Creating Custom Armor

Unlike simple hand-held items that only need an item icon, a piece of custom armor has two distinct visual states: the 2D icon shown in the inventory and the 3D model worn on a character's body. In the Behavior Pack, every armor piece—whether it is a helmet, chestplate, leggings, or boots—is just a standard custom item that uses the wearable component to restrict it to an armor slot and grant protection points.

In the Resource Pack, the inventory icon is mapped through textures/item_texture.json just like any basic item. The 3D worn appearance, however, is handled by an attachable definition. Attachables bind a geometry file and a texture to the skeleton of the entity wearing the item, allowing the armor pieces to move naturally with the player's arms, legs, head, and torso.

To make an item function as armor, you must include the minecraft:wearable component in your Behavior Pack item JSON. This component defines which equipment slot the item goes into and how much defense it provides. Because armor cannot stack in a player's inventory, you must also set minecraft:max_stack_size to 1.

Most armor also needs durability so that it takes damage during combat, which is configured through minecraft:durability. If you want players to repair the armor on an anvil, include minecraft:repairable and list the items that restore its durability, along with a Molang expression or integer for how much durability each item restores. To allow the armor to be enchanted on an enchanting table, add the minecraft:enchantable component with an appropriate armor slot type and an enchantability value.

{
  "format_version": "1.20.80",
  "minecraft:item": {
    "description": {
      "identifier": "wiki:ruby_chestplate",
      "menu_category": {
        "category": "equipment",
        "group": "itemGroup.name.chestplate"
      }
    },
    "components": {
      "minecraft:max_stack_size": 1,
      "minecraft:icon": "ruby_chestplate",
      "minecraft:durability": {
        "max_durability": 500
      },
      "minecraft:wearable": {
        "slot": "slot.armor.chest",
        "protection": 7
      },
      "minecraft:repairable": {
        "repair_items": [
          {
            "items": [
              "wiki:ruby"
            ],
            "repair_amount": "query.max_durability * 0.25"
          }
        ]
      },
      "minecraft:enchantable": {
        "value": 12,
        "slot": "armor_torso"
      }
    }
  }
}

The slot string used in minecraft:wearable is different from the slot string used in minecraft:enchantable. Mixing these two up is a common cause of content log errors. The wearable component uses the entity equipment slot names, while the enchantable component uses enchantment table target categories.

Use the table below to match each armor piece to its proper wearable slot, enchantable slot, and standard creative menu group.

Without an attachable file in your Resource Pack, equipping your custom armor will work mechanically, but nothing will appear on the player's body. Create a JSON file inside the RP/attachables/ folder. The identifier inside the attachable description must match the identifier of your Behavior Pack item exactly.

For standard armor that uses the vanilla armor shape, you do not need to create a custom 3D model in Blockbench. You can inherit the built-in humanoid armor geometries directly. Helmets, chestplates, and boots share one texture layout (customarily named layer 1), while leggings use a second texture layout (layer 2) so the pants do not overlap with the chestplate waist and boots.

{
  "format_version": "1.10.0",
  "minecraft:attachable": {
    "description": {
      "identifier": "wiki:ruby_chestplate",
      "materials": {
        "default": "armor",
        "enchanted": "armor_enchanted"
      },
      "textures": {
        "default": "textures/models/armor/ruby_layer_1",
        "enchanted": "textures/misc/enchanted_item_glint"
      },
      "geometry": {
        "default": "geometry.humanoid.armor.chestplate"
      },
      "scripts": {
        "parent_setup": "variable.chest_layer_visible = 0.0;"
      },
      "render_controllers": [
        "controller.render.armor"
      ]
    }
  }
}

When creating attachables for the remaining pieces of an armor set, change the default geometry and the parent_setup script to match the piece you are building. The parent_setup script hides the player's outer skin layer (hat, jacket, sleeves, or pant legs) underneath that specific armor piece so the player's skin does not clip through tight-fitting armor.

For a helmet, use geometry.humanoid.armor.helmet and set variable.helmet_layer_visible = 0.0; in parent_setup. For leggings, use geometry.humanoid.armor.leggings, point the default texture to your layer 2 texture file, and set variable.leg_layer_visible = 0.0;. For boots, use geometry.humanoid.armor.boots and set variable.boot_layer_visible = 0.0;. All four pieces can use the built-in controller.render.armor render controller, which automatically switches from the default material to the enchanted material when the item is enchanted.

The attachable only controls what is rendered on the entity wearing the armor. To display the 2D item icon in the hotbar, inventory, and in the player's hand when holding the armor unequipped, map the icon shortname you used in the Behavior Pack's minecraft:icon component inside RP/textures/item_texture.json.

Place your 16x16 item PNG textures in RP/textures/items/ and place your 64x32 worn armor layer sheets in RP/textures/models/armor/ so they stay organized and match vanilla folder conventions.

{
  "resource_pack_name": "wiki_rp",
  "texture_name": "atlas.items",
  "texture_data": {
    "ruby_helmet": {
      "textures": "textures/items/ruby_helmet"
    },
    "ruby_chestplate": {
      "textures": "textures/items/ruby_chestplate"
    },
    "ruby_leggings": {
      "textures": "textures/items/ruby_leggings"
    },
    "ruby_boots": {
      "textures": "textures/items/ruby_boots"
    }
  }
}

Applies to Bedrock Edition 1.20.80 and newer. The minecraft:wearable, minecraft:durability, minecraft:repairable, and minecraft:enchantable components are stable in format_version 1.20.80+ and do not require any experimental toggles.

Read out of the game itself, so the ids match the version you are building for.