Guides / Survival Guides / Where to Find Nether Smithing Templates and Armor Trims
Where to Find Nether Smithing Templates and Armor Trims
Published October 9, 2026
Smithing templates are the recipe item behind every armor trim and the Netherite upgrade — and where you find each one is one of the most-confused topics in the game, because only a handful actually require the Nether. Most don't.
Only two trims (plus the Netherite template) are Nether-exclusive
Of the full set of armor trim templates, exactly two are Nether-only, and they come from two different Nether structures:
- Snout Armor Trim — bastion remnant chests only (bridge, treasure, hoglin stable, and generic loot chests, roughly an 8% chance per chest).
- Rib Armor Trim — nether fortress chests only (roughly a 7% chance per chest).
The Netherite Upgrade Smithing Template — the one that actually matters for gear, since it's required to upgrade diamond equipment to netherite at a smithing table — is also bastion-exclusive: it's a guaranteed drop from a bastion's treasure room chest, plus a smaller chance in every other bastion chest type. See Netherite Conversion for why that upgrade is worth doing the moment you have one.
Everything else is an Overworld structure
Every other trim template comes from Overworld loot, not the Nether:
- Sentry — Pillager Outpost
- Vex — Woodland Mansion
- Wild — Jungle Pyramid
- Coast — Shipwreck
- Dune — Desert Pyramid
- Eye — Stronghold
- Spire — End City
- Ward and Silence — Ancient City
- Tide — Elder Guardian (mob drop)
- Wayfinder, Raiser, Shaper, and Host — Trail Ruins (suspicious gravel)
- Flow — Trial Chambers (ominous vault only)
- Bolt — Trial Chambers (regular vault/reward chest)
Trial Chambers — the structure explicitly worth calling out, since it's newer than most "best smithing template locations" lists in circulation — hold two templates: Bolt from a normal vault, and Flow from an ominous vault (the harder variant unlocked by an Ominous Bottle after a Trial Chambers raid goes badly). Neither is in the Nether.
You can duplicate a template once you have it
Every smithing template is reusable: combining one with 7 diamonds plus the right base material (different per template — netherrack, blackstone, cobbestone, prismarine, and so on) at a smithing table duplicates the template, so you only ever need to find one copy of each.
Why this matters beyond cosmetics
Armor trims are purely visual — they don't add stats or interact with enchantments or the anvil at all. The reason this is still worth planning around on a Nether trip is the Netherite Upgrade Template, which does matter: it's the only way to move diamond gear to netherite, and that upgrade carries every existing enchantment across for free. If you're already heading into a bastion remnant for this template, see Nether Survival Guide for what to wear and fight with while you're there, and The Ideal Sword Enchantments or The Ideal Boots Enchantments for what to put on the netherite gear once you've upgraded it.
Frequently asked questions
Which smithing templates can only be found in the Nether?
Three, total: the Netherite Upgrade template and the Snout armor trim (both bastion remnant loot), and the Rib armor trim (nether fortress loot). Every other armor trim template is an Overworld find.
Are any smithing templates found in Trial Chambers?
Yes — the Bolt armor trim (regular vault) and the Flow armor trim (ominous vault only). Trial Chambers are an Overworld structure, not the Nether, so neither requires a Nether trip.
Do I need to keep finding new copies of a smithing template?
No. Any smithing template can be duplicated at a smithing table using 7 diamonds plus that template's specific base material (for example, netherrack for the Netherite Upgrade template) — find one copy, then duplicate it as many times as you need.
Is the Netherite Upgrade template guaranteed from a bastion?
Effectively yes if you check the treasure room: its chest has a 100% chance to contain one. It also has a smaller chance to appear in a bastion's other chest types (bridge, hoglin stable, generic), so even without finding the treasure room you may get one.
Do smithing templates affect enchanting or the anvil?
No — armor trims are purely cosmetic and have no interaction with enchantments, anvil costs, or the prior-work penalty. The only smithing template with a gameplay effect is the Netherite Upgrade template, and its effect is at the smithing table (material upgrade), not the anvil.