The wither skeleton skull is a rare drop from wither skeletons in nether fortresses. Three skulls on soul sand summon the Wither boss, making it one of the most fought-over drops.
Modern namespaced IDs are recommended. This numerical form is only for old Java releases.
/give @p 397 1
Give command syntax by version
Java 1.13+
/give @p minecraft:wither_skeleton_skull 1
Namespaced ID (current format)
Java 1.8–1.12.2
/give @p 397 1 1
Numerical ID + data value
Rows appear only when the underlying value is verified: the Java 1.8–1.12.2 row requires a reviewed historical numerical ID, and the Bedrock row appears only when this exact namespaced ID exists in the Bedrock registry.
How to Get Wither Skeleton Skull
Finding Wither Skeleton Skull
Mine Wither Skeleton Skull blocks.
Rarely dropped when a player kills a Wither Skeleton.
Wither Skeleton Skull in Minecraft: Farming the Rarest Drop
Quick answer: Use minecraft:wither_skeleton_skull in Java Edition commands. Wither skeletons in Nether fortresses rarely drop their skull when killed by a player; collect three, place them on soul sand in a T shape, and you can summon the Wither boss.
Farming skulls in a fortress
Wither skeletons spawn on Nether fortress brick, especially in open corridors and intersections. The base drop chance is only a few percent, and Looting on your sword raises it noticeably, so skull farming means many laps through a busy fortress.
Make the grind safer and faster: bring fire resistance against blazes, a smite sword for bonus damage to the undead wither skeletons, and consider clearing spawn spaces near an intersection so more wither skeletons appear per lap.
Drop chance: low, about 2.5 percent, plus more with Looting.
Looting III is the single biggest farming upgrade.
Fortress intersections have the densest wither skeleton spawns.
Summoning the Wither
Arrange four soul sand or soul soil in a T and place the three skulls on the top row to summon the Wither. It charges up for a few seconds, then detonates; summon it underground or far from anything you value.
Each Wither drops one nether star, the beacon ingredient, so three skulls effectively convert into one beacon. Late-game players build wither cages from bedrock or reinforced deepslate to farm stars repeatedly.
Build With Wither Skeleton Skull
minecraft:wither_skeleton_skull is in the reviewed block catalog. Open a command tool with this ID already selected, then adjust the coordinates in the tool.
Need a different material? Browse Minecraft Block IDs or compare the related blocks below.
Wither Skeleton Skull Command Examples
Give 1 to nearest player: /give @p minecraft:wither_skeleton_skull 1
Give 1 to yourself: /give @s minecraft:wither_skeleton_skull 1
Give to a specific player: /give PlayerName minecraft:wither_skeleton_skull 1
Clear from inventory: /clear @p minecraft:wither_skeleton_skull
Wither Skeleton Skull FAQ
What is the item ID for Wither Skeleton Skull?
The item ID for Wither Skeleton Skull is minecraft:wither_skeleton_skull. Java Edition commands such as /give, /clear, and /setblock use this namespaced ID.
What is the numerical ID for Wither Skeleton Skull?
Wither Skeleton Skull has the historical numerical ID 397 with data value 1, used in Java Edition 1.12.2 and earlier. Current versions use minecraft:wither_skeleton_skull instead.
How do I give myself Wither Skeleton Skull in Minecraft?
Open the chat window and run /give @p minecraft:wither_skeleton_skull 1 to give the nearest player one Wither Skeleton Skull. Replace @p with a player name to target someone else.
How many Wither Skeleton Skull can stack in one slot?
Wither Skeleton Skull stacks up to 64 per inventory slot.
What is the drop rate for wither skeleton skulls?
The base chance is about 2.5 percent per player kill, and each Looting level adds roughly one percent, so Looting III brings it to about 5.5 percent. Expect dozens of kills per skull without Looting.
How do you summon the Wither?
Place four soul sand or soul soil blocks in a T shape, then set three wither skeleton skulls on the three top blocks. The last placed block must be a skull. Move away immediately; the Wither explodes after charging.
Can wither skeleton skulls drop from explosions or fall damage?
The skull drop requires a player-caused kill, which includes your projectiles and tamed wolves, but not pure environmental deaths. Kill them yourself with a Looting sword for the best odds.
Sources and Data Review
Item facts were reviewed for Java Edition 1.21.11 on .
