Flint spawns on the ground in gravel blocks, and you get it by mining gravel with a shovel

Flint is a crafting material you need for making arrows and flint and steel (which lights fires). You find it by breaking gravel blocks with any shovel — a wooden shovel works fine. When you break gravel, there is a 10% chance it drops flint instead of gravel. This means you will usually need to break multiple gravel blocks to collect flint, but it is a straightforward process once you know where gravel appears.

Gravel is common in several places across your world. The easiest spots to find it are near water — gravel appears along beaches, in shallow water, and at the bottom of rivers and ocean floors. You can also find gravel in the Nether (the red dimension you access through a Nether portal), though you do not need to go there just for flint. Digging down into caves will also expose gravel blocks mixed in with stone and dirt.

Key Takeaways

  • Gravel blocks drop flint when you break them with a shovel, but only 10% of the time — the other 90% of the time they drop gravel again.
  • Beaches and riverbeds are the fastest places to find large amounts of gravel in one spot.
  • A wooden shovel is the cheapest tool to use for mining gravel, though any shovel works the same way.
  • You can speed up flint collection by using a shovel with the Silk Touch enchantment to collect gravel blocks, then break them later in a more convenient location.

Finding gravel on beaches and in water

Beaches are the best place to hunt for flint because gravel appears in large patches along the shoreline. Walk along any beach and you will see gravel blocks mixed in with sand. Break these with a shovel and collect the flint that drops. Ocean floors also have gravel, especially in shallow water where you can still see the bottom clearly.

Rivers are another reliable source. Follow a river through your world and you will find gravel on the riverbed. The advantage of rivers is that they run through many different biomes, so you do not have to travel as far to find one. Dig down into the riverbed with your shovel and break the gravel blocks you find there.

Mining gravel in caves and underground

When you dig into caves or mine downward, you will encounter gravel mixed in with stone and dirt. Break these gravel blocks with your shovel just as you would on the surface. Underground gravel is less concentrated than beach gravel, so you will spend more time digging to collect the same amount of flint, but it is still a valid option if you are already caving.

If you are mining for other resources like coal or iron, you can collect gravel as you go and break it later. This is more efficient than making a special trip just for flint, since you are already underground with your tools.

Using Silk Touch to collect gravel blocks

If your shovel has the Silk Touch enchantment, you can mine gravel blocks and collect them as gravel instead of getting flint immediately. This is useful because you can gather a large stack of gravel blocks and bring them to a safe location, then break them all at once to collect flint. Silk Touch is an enchantment you apply to tools using an enchanting table or an anvil with an enchanted book.

The advantage of this method is that you can mine gravel faster (since you are not waiting for the 10% flint drop chance on each block) and then process it all in one place. This saves time if you need a large amount of flint for crafting multiple arrows or flint and steel tools.

Crafting with flint once you have it

Once you have collected flint, you can craft it into useful items. Flint and steel is made by combining flint with an iron ingot on a crafting table — this tool lights fires and activates Nether portals. Arrows are made by combining flint with a stick and a feather on a crafting table, and you need arrows to use a bow.

You do not need large amounts of flint for most tasks. A single flint and steel lasts a long time, and you only need as many arrows as you plan to shoot. If you are just starting out, collecting 10 to 20 flint from a nearby beach is usually enough to get you through early game.

Flint in the Nether and other dimensions

Gravel also appears in the Nether, but it is not a practical source of flint because the Nether is dangerous and gravel is less common there than on the surface. Stick to beaches and rivers in the Overworld (your main world) for the fastest flint collection. The End dimension does not have gravel, so you cannot get flint there.

If you are already in the Nether for other reasons, you can break gravel you find there, but do not travel to the Nether specifically to hunt for flint. The risk is not worth the small amount of flint you might collect.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do I only get gravel when I break gravel blocks?

Gravel has a 10% chance to drop flint and a 90% chance to drop gravel. This means you need to break many gravel blocks to collect flint. If you want gravel instead of flint, this is actually helpful — you can collect gravel blocks easily and use them for building or decoration.

Do I need a specific type of shovel to get flint?

No, any shovel works the same way — wooden, stone, iron, diamond, or netherite all have the same 10% flint drop rate. A wooden shovel is the cheapest to craft, so use that if you do not have a better one yet. Shovels with higher materials mine gravel faster, but the flint drop chance stays the same.

Can I get flint without mining gravel?

No, gravel is the only source of flint in Minecraft. You cannot find flint lying around or get it from mobs or fishing. Mining gravel with a shovel is the only way to obtain it.

How much flint do I need for arrows?

Each arrow requires one flint, one stick, and one feather. If you want to make 64 arrows, you need 64 flint. For most players, collecting 20 to 30 flint is enough for early game, since you do not lose arrows if you pick them up after shooting them.