5 Best Ways to Get Leather in Minecraft (2024)

The most basic materials in Minecraft are some of the most important ones too, as they appear in so many crafting recipes. Take for example leather, which you need to craft books and the enchanting table set up. Not only that but it’s also required to make bundles and item frames. However, getting it isn’t exactly a cakewalk. Thankfully, we are here. So keep reading as we tell you the best ways you can get leather in Minecraft right here!

1. Mob Loot

The quickest, easiest, and most common way to get leather in Minecraft is through killing mobs that can drop it. The mob names and drop chances (default and with looting enchantment) are displayed in the table below:

You can come across these mobs while you’re exploring the grassy Overworld biomes (this is the case for cows, donkeys, horses, and llamas), mushroom island biome (mooshrooms), and the crimson forest in the Nether (hoglins). Mules don’t spawn naturally.

Therefore, it’s very easy to collect a bunch of leather relatively quickly. One more advantage to this method is that you can breed and multiply all of these mobs, so you can go on a killing spree and gather lots of leather in your base every once in a while.

Alternatively, you can also opt for making a hoglin farm on the roof of the Nether (Java only) and automatically get plenty of leather for the mid and late-game in Minecraft.

2. Bartering with Piglins

The second best way to obtain leather is through bartering with the Nether residents’ piglins. They spawn in the Nether wastes and crimson forest biomes. You may give an adult piglin a gold ingot (only gold ingots are viable for bartering) by right-clicking them or throwing the item on the ground near them.

After a few seconds, the piglin will drop something that could be 2-4 leather. This is a great source of the item, as you can automate it and get tons of leather. Thankfully, it’s also easy to learn how to trade with piglins to get started.

3. Loot Chests

This method of obtaining leather in Minecraft isn’t great if you want the item in large quantities. But if you’re looking for just a little leather and you’re near a Minecraft village or a bastion, then you’re in luck.

Chests inside tanner houses of villages and in bridge and hoglinstablebastion remnant types can include 1-3 leather. Search them and if you’re lucky enough and you just might get some leather in Minecraft.

4. Villager Gifts

As you may know, when you have the Hero of the Village status effect in Java edition, villagers will throw items related to their professions at you. Therefore, a way to get leather in Minecraft is by having Leatherworker villagers throwing leather at you. You can have a bunch of them in your village and get showered every once in a while with leather.

5. Fishing

The worst way to get leather in Minecraft is through fishing. This is a junk item and by default, you only have a 1% chance of getting it. Since it’s a junk category item, you should not fish in a large area, but a very small one to eliminate the chance of getting treasure items.

Also, make sure the fishing rod you’re using does not have luck of the sea enchantment. So, if you’re that desperate or are perhaps tasked with a difficult challenge, then go fishing and hope for the best.

That said, those are the best ways you can get leather in Minecraft. The first two methods are the best by far but feel free to choose from the rest of them too. So, what are you planning to do with leather? Craft bundles, item frames, or maybe horse armor? Share with us in the comment section below!