An iron farm is the single best way to get unlimited iron in Minecraft. Instead of mining for hours, you build a small village that spawns iron golems on repeat, then funnels them into a kill chamber where they drop iron for you to collect. A basic farm makes a few hundred iron per hour, which is enough to keep you in tools, rails, hoppers, and iron blocks forever.
This guide explains how iron farms actually work, the exact village conditions you need, how to build one, and how to fix it when it stops producing. The mechanics differ slightly between Java and Bedrock, and this covers both. Everything here is confirmed in the current 2026 version of Minecraft (26.2).
Quick answer: build a village of at least 10 villagers with 20 beds and a workstation each, so they spawn iron golems. Funnel the golems down into a lava kill chamber with a hopper and chest underneath to collect the iron. A basic farm produces roughly 240 to 440 iron per hour.
Iron Farm at a Glance
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Core mechanic | Villagers spawn iron golems to defend the village |
| Minimum village | 10 villagers, 20 beds, a workstation each |
| Golem drops | 3 to 5 iron ingots (plus a poppy) each |
| Typical rate | 240 to 440 iron per hour |
How an Iron Farm Works
Iron farms exploit one simple rule: a village spawns iron golems to protect its villagers. If you gather enough villagers with beds and jobs in one spot, the game keeps spawning golems near them. You then push those golems into a kill chamber (usually lava) where they die and drop 3 to 5 iron ingots each, along with a poppy.
The two editions trigger golems a little differently:
- Bedrock Edition spawns golems automatically once the village is big enough (the numbers below). No zombie needed.
- Java Edition relies on villagers panicking, so most Java farms keep a zombie trapped nearby to scare the villagers, which makes them summon golems much faster.
The Village Conditions You Need
For golems to spawn, the village has to meet a specific checklist. On Bedrock these are strict; Java is similar but panic-driven:
- At least 10 villagers, each linked to a bed.
- At least 20 beds, and never fewer beds than villagers. If you have more villagers than beds, the farm stops.
- A workstation for each villager, and at least 75% of them must have worked the previous day.
- The villagers must sleep in the beds at night. If they cannot reach a bed, no golems spawn.
- Use villagers that can actually take a job. Nitwits (green coats) and baby villagers will not work, so they will not help spawn golems.
One golem can spawn for roughly every 10 villagers, which is why bigger farms (20 villagers) roughly double the output.
Building the Farm, Step by Step
These steps follow the simple three-villager design in the video below, which produces over 300 iron per hour. The screenshots for each step match this build:
- Prepare a flat, isolated area
Find a large flat spot at least 100 blocks from any other village, bed, bell, or workstation, and clear away any protruding blocks so golems can only spawn where you want them.
- Dig a seven-block-deep trench
From your starting block, dig straight down seven blocks to begin the villager chamber.
- Carve the 3×3 villager room
At the bottom of the trench, dig out a 3×3 room (nine blocks), then extend the space behind it so the villagers have room.
- Place the three beds
Set three beds inside the room. The bed color does not matter.
- Add the slabs and trapdoor
Place two slabs on the lower half of the front blocks, then put a trapdoor on the upper half of the middle block so it snaps shut and you can pass under it.
- Open up the chamber
Dig out the six blocks in front of the room and the six behind them, plus the two blocks above on each side, to shape the villager chamber.
- Torch the room
Place a torch inside the room to stop hostile mobs spawning there and killing your villagers.
- Place the zombie boat
Set an empty boat in the gap between the two marked blocks. This is where the zombie will sit to scare the villagers.
- Build the staircase to the surface
Make a staircase back up to ground level, placing a torch on every other step to stop creepers spawning while you work.
- Cap the staircase top
Block off the top of the staircase and add two trapdoors, leaving them open for now so you can get the zombie in later.
- Mark out the killing area
Back at the villager hole, leave one block, measure five blocks across, then extend eight more blocks toward the trapdoors to outline the platform.
- Dig out the platform
Dig out that whole marked area, then take the entire floor down one extra block.
- Add the chest and hopper
At the opposite end from the villager and zombie holes, place a chest with a hopper feeding into it to collect the iron.
- Place the guide stair
Add an upside-down stair made from a non-flammable block to funnel golems toward the kill spot, then block off the side.
- Flatten the floor and add water
Use a shovel or hoe to flatten the 8 floor blocks beside the hopper, then place water in the two corners so items flow toward the hopper.
- Build the lava blade with signs
Place a sign on the stair diagonally, crouch and add signs in a V-shape, then pour lava so the signs hold it in place while golems can still walk into it.
- Move the villagers in
Tunnel down to the beds and bring three villagers close so they pathfind onto the beds, then seal the room off and add a torch inside.
- Trap the zombie and finish
Lower a zombie by the open trapdoors so it walks through and drops into the boat; an iron golem should spawn almost instantly. Lock off the exposed blocks so a golem cannot kill the zombie, remove the trapdoors, and check the collection chest.
Rates and Why to Build One
A single-layer, 10-villager farm makes around 240 iron per hour, roughly three and a half stacks. Scale up to 20 villagers and you can reach 440 iron per hour. That is enough to fully automate your iron supply, which pairs perfectly with a blast furnace for smelting and an Armorer villager for emerald trades. If you would rather find iron the normal way in the meantime, our guide on the best way to get iron covers mining routes.
Troubleshooting: When Your Farm Stops
If golems are not spawning, run through this list, which fixes almost every broken iron farm:
- Make sure the villagers can sleep. No sleep means no golems. Check that every villager can reach a bed.
- Check villagers do not outnumber beds. You need at least as many beds as villagers, with a minimum of 20 beds.
- Confirm each villager has a workstation and has worked recently. Nitwits and traded-locked villagers will not link.
- Move away from other villages. Anything within about 100 blocks (villagers, beds, bells, workstations) can steal your golem spawns.
- Slab or glass the edges. If golems spawn outside the platform or get stuck in walls, cap nearby blocks with slabs and swap solid walls for glass panes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Build a village of at least 10 villagers with 20 beds and a workstation each so it spawns iron golems, then push the golems into a lava kill chamber with a hopper and chest below to collect the iron they drop.
At least 10 villagers and 20 beds, with a workstation for each. You need at least as many beds as villagers, and one golem can spawn per roughly 10 villagers, so 20 villagers roughly doubles the rate.
On Java Edition, most farms use a trapped zombie to scare the villagers into spawning golems quickly. On Bedrock Edition you do not need one, since a big enough village spawns golems on its own.
A basic 10-villager farm makes around 240 iron per hour, and a 20-villager version can reach about 440 per hour, alongside poppies from the golems.
Almost always the villagers cannot sleep, there are more villagers than beds, a workstation is missing, or another village is too close. Fix those, and make sure golems are not spawning on slabs or outside the platform.
Each iron golem drops 3 to 5 iron ingots when it dies, plus a poppy. That is why funneling them into a kill chamber gives you so much iron so quickly.
An iron farm is one of the highest-value builds in the game: a day or two of setup for a lifetime of free iron. Get the village conditions right (10-plus villagers, 20 beds, workstations, and sleep), add a lava kill chamber with a hopper, and you will never mine iron out of necessity again.
