, which makes it ideal for showing spare or trophy gear.
What version added the Armor Stand?
The Armor Stand was added in Java Edition 1.8 (2014) and is available in both Java Edition and Bedrock Edition.
Can you give an Armor Stand arms?
In Bedrock Edition arms are present by default, while in Java Edition arms only appear when the Armor Stand is summoned with the ShowArms command tag.
Does an Armor Stand drop when broken?
Yes. Attacking an Armor Stand drops it as an item together with anything it was wearing, so the equipment is never lost.
Can pistons move an Armor Stand?
Pistons can push an Armor Stand because it is an entity, which mapmakers use for moving displays and hidden contraptions.
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