How to Get a Specific Trim Color or Look Using New Materials

Understand What Controls the Look

In the vanilla smithing system, the trim template controls the pattern shape, while the material controls the color and finish. Trims Expanded keeps this rule and simply adds more materials, so each new item gives its own visual result. For example, Glowstone Dust tends to give a bright, warm tone, while Echo Shard and Prismarine Shard give cooler, more unusual hues. Leather, Rabbit Hide, and Slime Ball offer muted, organic-looking finishes that suit survival-themed builds.

Step-by-Step

1. Decide on the pattern you want and obtain the matching armor trim template.

2. Pick the material whose look you want from the mod's list.

3. Open a Smithing Table and place armor, template, and material in the three slots.

4. Check the preview in the output slot. If you do not like it, swap the material for a different one — the template and armor stay the same.

5. Take the result to apply the trim.

Experimenting Cheaply

Because common materials like Coal, Leather, Rabbit Hide, and Slime Ball are easy to farm, use them to test patterns on a spare set of armor before committing a rare material like Dragon's Breath or an Enchanted Golden Apple. You can re-trim the same armor piece later with a different material, so nothing is permanent — just repeat the Smithing Table process with the new material.